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Cooperative Problem-Solving : A Guide to Turning Conflicts into Agreements

4 December 2012

This 56-page pdf is a guide designed for people who want to know how to resolve conflicts with other people in a way that leads to mutual agreements and stronger relationships. It was developed as a workbook for a workshop of the same title, but it can be used independently.

Based on the book Getting to Yes, the Guide addresses:
– Treating conflict as a natural resource
– How to attack problems while respecting people
– Raising an issue in a constructive manner
– Exploring opposing positions to discover shared interests
– Generating options to address all parties’ needs
– Crafting clear and healthy solutions
– Dealing with differing perceptions
– Managing emotions
– Insuring two-way communications
– Choosing when to use a cooperative approach
– Being a peacemaker while resolving conflicts

Peaceful problem solving posters

15 April 2012

These two posters, designed for primary age students in the U.K., support children in using a structured problem solving process, both individually and when in conflict with another student.

Leading a Workshop on Conflict Management for Teaching Assistants

4 January 2012

Article Abstract: The aim of this article is to share a conflict management workshop that the authors developed to train teaching assistants to proactively manage conflict, achieve productive results for conflict, and establish a climate of trust in which relationships beneficial to learning can flourish. The article begins by defining an approach to conflict management and explaining the rationale behind the workshop. A detailed plan of the workshop is then presented. Finally, results are reported of a “before the workshop” and “after the workshop” survey from two recent groups of workshop participants that shows improved perceived ability to deal effectively with conflict.

Coaching Children in Handling Everyday Conflicts

13 March 2011

This newsletter article from the Responsive Classroom provides an example of a teacher assisting two second grade students as they work to resolve a conflict in the moment. Five basic skills are focused on to help build children’s capacity for conflict resolution. These include:
– Cooling off when upset
– Speaking directly to each other
– Speaking assertively, honestly, and kindly
– Listening carefully to others and accurately paraphrasing their words
– Proposing solutions and agreeing on a solution to try

The author explains the importance of using the teachable moment: “Beginning with the first days of the school year, students have predictable conflicts about sharing materials, choosing work partners, or deciding whom to play with. These are times when you can teach the basic skills by guiding the children in navigating a difficult interpersonal moment. You’ll send a strong message about how disagreements will be handled in your class. You’ll also give children opportunities to experience themselves as problem-solvers in situations that really matter to them.”

How to Have a Conference – Coloring Book

30 December 2010

An 8-page pdf coloring book written and illustrated by Friends School of Minnesota 5th grader Patrick Raines. It is designed to introduce students to the conference meeting (conflict resolution meeting) used by the school to resolve student disputes.

11 Conflict Simulations for Peer Mediation Role-Plays

9 September 2010

An 11-page classroom handout featuring 11 conflict scenarios that can be used by students to develop role-plays depicting a mediation. Includes peer mediation process script that walks students through a basic mediation process. The author explains “these Conflict Simulations were culled from over 150 written and oral interviews about He Said/She Said situations the 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students at Clinton Middle School in Anderson County, Tennessee, faced during the 1998-1999 school year. A few of the simulation situations came from descriptions in books, TV talk shows, or personal conversations with teachers and middle school students in other parts of the country.”

Classrooms in peace: Preliminary results of a multi-component program

30 May 2010

24-page PDF article from the “Ineramerican Journal of Education for Democracy,” vol. 1, no. 1, September, 2007. Abstract: “Classrooms in Peace is aimed at preventing aggressive behaviors and promoting peaceful coexistence through 1) a curriculum for the development of citizenship competencies in the classroom; 2) extracurricular reinforcement in groups of two initially aggressive and four prosocial children; 3) workshops for, visits and phone calls to family mothers/fathers. A first implementation of the complete program showed a drastic decrease in aggressive behaviors and indiscipline and a considerable increase in prosocial behaviors, adherence to rules, and friendship networks among classmates. The combination of universal components and targeted components for those most in need seems to be highly valuable, especially in violent contexts.”

Getting to wow: Empowering young people to resolve their conflicts peacefully

30 May 2010

9-page PDF article in the Federation of Women Teachers’ Association of Ontario Newsletter, vol. 15, no. 3, 1997, which presents the Program for Young Negotiators, a Boston-based program which teaches children specific tools from interest-based negotiation to help them deal with their own conflicts.

They drop beats, not bombs: Music and dance in youth peace-building

3 May 2010

19-page PDF article from the Australian Journal of Peace Studies, volume 3, 2008 which “focuses on how young people can use music and dance for peacebuilding. It utilises the framework of positive peace so it is concerned with much more than the absence of war or direct violence. Positive peace is a peace with fustice, including gender justice. It involves an assurance of fair social, economic and political arrangements’ and the preservation of human rights. Peacebuilding from this perspective seeks ‘to prevent, reduce, transform, and help people recover from violence in all forms, even structural violence that has not yet led to massive civil unrest.”

Education for global citizenship: A guide for schools

3 May 2010

12-page PDF guide which “gives children and young people the opportunity to develop critical thinking about complex global issues in the safe space of the classroom. This is something that children of all ages need, for even very young children come face to face with the controversial issues of our time through the media and modern communications technology. Far from promoting one set of answers, Education for Global Citizenship encourages children and young people to explore, develop and express their own values and opinions, whilst listening to and respecting other people’s points of view. This is an important step towards children and young people making informed choices as to how they exercise their own rights and their responsibilities to others.

Education for Global Citizenship uses a multitude of participatory teaching and learning methodologies, including discussion and debate, role-play, ranking exercises, and communities of enquiry. These methods are now established as best practice in education, and are not unique to Education for Global Citizenship. However, used in conjunction with a global perspective, they will help young people to learn how decisions made by people in other parts of the world affect our lives, just as our decisions affect the lives of others.”

Helping Children Resolve Peer Conflict

19 February 2010

Vol 15, Issue 1 of School-Age Connections provides 4-page pdf reviewing research and concepts for understanding children’s peer conflicts. Includes 8-step model for assisting children in resolving their conflicts.

Together we can: Creating a healthy future for our family

8 February 2010

Curriculum geared toward unmarried parents which is, “made up of a series of 24 lessons of about 60 minutes in length. The program can be offered in a one-on-one, couple, or small group format. The curriculum is designed so that the facilitator can tailor the materials to the needs and interests of the participants and group size. This curriculum has five goals: 1. To prepare unmarried parents to set goals to promote and create a healthy future for their children. 2. To help unmarried parents establish a positive co-parenting relationship that enables them to work together in raising their child. 3. To ensure the on-going and sustained involvement of both parents, especially the father, whenever possible in their children’s lives. 4. To encourage the on-going payment of child support and provision of other forms of support by the non-custodial parent. 5. To prepare unmarried parents to make healthy decisions (with their child’s best interests in mind) about their romantic and couple relationships.” Module 3 contains conflict resolution specific materials.

Preparing for special education mediation and resolution sessions: A guide for families & advocates

22 December 2009

28-page PDF document created, “to contribute to better outcomes for children with special needs. Through a collection of articles, this guide seeks to provide families and advocates with an array of information that will equip them to make the most of the new and expanded dispute resolution options offered by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). As the nation’s special education law has evolved, Congress has consistently sought to provide new ways to encourage informal and speedy resolution of problems … This guide provides a comprehensive article on preparing for special education mediation and resolution sessions, including tips for both families and advocates. A flowchart of mediation and resolution session supports the understanding of how these two processes work and intersect. For additional insight, it provides both an interview with a seasoned special education mediator and a summary of a study that sought to identify the factors that contribute to parent-school conflict. Finally, it offers communication tips for building strong partnerships and additional resources for locating further information.”

Continuum of [restorative justice] strategies

23 October 2009

1-page PDF chart illustrating a continuum of restorative justice strategies, with an informal end where staff are provided with skills of how to engage young people in a dialogue that emphasises a greater sense of other and a more formal end with skills to restore damaged relationships following an incident or outburst.