• What are your reflections on the learning you have been through this week? Have you been able to interpret your own teaching context in terms of the way that education, conflict and peace are interrelated in the VPLP framework? And what about the Ecological Systems Theory - can you make sense of it in your context?

This week's learning has helped me developing a better understanding of how education is connected to conflict and peace. Before learning this framework I thought teaching is all about sharing knowledges but sometimes the education can be the factor that reduce or  reinforce conflict in unintentionally or intentionally, and it depends on how it is approached. Through this framework, I learned that schools are not neutral places, they can promote either peace or conflict to the society.

• In what ways do these concepts and theories help you understand what children bring to the classroom and how you can help them?

In my context, I can see how the students come from different backgrounds, experiences, and sometimes difficulty situation. Some students  may experienced family conflict, instability, or social pressures and these affected their learning, participation and action in the classroom. The concepts and theories help me to understand my role is not only to teach academic but also to create a safe and supportive learning environment where students feel respected and included. 

These concepts and theory help me better understand what children bring into the classroom. Rather than their academic skills but overall performances.