THE VIOLENCE CONDITION: AN ACTIVE LEARNING STREAM LESSON PLAN FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS AND UNDERGRADUATES

Violence, although upsetting, exists within and around us.It is innate, on a neurological and psychological level.On a societal level, it has often shaped entire civilizations through time.Recently, it has been pointed out that teenagers and young adults are alarmingly exposed to violent environments, both in real life situations and through the media.The aim of the present lesson plan is to educate on the causes and forms of violence and to encourage an informed outlook and action.Here, we propose a series of activities, appropriate to secondary and tertiary education: (1) Students are instructed to run literature searches on Scopus, Eric, and Google Scholar; to highlight the connection between violent media content and the increase of aggressive thoughts, emotions and behaviors in children and adolescents.Students then present their findings to the group.(2) Students explore material that demonstrates how young people are desensitized to violence due to their extensive exposure to it and employ roleplaying to promote empathy.(3) Students engage in group creative writing as a means to express frustration, fear and anxiety, and to connect with others.The teaching intervention is evaluated on the basis of self-reflection, plenary discussion and exit ticket reports.