Resolving Conflicts In Schools & Classrooms

Course Description
Resolving Conflicts in Schools & Classrooms presents a proven and innovative approach to creating safer, more productive classroom environments based on creating "Peaceable Classrooms." This model emphasizes the classroom and the school as communities of caring and respect where six themes are emphasized: cooperation, communication, emotional expression, responsible decision-making, appreciation for diversity and conflict resolution. This approach was developed out of classroom teachers' practice and has been tested in schools across the United States and Canada.

Objectives
• Identify the root causes of violence in U.S. culture
• Identify and discuss the six themes of the Peaceable School/Classroom
• Explore the link between violence and conflict
• Analyze conflicts using the Conflict Escalator
• Understand the role of emotions in conflict and learn to handle them effectively
• Learn how to use the six styles of conflict resolution
• Explore how to reach "win-win" resolutions in typical conflict situations
• Learn the principles of "win-win" negotiation and mediation
• Explore how perspective-taking can enhance conflict resolution
• Examine how racial, cultural and ethnic diversity affects conflict and conflict resolution
• Experience cooperative learning strategies as a means for building community in a school or classroom
• Develop an implementation plan for school or classroom

Curriculum Design
Resolving Conflict in Schools & Classrooms is a 3 credit graduate level or forty-five hour professional development course taught on weekends or over five full days. The following methodologies will be used during the course: lectures, readings, group and individual discussions.

A variety of readings will be referenced throughout the course. Other supplemental readings will be provided.

Course Materials
Course Materials: Text - Waging Peace in Our Schools, Linda Lantieri & Janet Patti, Beacon Press, 1996, and the Resolving Conflict in Schools & Classrooms Participant Workbook.

Session Outline
Module 1: Overview of Violence Prevention and Conflict Resolution
Contents:
  1. Introduction: Violence in our society
  2. Roots and causes of violence
  3. The link between violence and conflict
  4. What is positive about conflict?
  5. Introduction to "win-win" conflict resolution
  6. Inventory: Styles of handling conflicts
  7. Talking about conflict
  8. How conflicts escalate
  9. Implications for teaching and classroom management

Module 2: Communication to De-escalate Conflict
Contents:
  1. The role of communication in conflict and conflict resolution
  2. The communication process
  3. Back to back: Understanding misunderstandings
  4. Demonstration of Active Listening
  5. Listening practice
  6. Demonstration lessons
  7. Implications for teaching and classroom management

Module 3: Feelings in Conflict
Contents:
  1. The importance of dealing with feelings in conflict
  2. Feelings on the escalator
  3. Expressing feelings: "I Statements"
  4. Principles of anger management: What the research tells us
  5. Cooling off techniques
  6. Demonstration lessons
  7. Implications for teaching and classroom management

Module 4: Solving Conflicts
Contents:
  1. Return to conflict styles inventory
  2. Trying new styles
  3. Problem solving in conflicts
  4. Using the Win-Win Grid
  5. Practice solving conflicts
  6. Demonstration lessons
  7. Implications for teaching and classroom management

Module 5: Negotiation and Mediation
Contents:
  1. Principles of principled negotiation
  2. Positions and interests/demands and Really Needs
  3. Negotiation demonstration
  4. Negotiation practice
  5. Introduction to mediation
  6. Mediation demonstration
  7. Creative questioning
  8. Mediation practice
  9. Demonstration lessons
  10. Implications for teaching and classroom management

Module 6: Cooperation and Perspective-taking
Contents:
  1. Introduction to cooperation and community building - cooperation/competition and violence
  2. Principles of cooperative learning
  3. Practice cooperation principles
  4. The role of perspective taking in resolving conflict
  5. The Believing Exercise
  6. Demonstration lessons
  7. Implications for teaching and classroom management

Module 7: Diversity and Conflict
Contents:
  1. Introduction: What is diversity? Why include diversity in conflict resolution and violence prevention?
  2. Diversity: What the research tells us about valuing diversity
  3. Exploring our heritage/Groups we are a part of and why
  4. Microlab: ethnic and cultural sharing
  5. Introduction to assessing cultural competencies model
  6. Using the assessing cultural competencies model
  7. Looking at privilege
  8. The oppression/internalized oppression model
  9. Demonstration lessons
  10. Implications for teaching and classroom management

Module 8: More on Diversity and Conflict
Contents:
  1. Diversity and the conflict escalator
  2. What the research tells us about prejudice and stereotyping
  3. Microlab: Personal experiences interrupting prejudice
  4. Introduction to strategies for interrupting prejudice
  5. Practicing interrupting prejudice
  6. The role of allies
  7. Demonstration lessons
  8. Implications for teaching and classroom management

Module 9: Conflict Resolution as a Component in Classroom Management and Discipline
Contents:
  1. Introduction to conflict resolution and classroom management/discipline
  2. Overview: The prevention/Intervention/Invention model
  3. Using the PII model to think about classroom practice
  4. Case studies: Intervening in conflicts
  5. Peaceable Classroom assessment inventory

Module 10: Infusion and Implementation
Contents:
  1. Infusion models: What do they mean?
  2. Examples of infusion in action
  3. Overview of implementation models
  4. Different ways of teaching conflict resolution
  5. Developing implementation plans

Grading

Assignment Points Grading Scale

Group and Classroom Participation 30    100 – 93 A

Reading Assignments 10     92 – 85 B

Conflict Journal 30     84 – 77 C

Paper Project OR Lesson Plans 30

Total Points 100

Student Requirements

1. Attend all class sessions for the requisite number of hours (45) and participate in all class activities.

2. Complete all reading assignments.

3. Keep a conflict journal in which the participant regularly reflects on the connections between the course content and the work in one's school or professional setting. In this journal you may apply conflict resolution ideas in a discussion of interaction with one child in a school setting; apply conflict resolution ideas in a discussion of interaction with a colleague in a school/professional setting; and/or reflect generally on one's own conflict resolution style. Indicate strengths of style, changes that you would like to make to one's style, and any efforts toward improving that style.

4. Choose one of the following two assignments:

A.) Develop an outline of ten beginning lessons in conflict resolution which the participant would like to teach, and provide a narrative description of how conflict resolution will be integrated into one's classroom or school. The lessons need not be wholly original, but they should at least be adaptations of other lessons.

B.) Complete a three to five page paper or project on one of the following topics:

1.) After reading pages 21-27 in Waging Peace in Our Schools, write a narrative describing what people would experience if they were visiting your classroom. What about this scenario would you like to change? What do you feel good about?

2.) Read and review Chapter 8 in Waging Peace in Our Schools. Create a mini-workshop you would conduct for the parents of your class, based on the information shared in that chapter.

3.) Read and review Chapter 10 in Waging Peace in Our Schools. How does the description of peaceable schools reflect the school in which you currently work? What are some similarities, differences, and/or recommendations you would make?

4.) Read and review Chapter 9 of Waging Peace in Our Schools, especially pages 216-222. Given this information about the RCCP model, what are the several first steps you would recommend taking in your own school in creating a more comprehensive conflict resolution program?

Student Academic Integrity
Participants guarantee that all academic class work is original. Any academic dishonesty or plagiarism (to take ideas, writings, etc. from another and offer them as one's own), is a violation of student academic behavior standards as outlined by our partnering colleges and universities and is subject to academic disciplinary action.

Register
To register to take TEI's Resolving Conflicts in Schools & Classrooms graduate course, go to the Course Registration page.