Abstract
Given the current unstable worldwide conditions, school is considered an essential component for the empowerment of students’ life skills, the construction of harmonious relationships with peers and their transformation through adulthood, so that they can be ready to undertake the role of active citizen in society. This paper attempts to describe a collaborative project concerning three research areas as three separate studies: resiliency, peer mediation and citizenship education. The project consists of teaching interventions which were orchestrated for the infusion of the above components in the school curriculum aiming at students’ emotional and conflict resolution skills as well as the promotion of their democratic role. Students of primary and secondary education from preadolescence to the culmination of adolescence participated in the project. Research findings suggest that school should focus on factors relating to students’ emotional and social development which may successfully set the stage for improved academic performance and a responsible, democratic role towards society. These objectives are aligned with the principles of Critical Pedagogy focusing on students’ emancipation, the acquisition of a values set and their readiness to act in the direction of common good equipped with critical thinking skills, empathy, and respect towards divergence.
Highlights
The ongoing instability of worldwide socioeconomic conditions seems to raise a red flag regarding school’s role since it is claimed that individuals as social beings live in interdependence with each other
A set of questions was constructed for every condition of the resilience wheel: a) provide opportunities for meaningful participation (e.g. What do you think that will help you stay focused on the lesson?), b) increase prosocial bonding (e.g. Is there a person who can help you solve your problems? If yes, how?), c) set clear, consistent boundaries (e.g. Do you participate in setting rules in class?), d) set and communicate high expectations (e.g. Do you feel that you can achieve your goals?), e) provide caring and support (e.g. Are you interested in acting in a way so that you can be admired by your classmates?), f) teach life skills (e.g. Do you fight with your classmates?) (Henderson, 2013, p. 25)
Students seemed to have acquired or improved certain behavioural patterns correlating with resilience which are majorly organized in two broad categories referring to a) themselves, interpersonal relationships and socialization and b) their crystallized opinions about school organization and the opportunities offered by it
Summary
The ongoing instability of worldwide socioeconomic conditions seems to raise a red flag regarding school’s role since it is claimed that individuals as social beings live in interdependence with each other. In other words, wellbeing in societies is not merely a personal issue but is rather based on the formation of relationships and common efforts (Veugelers & de Groot, 2019), so that individuals can feel and be responsible while acting for the benefit of society and humanity as a whole (Dimitriadou, Psoma & Pnevmatikos, 2018) This perspective emphasizes school’s role in the direction of preparing students for the current and their future life through adulthood. School should offer students the opportunity to be equipped with skills that can assist them in the direction of facing the perplexity and challenges of society nowadays (Claxton, Costa & Kallick, 2016) This is the reason why emphasis should be placed on students’ soft skills such as communication and problem solving. Teachers’ behaviour and the promotion of values through several school subjects are integral parts of citizenship education
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