Integrating Core Competencies for Conflict Resolution Education into my school - My Reflections

The core competencies for Conflict Resolution Education as outlined in the handbook thus:
 Emotional awareness;
 Empathy and perspective taking;
 Emotional management;
 Problem solving;
 Communication (listening, mediation, negotiation);
 Effective decision making
(CRETE, 2010)

I’d prefer creating a standalone set of learning activities to guide students to acquire the above outlined core competencies.

In designing this stand alone course, I’d schedule it to run as a weekend programme (two hours each on Saturdays and Sundays) every week for a period of 12 weeks. Each core competency will be studied and discussed over a period of two weekends.

Thus, by the end of the 12th week, all the outlined competencies will have been learnt and hopefully imbibed into the students’ daily lives.

In implementing this programme, I’d divide the students into group. Though the sessions will be for whole class, but each small group will be assigned different research and practical assignments in the course of the programme.

The learning materials will be designed to study “sample scenarios” using sample stories directly from the students or others which they can directly relate to.

In discussing these stories, they’ll be guided to analyze the conflicts involved, and proffer possible means of resolving them using the core competencies being studied.

By using their stories or stories they can relate, the students will be able derive useful and expectedly long-lasting meanings from the training sessions and thus be well receptive to imbibing these skills in their personal lives.
 
Futures education as a key component of Peace Education - My Reflections

Peace education aims at transforming the current global reality of a culture of war/violence to a future reality which will exist with the culture of peace being the normal state of affairs.

Having a clearly defined vision of the world we aspire towards, will serve as a goalpost towards which we can actively direct our efforts. Instead of simply holding on to some vague theories propounded by a long dead sage, If we can imagine what we want based on our local realities and guided by our personal experiences, we’d be more motivated to make plans and work towards its realization.

A clearly defined vision of a world modeled on the culture of peace we are aspiring towards, is certainly essential to ensuring we understand where we currently are today, and thus see the distance that separates us from the realization of these dreams. This will in turn enable us to effectively chart feasible the course/s towards the realization of the visions/goals of establishing a just and sustainable violence-free world.

All human achievements are first conceived as ideas in the imaginations of people. It is when vision has been clearly defined that it is now possible to start looking appropriate steps to be taken towards its realization. Eradicating all vestiges of the culture of war/violence requires educators and learners to possess the capacity to identify and envision the alternative culture of peace we want for our world.

By being able to clearly see, in our minds, the future we desire, we are able to critically examine our present reality and thus compare it with our vision of the future using critical thinking skills.

With benefit of knowledge of where we currently are in the present, and a clearly defined idea of where we are aiming for, it is then possible employ our creative imagination to exploring possible ways of ensuring the envisioned future becomes a reality.

Futures education therefore aims to guide educators and learners to use their imaginations creatively to envision alternative futures and then explore possible ways of turning these visions into reality. Guiding learners to acquire these skills is very critical to transforming the culture war to one of peace.