NEWS RELEASE
FEDERAL MEDIATION AND CONCILIATION SERVICE
OFFICE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS
WASHINGTON
,
D.C.
20427
April 16, 2008
Contact: John Arnold
For Immediate Release
Director of Public Affairs
Web site:
www.fmcs.gov
Phone: (202) 606-8100
COMPUTER GAME TO TEACH CONFLICT RESOLUTION SKILLS TO GRADES K-2
OFFERED FREE THROUGH EDUCATIONAL WEB SITE FOR TEACHERS
WASHINGTON, DC – A computer game designed to teach non-violence and conflict resolution skills to young children has found a home with Curriki, a nonprofit open-source educational Web site which will make it freely available for downloading by classrooms and families across the United States and around the world.
The computer game, called Cool School: Where Peace Rules, features animated school characters in situations that ask youngsters, ages 5 to 7,
to select an action for resolving a potential conflict, such as others crowding in line, refusing to share or treating playmates disrespectfully.
The premise of “
Cool
School” is in sharp contrast to violent and often popular commercial games that can inspire youngsters to emulate physically aggressive behavior.
Developed by the U.S. Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS) in cooperation with child development programs at the
University of
Maryland, the
University of
Southern California and the
University of
North Texas,
Cool
School was tested at school locations in
Illinois. It is being made available for free downloading to teachers and families via the Curriki Web site. Curriki is a nonprofit community of nearly 40,000 educators that offers free, open-source curriculum materials to teachers and schools worldwide.
Cool
School: Where Peace Rules is an interactive computer game designed to teach children about conflict resolution in a lively, fun, entertaining, and developmentally appropriate context.
“I enthusiastically recommend this program for all educators, teachers, counselors, and professionals working with children, because it uniquely enables children to teach themselves and one another about social skills, such as negotiation, compromise, and empathy,” said Professor Melanie Killen, associate director of the Center for Children, Relationships and Culture at the
University of
Maryland.
“This game provides children with a positive alternative to the violent images that pervade the video game world. In contrast, this game teaches social skills, and allows children to learn about foundational social skills in a constructive, socially-positive, school environment.”
Cool
School was developed by interactive gaming veteran F.J. Lennon, whose credits in the industry include projects for the Walt Disney Company,
Sesame Street, and Mattel.
Cool
School evolved from the technology-based youth initiative program at the FMCS, which was a congressionally funded effort to combat school violence and bullying by teaching conflict resolution skills in at-risk schools.
