"Our students' first experience of the Mosaic
Project's program was when two wonderful
Mosaic Project teachers came to their 3rd grade classrooms. They used
drama and music to teach tolerance, community building and conflict
resolution. They encouraged our students to be leaders in working for
peace and understanding within our school community. Our students could
hardly wait to go! "
— Kate Gallagher, Teacher
WHY The Mosaic In-School Project?
In order to deepen and sustain the impact of our outdoor education experience, we are developing our comprehensive Mosaic In-school Project. Though our outdoor school is outstanding in promoting peace, mutual understanding and conflict resolution among participants, our in-school program initiative allows us to go even further in exploring these issues. Through introducing the lessons and skills from the very beginning of elementary school, and cultivating them throughout the grade levels, this curriculum not only sets the stage for and reinforces the learning of the students who attend our outdoor school, but it infuses Mosaic values and skill-sets into school cultures at large and improves the overall climate of our partner schools. It is the fun and experiential quality of Mosaic workshops that sets us aside from other SEL/character development/ social justice education initiatives. Using games and experiential curricula, we support students in deepening their appreciation for diversity and justice, while cultivating empathy, teamwork, conflict resolution skills and a more inclusive classroom and school-wide community.The Mosaic In-school Project Goals:
- to create a school-wide culture and climate of mutual respect, inclusion, and appreciation of diversity
- to impart skills of conflict resolution and assertiveness
- to build students’ self esteem and cultivate students’ self expression
- to empower students to be peacemakers and agents for positive social change
- to unite communities of difference and cultivate greater mutual respect, empathy and community
- to support teachers and parents in infiltrating The Mosaic Values throughout the community
The pilot model includes:
- One 30-minute School-wide Assembly introducing and exploring the values of Mosaic in a dynamic forum (we will likely have 2 separate assemblies each time, one for grades K-2 and one for grades 3-5)
- Two 45-minute In-class Sessions in each classroom (30-minute sessions in grades K-1)
- One Teacher Forum that will support educators in integrating Mosaic values and pedagogies into their classroom cultures
- One Parent Education Forum that will support parents in understanding Mosaic objectives and support them in reinforcing Mosaic lessons with their children
- Training for Mosaic graduates to serve as PeaceMakers on your campus
- Posters with Mosaic Key words
- In-school Teacher’s guide to support teachers in creatively infusing Mosaic values, lessons and strategies into their classrooms
- If desired, support designing a Community Gathering that will unite students and their families from the multiple schools involved in The Mosaic Project Outdoor School
General Learning Outcomes of The Mosaic In-school Project
- Heightened empathy and understanding across differences
- Greater appreciation of diversity and an awareness of how it can enrich community
- Deeper recognition of each person’s uniqueness and inherent value
- Understanding of our interconnection and impact on one another and the environment
- Cultivated sense of agency and capacity to be an agent of positive change
- Deeper sense of connection and community among the group
- Development of emotional intelligence
- Development of basic conflict resolution skills and non violent communication strategies
- Increased understanding of and capacity to identify and discuss stereotyping, prejudice and discrimination
- Deeper understanding of power, privilege and justice
- Develop a common language with regard to diversity and conflict resolution
The Mosaic In-School Project Framework:
- Integrates diverse, engaging teaching methods that motivate and involve students
- Promotes responsibility, cooperation, critical thinking and commitment to learning
- Nurtures sense of security, safety, support, and belonging in a classroom and school-wide community
- Emphasizes cultural sensitivity and respect for diversity
- Is provided systematically to students over multiple years, kindergarten through fifth grade
- Integrates a teacher training and parent training component to cultivate community understanding and cohesion around The Mosaic Project values
- Promotes a safe, caring, nurturing, cooperative, and challenging learning environment
- Encourages and helps to coordinate efforts and involvement of students, peers, parents, educators, and community members
- Uses program evaluation results for continuous improvement to determine progress toward identified goals and needed changes
Developmental Learning Outcomes by Grade Level:
K/ 1st – Getting along; students should be able to understand and identify differences and similarities; recognize the value of difference; learn kindness, sharing; how to be a good friend; develop a larger feeling vocabulary; learn how to manage intense emotions. In addition, activities should cultivate inclusive community.
2nd – Should know and understand the Mosaic Values; be introduced to simple I Statements; should be able to define ‘culture’ and feel a sense of personal pride and self worth.
3rd – Should know and understand the Conflict Resolution steps; understand the difference between listening vs hearing; understand empathy; deepen practice with I-statements; us against the problem; be able to use the Mosaic Conflict Resolution steps with support.
4th – Should be able to see things from someone else’s perspective (empathy; learning to understand more than one side to a story); develop understanding and concern for fairness and justice; be able to define and identify prejudice, stereotyping, discrimination; able to define and understand how to be an ally.
5th – Should be able to empathize more globally; solve conflicts independently; have a sound understanding of diversity, prejudice, stereotyping, discrimination, culture, empathy, ally, privilege, interconnectedness, the conflict resolution model. Understand the difference between an assertive, aggressive and passive response to a trigger.
In-School Workshops and Assemblies
Our experiential workshops and trainings are custom designed to fit the needs of a given group. Workshops for children range from 45 minutes to three-hours long. We also offer series of three to ten weekly workshops.
Topics for our workshops with children and youth:
- Empathy
- Communication and nonviolent conflict resolution
- Appreciating differences
- Prejudice, stereotyping and discrimination
- Addressing bullying
- Assertiveness training
- Positive power
- Gender training
- Musical school-wide assemblies, highlighting our original songs and skits about the topics listed above
Read more details about our Middle School programs.
Please contact our Curriculum and Training Director, Cherine Badawi (), for more information.
Curriculum and Song Book
Music is an integral facet of Mosaic’s success. Extensive research shows that music facilitates learning and recall of information. With the Mosaic songs, children learn lessons in a fun and engaging manner that is reinforced every time they sing, whether it be in the classroom, on their way home from school, or after they brush their teeth. One of our songs (“Fighting is Not the Solution”) actually offers students the opportunity to practice their conflict resolution skills through making I-statements in rhythm to the beat.
Currently, our music is widely available on CD. We are often asked by teachers for more support in using the songs in their classrooms. Therefore, we have drafted an accompanying curriculum guide which will soon be available to our partner schools and other educational organizations. The guide includes piano music, guitar chords and lyrics to all of the songs on our CD. It features photos and illustrations of students and two experiential activities per song, one of which is geared towards students in kindergarten through 3rd grade and the other for children in 4th through 6th grade. In addition to supporting our Mosaic teachers, this curriculum guide, sold as a companion to our CD, allows teachers across California and the US to take advantage of our revolutionary work and creatively infuse Mosaic values and conflict resolution skills into their classrooms.