Why do we need to talk about terror attacks in a classroom?
Terrorism aims to use violence or force, or the threat of violence or force, to generate a psychological impact beyond the immediate victims or object of attack for a political motive (Richards 2014). Depending on the size and closeness, terror attacks might have a psychological influence on people, especially those who may be very vulnerable to such acts due to their age, psychological development, or experience.
Why do we need to talk about terror attacks in a classroom?
Firstly, terror attacks can cause fear, anxiety, curiosity, and uncertainty that can be difficult to handle independently. Talking about feelings might ease tension and provide tranquillity to the speakers, especially if they are children who find it difficult to control themselves psychologically. Secondly, it might be challenging – also for students who might not be as critical to sources as they should be – to differentiate between facts, rumours, and speculations.
It is necessary to bring order with authority to a mass of information and misinformation. Teachers, among other school personnel, unfortunately represent authorities for most students in school. An example of what teachers might have to confront is the situation after the 9/11 terror acts when many young children believed that dozens of planes had crashed into the Twin Towers due to video clips being replayed multiple times (Garbarino et al., 2015.).
Although in general requests from schools and the education system, have changed and increased over time, the primary aim of a school has remained the same: provide education and prepare students for the future as well as possible. Education transforms lives, helps to build peace and enables upward socioeconomic mobility (UNESCO; United Nations 2021). As stated in a Manifesto for Education – “Empowering Educators and Schools”, among many other duties, schools objective is to provide a safe and respectful learning environment for students (Radicalisation Awareness Network 2015). This leads us to the next question: What is the exact role of schools and teachers regarding extremism in terms of teaching about it and P/CVE work?
There are five main reasons why schools should be the environments were terror attacks are discussed. Firstly, children spend a lot of time at school. Therefore, acts that cause insecurity and turmoil are part of their conversations during the school day. Secondly, the sheer number of students in a school means that those conversations simultaneously involve relatively large number of young people. Alternatively, as Wallner (2020) has said, “reaching many youths – including those who might be at risk of radicalisation or recruitment – can be done through education.” Thirdly, emotional reactions to media content affect how such acts are understood and interpreted. “As schools are one of the primary settings where most children spend their time, educators are needed to help children foster these [critical media reading and interpreting] skills” (Vallinkoski, Koirikivi and Malkki, 2021).
Fourthly, according to Mattsson and Johansson (2018; 2019), young people’s situation at school and students relationships with their teachers clearly impact the processes that lead to their radicalisation. With friendly relationships between students and teachers enabling sensitive and difficult conversations, it is possible to clear emotions, dispel false claims about terror attacks, and notice student opinions and potential changes in their worldview. Such conversations help to early observe signs of changing attitudes, for example, radicalisation.
Lastly, students tend to perceive their teachers as authorities and have a high level of trust towards them as objective or “non-partisan” sources of information (Jerome and Elwick, 2017). Therefore, students might consider teachers as the right persons for discussing such issues.
Pedagogical training of teachers is long and includes various approaches and materials. Despite the broad spectrum of topics future teachers are trained in, discussing sensitive issues like terror attacks is always very difficult. Such conversations cannot take place without preparations: teachers must be trusted by students and everyone involved must feel safe. Furthermore, if a teacher sees that students are disturbed or in distress, psychological support should be provided. Studies show that creating a supportive and sensitive classroom ethos is a crucial prerequisite for constructive dialogue (McCully, 2006). At the same time, teachers who feel ill-equipped to address sensitive or controversial issues – be it due to insecurity, unfamiliarity with the topic, lack of training, e.g. for covering extremism – may avoid such conversations (Vallinkoski, Koirikivi and Malkki, 2021; Davies, 2016; Quartermaine, 2016; Rosvall & Öhrn, 2014).
In summary, terror attacks and their aftermaths have a high influence on people, including students. The emotional well-being and attitudes of students are affected not only by an attack but also by overflow of information and interpretations related to it.
Talking about feelings might ease tension and calm down speakers, especially children who find it difficult to control themselves psychologically. Like other emotionally sensitive topics, terror attacks should be discussed in a classroom as they cause fear, anxiety, and uncertainty. Talking about them in the public space of school helps the students to voice emotions and discern between facts, rumours, and speculations. The possibility of reaching many young people at the same time and hearing different points of view provide additional reasons for holding such conversations at schools. Enabling students to express their ideas on such matters also helps them to notice signs of changing worldviews. This e-module is created to provide teachers with tools to help them organize such conversations. It consists of sample materials and exercises to be individually adapted by a teacher to work with a specific group in individual conditions in a classroom.
Teaching methods and ethical approach (including exercises)
This e-module consists of a lesson plan and two exercises that can be used while discussing a recent terror attack. Teachers can follow the proposed plan and adjust it according to the class, situation, and local context.
The lesson plan is a tool that the teacher can use to hold a meeting with upper secondary school students after a terror attack. It consists of three parts:
- discussion with students,
- closing the discussion
- and moving away from the discussion.
Below I explain the lesson plan that educators can use when there is a need to discuss terror attacks. The plan’s aim is to discuss the attack(s), provide an overview of the situation, give students a safe space to discuss their emotions, ask questions and voice dilemmas. The goal is to provide an opportunity to discuss the spread of information in social media as well as differences between facts, opinions, rumours, fake news and how to distinguish one from the another. Additionally, the plan aims to strengthen the confidence and skills of educators to discuss such issues.