10 Lessons for Teaching Conflict Resolution Skills



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10 Lessons for Teaching

Conflict Resolution Skills

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Guidelines for Teaching Conflict Resolution Skills

Congratulations. SOL testing is finished! Here is a teaching packet to help your students learn conflict

resolution skills. 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.

One benefit of having the skills is the enhancement of the leadership capabilities of our students, which

reflect Fairfax County School Board Student Achievement Goal #2: Essential Life Skills.

These lessons support the rights mentioned in the Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) Student

Responsibilities and Rights (SR&R), current version of Regulation 2601. ¡°Students have a right to

resolve disputes with other students or staff members in a way that is nonthreatening for all parties and

that promotes positive relationships.¡±

These lessons also support the responsibilities mentioned in the FCPS SR&R regulation. ¡°Students are

responsible for resolving disputes in an appropriate and nonviolent manner.¡±

Each lesson is about an hour long and is designed to be interactive. Remember, it¡¯s June. Each lesson

can be modified to match the developmental needs of your students.

If you have final exams or already have the month of June planned, these ten lessons on conflict

resolution could be added to next year¡¯s substitute folder, woven into your lessons using your

professional expertise, or used with students in alternative instructional assistance.

Thank you so much for supporting Fairfax County School Board Student Achievement Goal #2: Essential

Life Skills, which charges each of us to teach our students to ¡°possess the skills to manage and resolve

conflict.¡± After experiencing these interactive lessons, your students will come away with the knowledge

and skills to resolve conflicts peacefully.

Special thanks to the visionary team

Richard Moniuszko, deputy superintendent, FCPS

Kim Dockery, assistant superintendent, Department of Special Services, FCPS

Teresa Zutter, director, Intervention and Prevention Services, FCPS

Clarence Jones, coordinator, Student Safety and Wellness Office, FCPS

Joan Packer, specialist, conflict resolution, FCPS

Special thanks go to the writing team

Joan Packer, specialist, conflict resolution, FCPS

Kristen John, peer mediation conference coordinator, FCPS

Kathleen Pablo, retired FCPS assistant principal, French teacher, peer mediation coordinator

Dan Buescher, graduate student intern in Conflict Transformation and Peace Building, Center for Justice

and Peace Building, Eastern Mennonite University

Swaim Pessaud, Office of Public Private Partnerships

Nancy Colfax, Northern Virginia Mediation Service

Alayna Woodley; Rachel King; Tim Stehly; George Mason University ICAR students and interns with the

Peer Mediation Partners

Izabela Solosi, Peer Mediation Partners

Brian McElhaney, Peer Mediation Partners

Lesson One: Introduction to Conflict and Types of Conflict

Benefits

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Conflict is a natural part of life.

Learning about productive ways to handle conflict will help:

o One¡¯s relationships.

o Work and school environments.

o Family units.

o Interpersonal interactions.

Opening Energizer

Choose two students to go in front of the class and role-play the short scenario below.

Encourage each person to put some emotion into the script.

A: ¡°I was wide open under the basket! Why didn¡¯t you pass me the ball?¡±

B: ¡°The coach told me to take the shot!¡±

Possible questions to ask the class:

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Who are the parties in the conflict?

Are any other parties involved?

What is each person in the conflict thinking?

What were the parties feeling? (Students may ask the parties)

What are each person¡¯s motivations?

What does each person need?

If discussion is slow to start, restate the question. You might also ask the students to think back

to an experience they¡¯ve had.

Definition and Content

What is conflict? Ask the students to call out words that define, or are associated with,

conflict. Chart these on the board. Words with negative associations should be on one side of

the board, words with positive associations on the other. You may want to direct the students to

form a line and ask them, one at a time, to write their word on the side of the board they think it

should go on.

Students may not initially recognize many positive aspects of conflict. This exercise might be a

good way to discuss some of the benefits of conflict (it is an opportunity for change, renewal of

relationships, etc.).

Conflict is when two or more people want different things.

Activity 1

Types of conflict

Draw four squares on the board. Ask students to identify the types of conflict identified in the

opening energizer. The types of conflict are:

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Within people (intrapersonal).

Between people (interpersonal).

Within groups (intragroup).

Between groups (intergroup).

As students identify each type of conflict, write it in one of the squares. You may want to ask

the students in which square they would write it.

Processing

Where do these types of conflict happen? __________________________________

(locker room, bus stop, hallway, cafeteria, on the way to school)

Note to teacher: Students should also understand that conflict is all around and that, not only

are there many different types of conflict, there are many ways of handling it as well.

Depending on how we handle conflict, the outcome may change--we can influence conflict¡¯s

outcome in many positive ways.

Summary Points

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Conflict is a part of life¨Cit can be a positive part of life, an instrument of growth.

Conflict can be good or bad depending on how we learn to deal with it.

Every time we interact with someone there is a potential for conflict because people¡¯s

needs and expectations may not be the same.

We can even feel conflicts within ourselves and may displace these onto others unless

we are careful.

Small conflicts should be dealt with as soon as possible, so they don¡¯t grow.

Try to identify possible hidden conflicts.

Disagree with ideas or behavior, not people.

Lesson Two: Conflict Styles and Outcomes

Benefits

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There are many ways one can approach conflict.

Decisions regarding conflict are based on the importance of issues and/or relationships.

The way in which one handles conflict will directly affect the effectiveness of the

conflict¡¯s outcome.

Opening Energizer

Stand in the center of the room. Introduce yourself as ¡°the conflict¡± from the previous scenario in

Lesson One. Each student is a member of the scenario¡¯s basketball team. Ask them to think

about how comfortable they are with this conflict, and direct them to stand in relation to their

comfort level with the conflict (without students leaving the room).

Processing

Go around the class and ask why they are standing there. Ask the students to sit down and

discuss the following conflict styles (how people respond to conflict).

Definition and Content

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Conflict Styles

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Avoiding--Issue and relationship both are insignificant.

Accommodating--Relationship is more important than the issue.

Forcing--The issue is more important than the relationship.

Compromising--Cooperation is important (give a little, get a little).

Collaborating--Relationship and issue are both important (takes more time).

When analyzing your conflict style in a particular situation, ask the following questions:

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How is this conflict style working for you?

What are your needs, and are they being met?

What outcome could using this conflict style lead to?

Are you satisfied with the outcome of this conflict style?

Are there situations in which you change your conflict style?

Are conflict styles situational?

What would it take for you to change your conflict style?

How would using a new style affect the outcome?

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