Behaviour Scenarios

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Behaviour Scenarios

• A specially commissioned set of resources for
  tutors, school mentors and trainee teachers
• Scenario 23 Conflict resolution (A)

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Behaviour Scenario 23

• Conflict resolution (A)
• You are aware that, in your school, there seems
  to be a lot of antagonism between staff and
  pupils, between pupils and pupils and sometimes
  between the staff themselves.
• What are some of the general approaches that will
  help reduce or resolve conflicts?

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Key Learning Outcomes

• A23 An understanding of some of the features of
  conflict and some of the approaches that are
  effective in conflict resolution.
• B23 An opportunity to model and practise some of
  the stages in conflict resolution
• Relevant QTS Standards Q21(b), Q30 Q31

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What do you do?

• Tell the person/people that you think they should
  grow up and behave more considerately.
• Dont take sides but try to sort out who started
  it.
• Listen actively to what they are saying.
• Try to decide who is to blame so that you can get
  to the bottom of their personal problems.
• Suggest that you should decide who is in the
  wrong.
• Resolve the conflict, shake hands and agree that
  it will never happen again.

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What may be the best choice?

• Listen actively to what they are saying.
• In order to understand the origin of a conflict
  you first need to really understand peoples
  feelings and needs.
• In any case, the skills of active listening are
  essential for effective teaching.
• For more information on active listening see the
  handout on Active Listening

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How might you prevent a recurrence?

• An effective approach to conflict resolution
  involves seven steps
• Encourage respect for the other person
• Confront the problem
• Define the conflict
• Communicate understanding
• Explore alternative solutions
• Agree on the most workable solution
• Evaluate after time
• The Notes for this slide explain each of these
  steps.

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1. Encourage respect for the other person

• Although respecting the other person during a
  conflict is challenging, we must try. Words of
  disrespect block communication and may create
  wounds that may never heal. Use your willpower to
  treat the other person as a person of worth and
  as an equal.

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2. Explore the problem

• Find a time and place to discuss the conflict.
  Choose a time when people are not arguing or
  angry. The place should be comfortable and it may
  help to find neutral territory a place which is
  not connected to one or other of the protagonists

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3. Define the conflict

• Describe the conflict in clear, concrete terms.
  Ask for clear statements to answer questions
  starting with Who?, What?, When?, Where?,
  and Why?. Describe behaviours, feelings,
  consequences, and desired changes. Be specific
  and start sentences with "we," not "you. Focus
  on behaviours or problems, not people. Define the
  conflict as a problem for all of you to solve
  together, not a battle to be won by one side or
  the other.

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4. Communicate understanding

• Listen in order to really understand peoples
  feelings and needs. Seek first to understand,
  then to be understood. Step back and try to
  imagine how the other person sees things. Explain
  how you see the problem after you have talked
  about it. Discuss any changes you have made in
  the way you see things or how you feel.

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5. Explore alternative solutions

• Take turns offering alternative solutions. List
  them all. Be non - judgmental of other's ideas.
  Examine consequences of each solution. Think and
  talk positively.

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6. Agree on the most workable solution

• Agree to a solution you both understand and can
  live with. Work to find a "win-win" solution. Be
  committed to resolving the conflict.

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7. Evaluate after time

• Work out a way to check on how well the solution
  is working. Adjust the resolution when necessary.

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Underlying principles

• Active listening is an essential skill involved
  in both good teaching and effective conflict
  resolution.
• It is necessary to clarify opinions and clarify
  the situation if the causes of conflict are to be
  understood.
• Being non-judgemental is essential.
• Conflict resolution involves creating empathy.
• Solution focussed approaches can be applied to
  good effect.
• Long term solutions are more likely if the
  situation is revisited after a short time.

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Rights and Responsibilities

• Conflict can easily turn into violence and
  bullying which infringe the fundamental rights of
  children enshrined in The UN Convention on the
  Rights of the Child
• Article 19 requires teachers, under their duty of
  care (which is a common law duty in the UK),
  to protect children from violence and to prevent
  and treat instances of abuse.
• It is therefore an obligation on all teachers to
  resolve conflict as part of their professional
  responsibility.
• It is the responsibility of pupils to respect the
  rights of others in the school to be educated
  without suffering violence or fear.

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Activities to try

• Practise the seven steps for conflict resolution
  when you next encounter a conflict situation
  amongst your friends. When you have finished
  attempting to resolve the conflict, discuss how
  the protagonists felt and which of the steps you
  took to resolve the conflict were the most
  successful.
• With another trainee, carry out the short
  exercise on active listening described in the
  Notes.
• When you are next in school, find a teacher
  colleague who seems to avoid conflict better than
  most. Ask how he/she reduces conflict when it
  occurs. What is it about this person that is
  different and what does he/she do differently
  from others who encounter more conflict?

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Want to find out more?References on the B4L site

• Oxfam - We work together Can you?
• American Research Project - Managing Student
  Behavior in Todays Schools
• www.education.ufl.edu/CRPM
• Teachers TV KS3/4 PSHE Mediating Conflict
• Teachers TV KS3/4 Resolving Conflict
• DCSF The National Strategies - Social and
  emotional aspects of learning Improving
  behaviour, improving learning