Creating the Peaceable School

This workshop is designed for elementary and middles school educators interested in implementing a comprehensive conflict resolution education program.

Imagine a school or classroom where learners manage and resolve conflicts, both with and without adult assistance-a place where adults and children work together and respect, trust, help, and share with one another-where students and adults express feelings in ways that are neither aggressive nor destructive.

This workshop explores a comprehensive plan for achieving this vision. Participants will explore a curriculum that provides the core resources for creating peaceable classrooms and peaceable schools. Central to the curriculum is the creation of a cooperative school context, achieved through the institution of a rights and responsibilities approach to designing a discipline program. Through the conflict resolution strategies students learn to recognize, manage, and resolve conflicts peacefully. Participants will experience:

• building a peaceable climate,
• understanding conflict,
• understanding peace and peacemaking,
• 4 principles of conflict resolution,
• negotiation, group problem solving and peer mediation; and
• strategies for implementation

Learn how to create a safe, caring, respectful classroom and school community by teaching young people to resolve their conflicts peacefully and providing adults with ways to model positive conflict resolution and problem solving strategies. Participants will receive in-depth training through active involvement in conflict simulations, discussions and presentations. This in-depth training is in the foundation philosophy necessary to understand the efficacy of conflict resolution principles and in the processes and skills of conflict resolution necessary to implement and maintain an effective conflict resolution education program.

Participants will receive the program guide and student manual of Creating the Peaceable School: A Comprehensive Program for Teaching Conflict Resolution by Bodine, Crawford and Schrumpf (Research Press, 1994).