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Learn to Live Together

What To Teach And How ?

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What To Teach And How ?

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Traditionally, formal education has not emphasised the concept of learning to live together in curriculum design and development. In recent years, however, it has become a regular part of the discourse on the aims, contents and methodologies of education. While urging for it to be come a major and integral part of any curriculum development project for schools and other educational institutions, the Delors report insists on the holistic nature of such learning which must be linked to what is taught and learned in homes, places of worship, communities, through the media, etc.

The school has a central role to play in educating for learning to live together but the principles behind the concept have to inform all levels and dimensions of human organisation and activity if the ideal is to be realised in a sustainable way. Fundamental socio-economic inequalities within and among societies and discrimination of all kinds have to be systematically addressed if the term is to have its true significance. Furthermore, promotion of learning to live together should be supported by common rules and agreements in society, and both the content of these rules and the skills and attitudes needed to use and comply with them must be taught.

Knowledge, Skills, Attitudes and Behaviours

Learning to live together involves developing, broadening or changing perceptions of and attitudes towards ourselves and others and consequently, the way we behave in our daily encounters and interactions with others. There are multiple influences which impact on the formation of attitudes and behaviours and what is taught in schools is often counter to what is learned at home, in the community and through diverse media. This complex area of pedagogy, also called social and emotional learning, requires appropriate and continuous training of teachers. It involves the teaching of a wide range of knowledge, skills, attitudes and behaviours enabling us to interact with others in a just, equitable and empathetic manner. It thus implies far more than content, rather an approach or ethic which should inform all curricular and extracurricular activities, as well as school management and organisation.

The concept entails the capacity to develop one’s own potential while learning to successfully manage relationships with others. It involves development of self awareness and self-esteem as well as empathy and respect for others and requires the capacity for active citizenship, development of a sense of both local and global identity and an ability to understand others and appreciate diversity. These demand knowledge of and respect for social rules and organization, ethics, human rights and responsibilities, knowledge of one’s own history and culture and that of other groups in society, including not only other cultural groups but also other generations, genders and social classes. Learning other languages can enhance learning to live together as can the ability to adapt to rapid change in different areas of human activity.

A range of skills are necessary for learning to live together including skills for self-control, handling emotions, communication (self-expression, empathetic listening), interpretation of behaviours, critical thinking, relationship building and cooperation, negotiation, mediation and refusal, problem solving and decision making. Many or all of these are referred to as life skills being seen as essential to meaningful personal development and social relationships in today’s world.

Curricular Areas

Issues in the curriculum pertinent to learning to live together may be taught through any subject or curricular area, but are mainly concentrated in the social sciences and humanities. Principal curriculum subjects include history, geography, social studies, languages and literature, religious education, health and family life education. The diverse issues and themes are also taught through a range of curricular areas (some constituting separate subjects, others forming part of a subject syllabus or included in a cross-curricular or interdisciplinary manner) Among these are moral and values education, civic/citizenship education, environmental education, human rights education, peace education, consumer and media education, development and global education, and life skills.

Teaching Methods And Educational Approaches

Teaching methods need to reflect and foster the principles being transmitted. They should be based on participative, co-operative learning in which students are encouraged to express themselves freely on issues, listen to and discuss other points of view, discover and explore other cultures and lifestyles and develop common projects.

Apart from being taught through individual subject areas, learning to live together should ideally be infused into the core curriculum and be taught continuously throughout school. Educational approaches should be genuinely inclusive with all students being encouraged to feel they are equal members of the institution. They should be intercultural allowing students the opportunity to learn equally about their own culture and that of other cultural groups in the society. Efforts should be made to change the traditionally authoritarian culture of the school and classroom to one reflecting democratic principles where the rights and responsibilities of both teachers and students being recognized and respected. Schools should seek meaningful ways to work closely with families and the wider community thus broadening and extending learning opportunities for both students and teachers.

Educational policies should thus aim to be genuinely democratic, respecting and catering to the rights and needs of all groups and individuals, despite the challenges this represents. The concept of learning to live together needs to be promoted by political and civil society leaders at all levels with an understanding that the process is a complex and ongoing one.