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Cultivating Hope, Weaving Peace: Colombian Educators Building Pathways to Teach About the Armed Conflict

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Cultivating Hope, Weaving Peace: Colombian Educators Building Pathways to Teach About the Armed Conflict The University of San Francisco USF Scholarship: a digital repository @ Gleeson Library | Geschke Center Master's Theses Theses, Dissertations, Capstones and Projects Winter 12-13-2019 Cultivating hope, weaving peace: Colombian educators building pathways to teach about the armed conflict Laura Vesga Villalba [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://repository.usfca.edu/thes Part of the Curriculum and Social Inquiry Commons, and the Educational Methods Commons Recommended Citation Vesga Villalba, Laura, "Cultivating hope, weaving peace: Colombian educators building pathways to teach about the armed conflict" (2019). Master's Theses. 1265. https://repository.usfca.edu/thes/1265 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses, Dissertations, Capstones and Projects at USF Scholarship: a digital repository @ Gleeson Library | Geschke Center. It has been accepted for inclusion in Master's Theses by an authorized administrator of USF Scholarship: a digital repository @ Gleeson Library | Geschke Center. For more information, please contact [email protected]. University of San Francisco Cultivating hope, weaving peace: Colombian educators building pathways to teach about the armed conflict A Thesis Proposal Presented to The Faculty of the School of Education International and Multicultural Education Department In Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts in Human Rights Education By Laura Rocío Vesga Villalba December 2019 Cultivating hope, weaving peace: Colombian educators building pathways to teach about the armed conflict In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree MASTER OF ARTS in HUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATION by Laura Rocío Vesga Villalba December 2019 UNIVERSITY OF SAN FRANCISCO Under the guidance and approval of the committee, and approval by all the members, this field project (or thesis) has been accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree. Approved: ___________________ December 19, 2019 Instructor/Chairperson Date ii Contents ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ......................................................................................................................... iv ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................................................. v CHAPTER I .................................................................................................................................................. 1 Statement of the Problem ......................................................................................................................... 1 Background and Need .............................................................................................................................. 3 Purpose of the Study ................................................................................................................................. 5 Research Questions................................................................................................................................... 6 Theoretical Framework ............................................................................................................................. 7 Methodology ............................................................................................................................................. 8 Limitations of the Study ......................................................................................................................... 11 Significance of the Study ........................................................................................................................ 12 Definition of Terms ................................................................................................................................ 12 CHAPTER II: REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE ..................................................................................... 14 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................ 14 Drawing on Indigenous Knowledge for Successful Peacebuilding and Reconciliation ......................... 15 Critical Curricular Reform: Inclusion of Diverse Alternative Narratives .............................................. 18 Role of Citizenship Education in Successful Peacebuilding .................................................................. 20 Critical Dialogue, Role-Play, and Oral Histories as Pedagogical Tools................................................. 22 Summary ................................................................................................................................................. 25 CHAPTER III: RESULTS .......................................................................................................................... 27 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................ 27 Findings .................................................................................................................................................. 30 Spaces for Engagement, Critical Reflection, and Dialogue ............................................................ 31 Critical and Humanizing Pedagogies .............................................................................................. 35 Challenges Faced............................................................................................................................. 36 Summary ................................................................................................................................................. 40 CHAPTER IV: DISCUSSION, CONCLUSIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS ................................. 41 Discussion ............................................................................................................................................... 41 Conclusions ............................................................................................................................................ 44 Recommendations .................................................................................................................................. 46 REFERENCES ........................................................................................................................................... 48 APPENDIX A: CONSENT FORMS .......................................................................................................... 52 APPENDIX B: INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPTIONS .................................................................................. 57 iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Mis agradecimientos se los dedico primero que todo a mi mamá, por inculcar en mí el valor por la educación y por su apoyo continuo en cada etapa de mi investigación, pero también en cada etapa de mi vida. Gracias, Mutti, este logro es tanto tuyo que mío. Segundo: mil gracias a mi Tía Pati por facilitar las conexiones con dos de los docentes que participaron en este estudio, y por vivir el ejemplo de ser una persona que vive en solidaridad con los más necesitados. Tercero: gracias a todos los participantes de este estudio, que, sin sus voces y disponibilidad, este estudio no hubiera sido posible; gracias por su confianza. I would also like to thank all the educators in the School of Education who have supported me through this investigation in its multiple forms, and for providing the tools for me to be able to carry out this study: Dr. Monisha Bajaj, Dr. Susan Katz, Dr. Jessie Blundell, and Dr. Luz Navarette García. Reconozco también que hay eventos y personas en mi vida sin los cuales sería completamente diferente, así que este trabajo es para mis antepasados, mis seres queridos, y familia: a mi papá, por abrir el camino para que nosotros pudiéramos hacer una vida nueva en los Estados Unidos y por siempre motivarme a hacer mi mejor trabajo posible (pa’ lante!); to my brother, Saúl Fernando Vesga Villalba, for inspiring me to be a constant observer and learner of life; mi familia en Colombia (Abuelita, tías, primos y primas); también mis seres queridos ya fallecidos que de todos modos impactaron esta investigación: mi Buha, mi Toto, mi Tito, mi Tía Marina, y mi Tata. Final thanks go out to my support group made up of my esteemed partner, dear friends, and colleagues, all of whom were understanding of this time-consuming process and created the space for me to effectuate this work: I appreciate you all. iv ABSTRACT Communities affected by conflict require additional educational support in order to adequately reflect on their situation and learn peacebuilding skills. Research is needed to examine how peacebuilding education is being approached through an intergenerational lens, to address the trauma that is carried throughout generations and the healing and reconciliation that may be brought about through successful critical peacebuilding education programs. The purpose of this study is to analyze the formal and informal educational approaches to teaching about the armed conflict in Colombia. The research methodology for this study was phenomenological research conducted through semi-structured interviews. Results illustrated that educational approaches being utilized by educators in Colombia were facilitating reconciliation efforts through the use of critical and humanizing pedagogies. The study concludes that there is a need
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