BREAKOUT SESSION 2: CRAFTING MESSAGES THAT WORK FINAL PLENARY SESSION REPORT EDUCATION FOR PEACE CONFERENCE OPCW
CRAFTING MESSAGES THAT WORK Panel 4: Reaching Students and the Need for a Multidisciplinary Approach Djafer Benachour Chretien Schouteten Fiona Clark Judi Sture Panel 5: Responsible Science: Ethical Standards for Scientists Deepti Choubey Leiv Sydnes Scott Bohle Jo Husbands Panel 6: Creating Links in the Curriculum: Integrating Peace and Disarmament into Related Subjects Peter Mahaffy Temechegn Engida Alejandra Suarez Doug Friedman
OBJECTIVES Identify effective messages and strategies for raising awareness about chemical disarmament and nonproliferation, particularly within educational institutions.
IDENTIFIED CHALLENGES 1. Chemistry is seen only as a body of facts. 2. Crowded curriculum! 3. Change requires change agents responsible for curriculum (e.g., ministries of education) 4. Cultural change is required. Teaching, Safety and Responsibility Local, National, and International But build and extend culture of responsibility where it exists 5. Fill gaps between formal education and industry
PROPOSALS / STRATEGIES 1. Early and often education. Begin education on ethics and the concept of chemical dual uses in secondary school. 2. Use national chemistry societies to engage ministries of education 3. Adopt a multi disciplinary approach as chemistry and chemicals are at the centre of so many disciplines beyond chemistry including life sciences, engineering, materials, nanoscience 4. Start small Seminars for undergraduate/graduate chemistry program Move to case studies in courses like organic chemistry Engage professionals and industry with workshops. 5. Provide professional development for teachers to empower them to own responsible science. 6. Use the talent in the room.
PROPOSALS / STRATEGIES 7. To provide incentives for the next generation of scientists, employers in industry could state they are looking for chemists who also have taken classes on ethics; Industry perspective provided is that implementation of ideas are easy once there is commitment from the top 8. Create a uniform code of conduct that does not need to be specific to the chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear field.
SUGGESTED MESSAGES Putting chemical disarmament in a framework of responsible science is the most effective way to engage the scientific community Teachers have such power that they must make good use of it and not abuse it. Because of the role ethics plays in teaching chemistry today, one person said, after 30 years of being a chemistry teacher I have become a chemistry educator. The term chemical education needs to be struck from our vocabulary, to be replaced with chemistry education. Chemistry education describes the human activity of learning about chemical reactions and processes, but in the context of human beings. A useful model for moving beyond the body of facts is the UNESCO model of integration of values into curriculum. Need for case studies that use examples rather than relying mostly on theoretical dilemmas/concepts
SUGGESTED MESSAGES Need for case studies that use examples rather than relying mostly on theoretical dilemmas/concepts Emphasis on the humanizing element / human factor; make more peripheral discussion that center on the state or governments The teacher and educators mission of teaching ethics within the classroom is a permanent duty not only towards students but society as a whole Everyone has a shared responsibility can be effectively communicated by emphasizing the human and environmental consequences to raise public awareness With great power, comes great responsibility With great power, comes great responsibility