Teaching approaches that help to build resilience to extremism among young people

Teaching professionals have been identified as having a key role in providing a safe environment for young people to build up resilience to extremism, a report has found. The research carried out on behalf of the Department for Education highlights a growing recognition of the need to combat extremisms and develop resilience from a young age to prevent people from being radicalised. The report - ‘Teaching approaches that help to build resilience to extremism among young people’ - identified that the educational setting, teachers, and those working with learners could play a key role in the prevention of radicalisation. The authors, University of Plymouth Education Research Fellow, Rowena Passy and her colleagues Professor David Kerr, Research Associate at National Foundation for Educational Research, Phil Copestake, Head of Research and Joe Bonnell, Associate Fellow, both of the Office for Public Management, added that the challenge was how to successfully fulfil this responsibility in everyday practice. Passy said: “It’s important in the current climate and in a multi cultural society to offer the means to tackle these issues and develop stronger links between schools and the wider community. Discussion at our recent seminar on extremism and education held at the University shows the high level of local interest in addressing these issues. The report provides practical advice and examples from in-depth research of case studies and other key ingredients important to help maximise the impact and benefits of early intervention.