Conflicts of Interest

CONFLICTS OF INTEREST OVERVIEW

Conflicts are an essential part of the human experience ranging in scale from the individual to the communal to the global. Engaging with conflicts is one life’s defining challenges—particularly for educators who are tasked with transforming these moments of uncertainty into moments of opportunity. In essence, education is the art of turning conflict into growth.

The same holds true for Israel education especially when engaging with complex issues like the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict. Leveraging The iCenter’s rich content and expertise in learner-centered relational education, Conflicts of Interest prepares participants with the skills to educate with greater confidence and competence.

^{Photo by Gilad Topaz}

GUIDING PRINCIPLES

Engage with multiple perspectives, voices, and narratives

Develop open-mindedness, courage, and resilience

Integrate content with appropriate educational methods

Empower educators to be lifelong learners

Utilize effective tools and sources

Share research on teaching conflict

THREE PATHS FOR PARTICIPATION

Conflicts of Interest offers three different ways to meet the varying needs of educators.

Are you interested in bringing Conflicts of Interest to your group or setting? Please email Ari Feinstein to discuss customized options for your community.

CERTIFICATE PROGRAM

This intensive learning experience provides educators with the necessary competencies to educate about conflicts and the Conflict in their unique educational settings. The Certificate Program* is organized around our core pedagogies, content areas, and points of contention in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict.

Through three 90-minute virtual sessions and an in-person experience, cohort participants will explore core content related to conflicts and Israel and engage with multiple perspectives, authentic voices, and diverse narratives. In addition to the virtual sessions and the in-person experience, there will be required reading and individual coursework leading up to and following each session.

Educators will develop facilitation skills, open-mindedness, courage, and resilience to approach conflicts in their work and everyday lives. Upon completion of the Certificate Program, participants will earn a Certificate in Conflict Education from The iCenter.

COHORT 3: January 16, 23, 28-30 (in-person, in Chicago), and February 5

* Please note at this time, the Certificate Program is available only to applicants based in North America.

VIRTUAL SEMINAR SERIES

This virtual cohort learning experience includes five 90-minute sessions. The seminar series provides an entrypoint to the core pedagogy and principles of conflict education, and centers around key ideas, including: diverse narratives and perspective taking, facilitating effective dialogue, and receptive listening.

Participants will utilize relevant pedagogical models that support respectful discourse and dialogue, and will practice being open-minded, inquisitive, and reflective when engaging with conversations about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Virtual Cohort 2 is now full. Dates for Virtual Cohort 3 will be coming soon.

CONFLICT 101

This 2–3 hour workshop provides participants with an overview of The iCenter’s holistic approach to conflict education. The experience offers a taste of the core pedagogies and contents from our intensive Certificate Program. Participants will begin building skills to deal with complex and controversial issues and expand their awareness of diverse perspectives and narratives surrounding the Israel-Palestinian Conflict.

Additional community-based workshops are available upon request.