Peaceworkers UK developed this detailed description of the Core Skills they consider essential for Conflict Work and the vocational standards associated with them.
Core Skill 1: Research Skills
Core Skill 2: Written Communication
Core Skill 3: Verbal Communication
Core Skill 4: Self-Management
Core Skill 5: Conflict Management
Core Skill 6: Observation Skills
Core Skill 7: Teamwork
Core Skill 8: Cultural Sensitivity
Core Skill 9: Gender Awareness
Archive
Ten Lessons for Teaching Conflict Resolution Skills
A teaching packet provided by the Fairfax County Public Schools and the Student Safety and Wellness Office consisting of 10 lessons designed to help students learn conflict resolution skills. Each activity takes about an hour to complete and is designed to be interactive. As the authors note: “These skills are important for many reasons. Not only are they essential life skills, but they also help each individual acquire and maintain relationships, help make and maintain cohesive families, and increase the probability of attaining a job through communication and collaboration skills. These are pro-social skills which, in turn, increase student achievement levels and improve student resiliency.”
Topics covered include the following.
Lesson One: Introduction to Conflict and Types of Conflict
Lesson Two: Conflict Styles and Outcomes
Lesson Three: Different Points of View, Identifying Biases and Perspectives, Prejudice Awareness
Lesson Four: Steps for Solving Your Interpersonal Conflicts
Lesson Five: Nonverbal Communication Skills
Lesson Six: Communication
Lesson Seven: Effective Questioning Techniques
Lesson Eight: How to Handle Difficult Conversations
Lesson Nine: Problem Solving and Decision Making
Lesson Ten: Building Relationships, Developing a Win-Win Outcome Through Communication and Collaboration
Classrooms in peace: Preliminary results of a multi-component program
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.”
Classrooms in peace: Teaching strategies
22-page PDF article from the “Interamerican Journal of Education for Democracy, vol. 1, no. 2, June, 2008. Abstract: “In recent times citizenship competencies have arisen as a very valuable alternative for education for democracy and peace. The formative evaluation of the Aulas en Paz program has provided for analyzing various teaching strategies for the development of eight citizenship competencies which are essential for constructive conflict handling and the prevention of aggression – i.e. handling anger, empathy, distance-taking, creative generation of alternatives, considering consequences, active listening, assertiveness, and questioning beliefs. Preliminary results of the Aulas en Paz program were published in the previous issue of this Journal. This paper supplements the previous one by highlighting the teaching strategies that have been most successful in getting these citizenship competencies put into practice in an environment which is motivating and significant for the students.”
Teacher insights from an intercultural peace curricula development project
25-page PDF article from the Interamerican Journal of Education for Democracy, vol. 2, no. 2. September 2009. Abstract: “Data garnered from an eight month critical ethnographic action research project tells a story of prejudice and discrimination in a white, Euro-American dominant context at Junction High School in the U.S. Midwest. However, counter-normative efforts aimed at transforming the situation for newcomer students were conducted by both the researcher and a group of teachers who developed and implemented intercultural peace curricula. White, Euro-American constructions of “others†and teacher reflections on their engagement in the process are presented in this article. The article aims to provide a case study and to encourage deeper dialogue on intercultural peace education in schools for achieving an authentic democracy.”
Unexplored power and potential of youth as peace-builders, The
29-page PDF article from “Journal of Peace Conflict & Development,” Issue 11, November 2007. Abstract: “Around the world many young people are victims of cultural, direct, and structural violence and become carriers of that violence or perpetration. There is a strong tendency among politicians and researchers to see youth as a problem to be solved. However, many youth are peaceful and peace-builders. Equally affected by various forms of violence, they decide to act constructively towards building a culture of peace. Youth are underestimated as positive agents of change and key actors in peace-building, both by policy-makers and academics. This paper explores the role of youth as peace-builders, illustrating their unique power and potential to affect social change through a number of examples.”
GIRC Annotated Bibliography of Conflict Resolution Resources
An annotated bibliography from the Global Issues Resource Center on conflict resolution resources covering the topics of bullying prevention, classroom management, and trauma & violence prevention. Includes books, curricula, videotapes, simulations and games.
Helping Children Resolve Peer Conflict
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.
PeaceKidz manual
101-page Word document created by PeacekidZ, “a program that aims to develop children’s ability to understand, analyze and resolve conflicts in their everyday lives. PeacekidZ teaches children the three R’s of conflict resolution: recognize, respect, resolve.” “Through each year of PeaceKidZ, each group of SAIS student teachers builds a curriculum detailing the lessons and activities they taught during the course of the nine-week program. They then compile these into a final document. The Conflict Management Toolkit will assemble and offer these curricula as a resource for other universities and outreach programs that are interested in developing similar programs. We will also provide a bibliography with more detailed books and resources on teaching. Currently, the manual from the first year of PeaceKidZ and a bibliography of the materials SAIS students consult to design the program are available for download.”
Tolerance: the threshold of peace: A teaching/learning guide for education for peace, human rights
42-page PDF document which was “prepared to serve as an introductory resource material, to provide some understanding of what is involved in and required of education for tolerance. It provides a statement of the problems of intolerance, a rationale for teaching toward the goal of tolerance, and concepts and descriptions for identifying both the problems and the goals … Each chapter of the guide comprises material that can be used for study and discussion on issues of tolerance and peace. Organizations, groups and formal classes of secondary level and above can explore together the issues raised and problems identified…”
Opening the door to nonviolence: Peace education manual for primary school children
Electronic version of the second edition of a teacher’s guide for teaching peace education to primary school students. “Part I is designed as a training in affirmation, cooperation and communication. Part II deals with the healing of trauma; Part III is about bias and prejudices. Part IV introduces peaceful problem solving and nonviolent conflict resolving and Part V is about peaceful living. There are 20 chapters/sessions in the book, each session developed through step-by-step activities.”
Conflict resolution protocol for elementary classrooms, A
4-page PDF excerpt from the book, “The First Six Weeks of School” which discusses teaching conflict resolution, “a basic belief underlying The Responsive Classroom® approach to teaching is that how children learn to treat one another is as important as what they learn in reading, writing, and arithmetic. We believe that social skills such as cooperation, assertion, responsibility, empathy, and selfcontrol are essential to children’s academic and social success and we emphasize the teaching of these skills, along with academics, throughout the school day. There are many strategies we use to teach these social skills at the elementary level (K-6), one of which is teaching a protocol for conflict resolution.”
Youth peace resources: Reminder sheets
2-page PDF document of bookmark style reminders (from the Youth Peace Resources webpage of the Peace & Justice Support Network of the Mennonite Church), each reminder discusses an approach/style in conflict resolution such as problem solving and compromising, advice on when this style makes sense, and a relevant quote from the Bible.
Conflict resolution: Citizenship education for young people with special needs
27-page PDF document which aims to, “develop positive models for dealing with conflict and to practise appropriate responses to deal with conflict.” Includes examples of use of universal access symbols to increase retention and understanding when working with low literacy participants and students in special education classrooms.
PROS: Peaceful resolution for Oklahoma [high school] students
106-page PDF manual designed to help teachers and trainers teach high school students the art of peer mediation. Includes definitions, exercises to improve communication skills, leadership and problem solving.