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1. The practice
2. Hints for an evaluation
2.1 Strenghts
2.1.1 The organisation’s perspective
The Project Coordinator acknowledges that the project has succeeded in dissemination of trained peer mediators in 19 different schools in The Municipality of Copenhagen. In his opinion, thanks to the project, teachers have more time for teaching while peer mediators assist pupils in solving conflicts.
The strength of the project lie sin the methodological approach of peer mediation that implies the direct involvement of students in conflict resolution process. This Project focused on the preliminary phase of this methodology, that is the training of teachers charged of the implementation of this programmes within the schools.
Another excellent point concerns the materials produced that are aimed at disseminating the results and the ideas that underpin the project. The products planned include a comprehensive package of training modules, a handbook examining and commenting on each of the process stages involved, a catalogue of case studies and a detailed and very practical “Resource Pack” for teachers to use when undertaking their own projects – including activities designed by young people themselves. In order to maximise the impact of the project, the INSET courses planned are specifically designed to “train the trainers” – advisory staff or others who subsequently can run courses in their own localities for teachers, to create a significant multiplier effect.
2.1.2 Interculture map perspective
The Project had a strong impact on local schools in Copenhagen and in other cities partner. It is not possible to evaluate the level of effectiveness of this dissemination effort, because the impact is a long term process which can be hardly measured. The Project Coordinator did not give further details, therefore we can consider, at a superficial level that the strength of this Project underlies in the chances to adopt an education model that can be used in context with a high level of conflict, also implicit. In particular the Peer Education can be a useful instrument in multicultural schools.
Peer Education is a teaching method aimed at considering students active actors of the training process: they are involved in a very different way of thinking if compared with traditional education or training.
With Peer Education, values, contents experiences will not just transferred from adults: the young students will confront each other, they exchange point of view, they dramatise problems and find autonomously solutions, on the supervisions of expert adult trainers/educators.
The training of trainers has a physiological multiplier effect that helps the dissemination of the methods.
2.2 Critical Points
2.2.1 The organisation’s perspective
The Project coordinator stated in the interview that changing teaching staff attitudes is a long term process. Therefore the aim of giving the opportunity to peer mediators to facilitate conflict resolution amongst pupils is a result that comes out from continuos activities, which must be directed at facing conflicts, at working them out, in order to resolve them.
Therefore, it is important not to expect short term results in the level of relationship change.
2.2.2 Interculture map perspective
According to the Project Coordinator, it is very difficult to change traditional education patterns. Schools can welcome a new training methods, teachers can attend a training course, but the level of implementation of this new methods is hard to be measured. The dissemination implies a change of mentality of the whole school. If this global change does not happen, the Project can offer a valid opportunity for some teachers but the traditional character of the school will not change, since just few sensitive and interested teachers will try to adopt the methods in their ordinary and daily work with pupils.
2.3 Conclusion: what is “exportable” in the project
2.3.1 The organisation’s perspective
The Project can be proved in another context, but t is important to remind that conflicts are unavoidable; therefore a good project will face conflicts without denying them. This is a real challenge, and dynamic resolution can lead to a better understanding amongst people.
An attempt of exportation has already been experienced: the dissemination has been achieved also by materials that have realised by the Comenius 2 PAX projects, run by two of the partners and other models of good practise in the field of peer education and conflict resolution collated from all the member states.
2.3.2 Interculture map perspective
Themes: realisation of training courses aimed at prepare teachers to develop peer education for conflict resolution programmes within the schools.
Methodology: since the project deal with a very delicate theme, the exportation of this experience can be realised only in educational contexts were teachers and trainers are sensitive and motivate. In fact, this kind of project envisage the implementation of activities aimed at analysing and discussing our personal behaviours. Therefore it is necessary to choose prepared and motivated teachers to be involved in the training courses.
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