Four things schools can do to help tackle extremism and radicalization

An inclusive sense of belonging goes beyond wearing a school uniform and includes ways in which schools demonstrate respect for the communities they serve. This could include encouraging teachers to get to know all their students, as well as identifying ways of improving communication with families.

2. Education beyond the academic
Education is more than gathering facts and passing exams, it is also about learning how to grow into who you are as a person and learning to live together.

It is not only what young people believe about themselves that matters, it is what they come to believe about others. Where schools adopt a proactive approach to social and emotional learning they encourage young people to find out what they have in common, making it more difficult to dehumanize others. Which leads us onto the next point.

3. Encourage empathy
Schools should aim to identify positive values and strengths, and help children to understand the skills that are required to build healthy relationships – including the development of empathy.

When young people are given opportunities to understand more about their emotions, they may come to a better understanding of why they feel what they do, and also find safe ways to express feelings. And they may also begin to appreciate how their emotions may by manipulated by others.

Despite evidence of its efficacy in attitude and behavior change, social and emotional learning no longer has a place in most UK schools where higher academic outcomes are the overriding priority, so maybe it is time this is revisited?

4. Make student’s voices heard
Young people are often idealistic, want to be heard and want to make a difference. And research suggests that young terrorists have a similar motivation – even though this is demonstrated in acts of destruction.

Schools can provide constructive channels that engage pupils positively with their communities in ways that provide them with a sense of being agents of change.

Known as “service learning” this combines active engagement with community projects alongside a reflexive process. It’s about teaching empathy as well as literacy. It’s about teaching compassion as well as composition. It’s about teaching advocacy as well as algebra.

My own experience of working with challenging young people and engaging them in these types of projects is that it has been transformative – in the way they see themselves, their potential, the communities they are working with and their ability to contribute to something. For the first time they become significant.

Sue Roffey is Adjunct Associate Professor, School of Education, Western Sydney University. This article is published courtesy of The Conversation (under Creative Commons-Attribution / No derivative).