Sarah Golembiewski – University of Pittsburgh

An Overview of Research, Techniques and Strategies to Aid Teachers in Handling

Difficult Situations

Learner Objectives

Participants in this seminar will be able to:

Identify techniques to address conflict in schools

Utilize in-school and out-of-school resources to teach students how to deal with conflict

Identify personal biases that may interfere in dealing with the conflict of others

© 2008 S.Golembiewski Univ of Pittsburgh

The Study Guide

Your study guide is a mostly complete version of this presentation. Your job – Fill in the blanks!

Anytime you see this symbol ∞ on a slide, refer to the activity section of your handout.

© 2008 S.Golembiewski Univ of Pittsburgh

Our Agenda

Definitions and Frequency of Conflict

Case Study

Strategies for Implementation

Basic Mediation Technique

Application

© 2008 S.Golembiewski Univ of Pittsburgh

“I had a case in which a very judgmental girl picked on a child with a whole host of

deficiencies from low IQ to slow processing time to short stature to messy eating habits to poor

social skills. The second girl modeled her behavior after the first and dished it right back,

but her feelings were crushed after every insult, she cried and tattled even though she was chronologically old for this behavior. That

infuriated the first girl, who would then turn it on even worse and add threats of violence if her victim told the teacher this time. The second child would then use the very names she had

been called (retard, lame, stupid, dummy, gross) and they'd escalate to shouting in class. It got very disruptive. We couldn't come right out and

say to the first girl, "Listen, girl B has handicaps." Girl A would not let it go, just kept on and kept

on and started thinking it was her right to tell off Girl B. They had THREE classes together and the

principal refused to change either's schedule until we had tried to work out the problem

through conflict resolution and mediation.” – From a Middle School Guidance Counselor

A Case Study

∞© 2008 S.Golembiewski Univ of Pittsburgh

What is Conflict?

Non-agreement between parties

Usually starts as a minor rule infraction, but can escalate into a major rule infraction

Verbal or physical

© 2008 S.Golembiewski Univ of Pittsburgh

Rate of Conflict Occurrence The “frequency and severity of

conflicts (in schools) seem to be increasing…’fighting, violence and gangs’ are tied with ‘lack of discipline’ for the biggest problems in public schools”.1

Exact numbers are school specific Over 8,000 conflict resolution

programs exist today as a result !

1 (Johnson & Johnson, 1996, Conflict Resolution, p. 459)

Glossary

Peer Mediation – method of conflict resolution where either a teacher or a trained student mediates a situation between two or more students using approved techniques.

ODR – Office Disciplinary Referral

How We Identify the Problem

By ODR counts

Pay special notice to any spikes in numbers

In certain classes, times, locations

Students who have problems at home, unstable family situations and those who are accumulating other school violations are at risk to have conflict with peers and teachers. Conflict can happen with any student – from the valedictorian to the captain of the football team to the quiet student who never makes waves.

Some children internalize their emotions. When the emotional bottle reaches the top, it can spill over. Other children use conflict as their means to deal with things that do not agree with their understanding.

Related Problems

The next slides tell what needs to be thought about while working with

students before and during a conflict.

Strategies

Racism, sexism, homophobia, sense of power and other biases

influence how you handle a situation.

Remember that your students have their own set of –isms too!

1

Don’t Forget about your own –isms!

Photo by BSK www.sxc.hu1(Prutzman & Johnson, 1997)

Utilize Peer Mediation Programs Utilize Peer Mediation Programs Already in Place at Your SchoolAlready in Place at Your School

Image by Valeer Vandenbosch www.sxc.hu

Be In It For The LONG HAUL!

Image by Michal Zacharzewski www.sxc.hu

Do the training, Live the training!

Work in teams to implement the new strategies!

Change is Change is notnot like FedEx – like FedEx – It does It does notnot come overnight! come overnight!

Work WITH Your Students

The success rate will be higher when the student feels that he is being heard.

Image by Steve Knight – www.sxc.hu

So What?

The following slides give you a step by step procedure for working through a conflict situation between students.

This technique was developed by the School Mediation Associates. (Used with

permission of www.schoolmediation.com)

Don’t forget the strategies!

Image by Jyn Meyer – www.sxc.hu

Avoid:

Singling out the students among their peers if possible.

Passing judgment about a conflict between students before getting the whole story.

Thinking that conflict is always bad.

Focusing only on the negative.

Now It’s Your Turn!

∞Read the longer case study and DO

NOT TURN THE PAGE. Discuss in your group what you would do in this

situation.

School Mediation Associates: http://www.schoolmediation.com New Jersey State Bar Foundation: http://www.njsbf.com/njsbf/student/conflictres/middle_high.cfm  University of Colorado at Boulder: http://www.crinfo.org/menu/education.jsp  Educators for Social Responsibility: http://www.esrnational.org

 

© 2008 S.Golembiewski Univ of Pittsburgh

References Johnson, David W, & Johnson, Roger T (1996). Conflict

resolution and peer mediation programs in elementary and secondary schools: A review of the research. Review of Educational Research. 66, 459-506.  

Prutzman, Priscilla, & Johnson, Judith (1997). Bias awareness and multiple perspectives: Essential aspects of conflict resolution. Theory Into Practice. 36 No. 1, 26-31.

School Mediation Associates (2008). Peer mediation from school mediation associates. Retrieved April 7, 2008, from School Mediation Associates Web site: www.schoolmediation.com

Slides of technique were used with permission of www.schoolmediation.com

Contact information

Sarah Golembiewski sarahag@gmail.com Feel free to contact with any

questions, concerns or ideas!