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Teaching Approaches That Help to Build Resilience to Extremism Among Young People

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Teaching Approaches That Help to Build Resilience to Extremism Among Young People Research Report DFE-RR119 Teaching approaches that help to build resilience to extremism among young people Joe Bonnell, Phil Copestake, David Kerr, Rowena Passy, Chris Reed, Rachel Salter, Shama Sarwar, Sanah Sheikh OPM and National Foundation for Educational Research This research report was commissioned before the new UK Government took office on 11 May 2010. As a result the content may not reflect current Government policy and may make reference to the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) which has now been replaced by the Department for Education (DFE). The views expressed in this report are the authors’ and do not necessarily reflect those of the Department for Education. Contents Executive summary..................................................................................................................1 Summary of research findings............................................................................................2 What factors help to support a successful intervention? ....................................................4 Conclusion..........................................................................................................................5 1. Introduction...........................................................................................................................6 1.1 Objectives of the research............................................................................................7 1.2 Key terms used in the report ........................................................................................9 1.3 Methodology...............................................................................................................12 1.4 Analytical framework for the research ........................................................................13 1.5 Case study descriptions .............................................................................................17 1.6 Report structure..........................................................................................................25 2. Making a connection through effective design and a young-person centred approach .....26 2.1 Young people know and understand the purpose of their participation in a given intervention or activity.......................................................................................................26 2.2 Setting concrete and tangible goals and outputs for young people to foster a sense of ownership .........................................................................................................................30 2.3 Young person centred and young person led.............................................................32 2.4 Design interventions to feel enjoyable and ‘different’ .................................................39 3. Facilitating a safe space for dialogue and positive interaction ...........................................48 3.1 Ability of facilitators to create a ‘safe space’ for dialogue...........................................48 3.2 Confident and connected facilitation based on trust...................................................57 3.3 Appropriate levels of knowledge.................................................................................63 4. Equipping young people with appropriate capabilities - skills, knowledge, understanding and awareness.......................................................................................................................68 4.1 Building personal resilience and a positive sense of identity......................................69 4.2 Developing critical thinking skills ................................................................................77 4.3 Building skills for positive interaction and collaboration..............................................88 5. Enabling factors: supporting a successful approach ..........................................................91 5.1 Partnership working with local agencies.....................................................................91 5.2 Leadership and management support within the school ............................................95 5.3 Linking interventions with the wider curriculum ..........................................................98 6. Additional findings from the review of the literature..........................................................102 6.1 Multi-modal approaches ...........................................................................................102 6.2 Mentoring approaches..............................................................................................103 6.3 Peer mediation and conflict resolution approaches..................................................103 6.4 Educating young people about the consequences of violent actions .......................104 6.5 Community based approaches.................................................................................104 6.6 Family based approaches ........................................................................................105 6.7 Opportunities provision.............................................................................................105 6.8 Organisational or environmental arrangements .......................................................105 7. Conclusion........................................................................................................................106 Appendices...........................................................................................................................113 Appendix 1 - Expert Reference Group ...........................................................................113 Appendix 2 – Research tools..........................................................................................115 Interview guide for scoping phase..................................................................................115 Outline topic guide for case studies................................................................................119 Appendix 3 – Two page summaries of case studies ......................................................122 Executive summary This report presents the findings from a large-scale, in-depth research study into teaching methods – knowledge, skills, teaching practices and behaviours – that help to build resilience to extremism. The focus is on teaching methods to be used in a general classroom setting rather than as part of interventions targeted at those deemed at risk of extremism. The research methods used were 10 in-depth case studies of relevant projects and interventions, including interviews with teachers, practitioners and students and classroom observation, a literature review conducted according to systematic principles, and close engagement with 20 academic and other experts in the field. The study was commissioned by the former Department for Children Schools and Families (DCSF), now the Department for Education (DfE), with support from the Home Office. The Office for Public Management (OPM), an independent public service research and development centre, conducted the research in partnership with the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER), which is the UK’s largest independent provider of research, assessment and information services for education, training and children’s services. The primary aim of the research was to provide a strong evidence base for schools and other education providers to help them adopt and commission the appropriate interventions to build resilience to extremism. Following detailed analysis and synthesis of findings from the case study visits, together with findings from the literature review, we identified a number of key ingredients which were important for resilience-building teaching activities. Taken together, these ingredients help to counteract the impact of factors that can help to either push or pull young people towards extremism and / or violent extremism, such as a sense of injustice or feelings of exclusion. The key ingredients can be clustered under three headings: 1. making a connection through good design and a young-person centred approach 2. facilitating a safe space for dialogue and positive interaction 3. equipping young people with appropriate capabilities - skills, knowledge, understanding and awareness. Whatever the setting and resources available, the principles of good design and facilitation – the first two of the three – are crucial and non-negotiable. This research suggests that a well- designed, well-facilitated intervention will go a long way to building resilience. To be more confident of longer-term, sustainable resilience, however, an additional focus is needed, over and above good design and facilitation, on building ‘harder’ skills, knowledge, understanding and awareness, including practical tools and techniques for personal resilience. Page 1 Summary of research findings 1. Making a connection through effective design and a young-person centred approach • The learning or wider objectives of participation should be communicated clearly, along with how the activity in question fits within the broader learning programme, or with other agenda. • Setting concrete and tangible goals and outputs for young people can help to foster a sense of ownership and help to sustain involvement over time. Examples we observed included presenting at a conference at the end of a project, or creating an online wiki database or film. • Producing something ‘real’ has the added advantage of
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