Abstract:

Nowadays, the media sends reports about extremist attacks, suicide by bullying, racist language, homophobia, sexual intimidation, ... How do we, and especially our children/ young people, deal with it?

Our teacher training University College Vives Tielt has asked our final-year students to set up their final papers on the topic linkedness. First of all the students have to write an essay on the general topic linkedness. They have to read literature on the subject and they develop an opinion on the matter. At the end of their essay they formulate a research question. For example “How can the principles of non-violent communication be taught as a preventive way in working on linkedness in the fifth grade?” During a preliminary investigation they observe and analyse the classroom situation concerning the research question. During their teaching practice they have to develop innovative teaching materials in order to give an answer to the research question. For this they use some basic principles of design research.

Our students discovered that most schools do not consciously pay attention to linkedness and more in detail to non-violent communication. So most schools were pleased that our students provided didactic material to work preventive on linkedness. This means that the orientation is not problem-driven (like in the appearance of quarrels, bullying). The first orientation is positive and does not focus on any problems at all.

Through practice based examples we would like to indicate the necessity of offering (young) children the required tools in order to acquire future non-violent communication competences. It is our strong belief that preventive working on linkedness from a young age is a premise to develop an open attitude towards other people and society..

Our poster presents results from final papers focusing on non-violent communication and containing didactic material to use in primary education.

Keywords:

Linkedness, non-violent communication, primary education, didactic material.