Warm Up
As an opening ritual, circle up to represent our unity. Bow to the Peacemakers’ flag, then to each other. Recite the Peacemakers Pledge. Present a peacemaker word for the week, most of which are drawn from martial artists to capture the attention of students.

Invite a student to ring the chime to call for silence and centering. This can be a centering prayer to bring us into contact with God’s Spirit as our Power for peace. To do this, invite participants to focus their attention on a word or phrase—such as, Peace, or I will be still with you, Spirit of peace. Or students may simply reflect on the peacemaker quote. Whatever students choose, invite them to focus their minds and relax their bodies by slowly and deeply breathing in through the nose and out through the mouth. Close the centering time with “May the Spirit of peace be at work through us” or something else that’s fitting for the group. (If stretching is included here, continue with relaxed breathing and reflection on the quote.)

Instruction
Give physical instruction in drills, fundamentals, forms, and/or self-defense. After this, invite students to do an exercise to focus on a concept or skill relating to conflict. The exercises provide kinesthetic pathways to learning and make the class fun. Simply raise a point here to try in the application and explore more fully in the reflection. Most of the learning flows out of the application and reflection by the students where they are engaged in peer sharing and problem solving.

Application
Apply instruction by acting out role-plays based on situations which students or instructors bring to the group. As much as possible, use real life experiences students offer to role-play. When role-plays are needed, refer to the role-play supplement for a list of scenarios. In these situations, invite students to try various mental, verbal and physical responses. In addition to providing situations to explore and discover positive responses, enable story telling and sharing to build a community of understanding, respect, and growth.

When doing role-plays, have instructors or students set up the scenario and then invite students to play out the various roles with as much realism as possible so students are challenged to face frustration, fear, and anger. Invite them to try the concepts and skills introduced in the lessons. If a student gets stuck, other students may be invited to stand behind them and give them suggestions. The goal in role-plays is for students to explore and discover for themselves how to apply their learnings with instructors coaching the process. This is “verbal sparring,” following our Tongue Fu model, putting it all together in practice, like physical sparring in martial arts. (Refer to appendix for guidelines on facilitating role-plays.)

Reflection
Students reflect on what they have just experienced in the exercise or role-play. Ask open questions that focus on what participants felt, thought, and did. Explore what worked, what didn’t, and other possible responses. Rather than teaching by telling, elicit learning by having students reflect on their experience in the application. Conclude with the telling of a peacemaker story, either one from an instructor’s experience or a suggested story included at the end of the lesson plans. To effectively communicate the included stories, do not read but tell them so they can be shared with meaningful expression. A number of the stories extend the practice of peacemaking into larger society to expand our vision for world peace.

Wrap Up
Review the session, summing up main points. Recognize students to affirm their contributions and progress, then have the class bow to them. For the closing ritual, bow to the Peacemakers’ flag, then to each other. The instructor says, “Together” and the class responds, “We can make peace.”