Education Against Extremism

The role for the educator in the fight against terror has gained prominence in recent years. The UK’s ‘Prevent’ duty involves teaching students skills to challenge extremist arguments, alongside a reporting duty whereby teachers must refer at-risk cases. How schools manage this is vital with one strategy being to reinforce a sense of nationalistic solidarity against external threats i.e. ‘Fundamental British Values’. Yet there is debate about how effective this is in the face of homegrown terrorism. I argue a more effective role for educators involves using counter-narratives to illuminate and critique worrisome aspects of extremists’ rhetoric and agenda, while offering a positive conception of the vibrant, multicultural community of which students are a part. By employing drama education and dialogical classroom activities, educators may help prevent radicalisation and extremism by engaging students in meaningful dialogues while co-constructing dramatic works focussed on complex themes such as racism, tolerance, fear, and violent extremism.