Educating Jewish and Arab children for tolerance and coexistence in a situation of ongoing conflict: an encounter program

Abstract

The 'Children Teach Children' (CTC) program aimed to educate Jewish and Arab children in Israel for tolerance and coexistence is first described against the general background of coexistence programs in Israel and in other countries. Results of a study that examined the influence of the program implementation in Grade 7 in a pair of neighboring schools (a Jewish school and an Arab school) indicate differences between perceptions of students and of program coordinator-teachers regarding the achievements of the program's first year. Students' responses pointed at no change in the area of awareness to identity, a positive change in interpersonal relationships yet a worsening of stereotypes, although both Jewish and Arab students expressed the will to continue with the program and with the same class. Teachers revealed a higher degree of satisfaction and emphasized the gains of the program, mainly regarding the improvement of communication skills, disclosure of feelings, acceptance of different opinions, and the creation of an empowering group climate as a platform for the continuation of the program.

The Impact of Socio-environmental Projects of Jewish and Bedouin Youth in Israel on Students’ Local Knowledge and Views of Each Other

“…In the Israeli context, our findings suggest a way to challenge research findings indicating that Jewish and Arab youth hold negative attitudes and stereotypes of each other (Bar- Tal & Rosen, 2009;Bar-Tal & Teichman, 2005;Hertz-Lazarowitz & Kupermintz, 1996;Lazovsky, 2007;Maoz, 2000). In line with Bargal (2008) our research provides appropriate conditions for intergroup encounters that reduce conflicts between Jewish and Arab citizens.…”

“…They were asked to explain their choice. Based on the negative stereotypes and mutual prejudices that Jewish and Arab students hold (Bar- Tal & Teichman, 2005;Lazovsky, 2007), we chose to include questions 5-7 in the questionnaire in order to explore whether such attitudes exist amongst the participants of our study, and whether they undergo a change by the end of the joint projects. The questionnaire was approved for use by the Chief Scientist of the Israeli Ministry of Education as a part of the mandatory ethical and methodological review process for all educational research studies conducted in the school system.…”

“…This was the geopolitical context of a venture to bring Jewish and Arab youth together in collaborative environmental projects. Although previous research in Israel showed that Jewish and Arab youth tend to hold negative attitudes and stereotypes of each other (Bar-Tal & Teichman, 2005;Lazovsky, 2007;Maoz, 2000), it was also found that providing appropriate conditions in joint encounters that engage Arab and Jewish youth could potentially reduce their negative attitude towards each other (Bargal, 2008). Therefore, it was reasonable to assume that social learning through environmental projects that bring together Arab and Jewish youth to discuss common interests and continuously work together in shared landscapes could reduce prejudice and improve their attitude towards one another.…”

How Primary School Children Perceive Tolerance by Technology Supported Instruction in Digital Transformation During Covid 19

“…Tillman ( 2000 ) shows that increasing violence and social problems in children stem from lack of respect and tolerance, and studies show that the most effective way for parents and educators to cope and overcome with these problems is to teach values. Lazovsky ( 2007 ) concludes that the participants' communication skills such as showing respect for their thoughts and expressing their feelings to a person who is not of the same opinion can improve.…”

The integrated school in a conflict society: a comparative analysis of two integrated primary schools in Northern Ireland

“…If parents choose schools for their children, they might well choose schools that emphasize their particular regional, ethnic, or religious identity at the expense of other groups or of national identity. (Kremer, 1995, p. 7) educated together (Bekerman, 2004;Lazovsky, 2007). Similarly, since 1994 in South Africa a range of policies have been pursued and various pieces of legislation enacted so as to encourage a process of desegregation in schools (Vandeyar & Esakov, 2007).…”