Resources for Dialogue and Conflict Resolution
The resources listed below are guidelines to initiate, facilitate, and sustain a Restorative Justice Practice (RJP) program in your school community. These resources will help create the necessary and safe space needed to empower all parties participating in order to better reach reconciliation. These resources will also enable facilitators, whether professionals or trained teachers facilitating for the first time, to engage in the process confidently, giving RJPs and all participating the opportunity for success.
-Restorative Justice Community/Classroom Conferencing: A guide for parents and teachers
This guide provides background information on RJPs and how they are applicable to addressing student misbehavior, as well as examining the reasoning behind student misconduct. It discusses the benefits to utilizing RJPs in schools and how these practices can have beneficial ripple effects to the greater community. Included are detailed descriptions on the how-tos and importance of restorative conferencing and circle processes at the classroom, school wide, and greater community level. Implementation guides on how to conduct and incorporate this processes are also provided. A fantastic resource for schools looking for information to present to garner more support for these programs and wonderful for those looking to take the next step and incorporate RJPs in their schools.
The guide can be found here: http://safeandcaring.ca/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Restorative-Justice-booklet-Web-version.pdf
-About the Circle Process
This website gives information on Circle Process as a RJP and how to facilitate this process. Examples of the types of situations that can benefit from using a circle process are listed. The website has links to pages about the history of circle processes, success stories of people using circle processes, and more. The circle processes described can be used in the classroom to help resolve interpersonal conflict amongst students.
Visit the website to learn more: http://www.livingjusticepress.org/index.asp?Type=B_BASIC&SEC=%7B51F9C610-C097-446A-8C60-05E8B4599FE7%7D
-Conflict Resolution Skills
This document discusses positive conflict resolution skills to use when looking to de-escalate conflict. It includes information on the fundamentals of conflict resolution, key skills to foster and incorporate, as well as tips for using these skills. This document is a very helpful resource for teachers looking to better manage conflictual situations. “When conflict is resolved in a healthy way, it increases our understanding of one another, builds trust, and strengthens our relationship bonds.” (Helpguide.org)
Read the document here: http://www.edcc.edu/counseling/documents/Conflict.pdf
- Teaching Restorative Practices with Classroom Circles
“This manual supports the teaching of restorative practices and skills in your classroom. Restorative Practices are a framework for building community and for responding to challenging behavior through authentic dialogue, coming to understanding, and make things right.” (Amos Clifford, Center for Restorative Process Developed for San Francisco Unified School District) Included in the manual are lesson plans that can be used in the classroom to help students develop a deeper understanding of the circle processes and their abilities to help reconciliation.
Read the manual here: http://www.healthiersf.org/RestorativePractices/Resources/documents
-Restorative Practices in the Elementary Classroom: Memoirs of a 4th Grade Teacher
This article is an in depth account of a 4th grade teacher integrating Restorative Justice Practices into her classroom. She talks about the daily challenges she faces and how RJPs help not only manage her class, but how they help the class become more unified and understanding of each other. She breaks down the class dynamics and how these practices resulted in resolving conflict peacefully and productively.
Read the account here: http://www.iirp.edu/pdf/man05/man05_tashley1.pdf
-Restorative Justice in Schools by Belinda Hopkins
“This article explores the potential of a restorative approach in school in addressing challenging or disruptive behavior and conflict wherever that may occur in the school community. It suggests some steps for introducing restorative philosophy, skills and interventions into a whole school initiative. It describes the initiatives that are already being piloted in certain schools around the UK and some of the issues that are arising from these projects. Finally it highlights current challenges to development and possible solutions and ways forward.” (Hopkins, Support for Learning)
Read the whole article here: http://www.transformingconflict.org/system/files/libraryfiles/Doc%205%20-%20Restorative%20Justice%20in%20Schools%202002%20-%20Support%20for%20Learning%2017.3.pdf
If you have more resources to suggest to add to our page, please send them to us here!
-Restorative Justice Community/Classroom Conferencing: A guide for parents and teachers
This guide provides background information on RJPs and how they are applicable to addressing student misbehavior, as well as examining the reasoning behind student misconduct. It discusses the benefits to utilizing RJPs in schools and how these practices can have beneficial ripple effects to the greater community. Included are detailed descriptions on the how-tos and importance of restorative conferencing and circle processes at the classroom, school wide, and greater community level. Implementation guides on how to conduct and incorporate this processes are also provided. A fantastic resource for schools looking for information to present to garner more support for these programs and wonderful for those looking to take the next step and incorporate RJPs in their schools.
The guide can be found here: http://safeandcaring.ca/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Restorative-Justice-booklet-Web-version.pdf
-About the Circle Process
This website gives information on Circle Process as a RJP and how to facilitate this process. Examples of the types of situations that can benefit from using a circle process are listed. The website has links to pages about the history of circle processes, success stories of people using circle processes, and more. The circle processes described can be used in the classroom to help resolve interpersonal conflict amongst students.
Visit the website to learn more: http://www.livingjusticepress.org/index.asp?Type=B_BASIC&SEC=%7B51F9C610-C097-446A-8C60-05E8B4599FE7%7D
-Conflict Resolution Skills
This document discusses positive conflict resolution skills to use when looking to de-escalate conflict. It includes information on the fundamentals of conflict resolution, key skills to foster and incorporate, as well as tips for using these skills. This document is a very helpful resource for teachers looking to better manage conflictual situations. “When conflict is resolved in a healthy way, it increases our understanding of one another, builds trust, and strengthens our relationship bonds.” (Helpguide.org)
Read the document here: http://www.edcc.edu/counseling/documents/Conflict.pdf
- Teaching Restorative Practices with Classroom Circles
“This manual supports the teaching of restorative practices and skills in your classroom. Restorative Practices are a framework for building community and for responding to challenging behavior through authentic dialogue, coming to understanding, and make things right.” (Amos Clifford, Center for Restorative Process Developed for San Francisco Unified School District) Included in the manual are lesson plans that can be used in the classroom to help students develop a deeper understanding of the circle processes and their abilities to help reconciliation.
Read the manual here: http://www.healthiersf.org/RestorativePractices/Resources/documents
-Restorative Practices in the Elementary Classroom: Memoirs of a 4th Grade Teacher
This article is an in depth account of a 4th grade teacher integrating Restorative Justice Practices into her classroom. She talks about the daily challenges she faces and how RJPs help not only manage her class, but how they help the class become more unified and understanding of each other. She breaks down the class dynamics and how these practices resulted in resolving conflict peacefully and productively.
Read the account here: http://www.iirp.edu/pdf/man05/man05_tashley1.pdf
-Restorative Justice in Schools by Belinda Hopkins
“This article explores the potential of a restorative approach in school in addressing challenging or disruptive behavior and conflict wherever that may occur in the school community. It suggests some steps for introducing restorative philosophy, skills and interventions into a whole school initiative. It describes the initiatives that are already being piloted in certain schools around the UK and some of the issues that are arising from these projects. Finally it highlights current challenges to development and possible solutions and ways forward.” (Hopkins, Support for Learning)
Read the whole article here: http://www.transformingconflict.org/system/files/libraryfiles/Doc%205%20-%20Restorative%20Justice%20in%20Schools%202002%20-%20Support%20for%20Learning%2017.3.pdf
If you have more resources to suggest to add to our page, please send them to us here!
