This brief presents the assumptions underlying the approach taken by the International Center for Cooperation and Conflict Resolution, Teachers College, Columbia University, in creating a nonviolent school. It also provides specific program components that schools can implement. The approach is based on the recognition that violence is a function…

Conflict resolution has moved into the classroom. Peaceful conflict resolution includes negotiation, peer mediation, and arbitration. Data on conflict-resolution programs have turned up interesting objectives and outcomes. Curriculum approaches include classroom discipline, peace education, multicultural perspective, and just community. Teaching…

Presents discipline tips from several teachers to keep classrooms running smoothly all year. Some of the suggestions include the following: a bear-cave warning system, peer mediation, a motivational mystery, problem students acting as the teacher's assistant, a positive-behavior-reward chain, a hallway scavenger hunt (to ensure quiet passage…

This digest discusses mediation as a form of conflict management that is receiving widespread attention in schools. Mediation involves a neutral third person, called a mediator, who assists the disputants in resolving their problem with the consent of all parties. It offers a risk-free way to settle disputes for the parties involved. Unresolved…

Mediation is a process that enables two or more persons in a dispute to find mutually agreeable solutions to their differences with the aid of a mediator. The mediator does not take sides, but helps the disputants consider their options. Mediation is voluntary, and disputing parties must agree to participate. Furthermore, the mediator does not…

Mediation or conflict resolution training has been effective in a variety of settings. Using the components of the process (active listening, cooperation, acceptance of differences, creative problem solving, and empathetic responses) students learn to deal with anger and to work with others so as to arrive at solutions peacefully. Some of the…

Mediation is a process that enables two or more persons in a dispute to find mutually agreeable solutions to their differences with the aid of a mediator. The mediator does not take sides, but helps the disputants consider their options. Mediation is voluntary, and disputing parties must agree to participate. The mediator does not have the power…

This conflict mediation program resolves disputes non-violently using teams of two student mediators and a set of formal procedures. These methods improve communication, define issues, and develop alternative paths to resolution. The goals of the program are the prevention of violence, the improvement of human relations, and the building of more…

This short publication provides a process for managing conflict among managerial peers. It focuses more on conflicts among managers that involve personal values, office politics, power struggles, and emotional reactions than on conflicts that arise from incompatible goals or from different views on how to accomplish a task. The process described…

Increasing violence and threats of violence in American schools have prompted many school districts to take aggressive action in providing greater security and more positive learning environments. This book presents an alternative approach--that of training students in conflict resolution and peer mediation. The book offers specific, practical…

Research confirms the fact that violence is a growing problem in American society. The frequency of reports of youth involved in violent acts reflects an inability to handle conflicts in safe, constructive ways among this age group. Although the business of schools is to educate, many students are more concerned with their own safety than…

Schools are uniquely qualified to play a significant role in preventing violence. In order to assist school officials in choosing the most successful strategies, this guide presents a comprehensive assessment of the 84 most widely used school violence prevention programs in the country. In the introduction, the extent of the problem of school…

Identifies strengths and weaknesses of peer mediation, suggesting flexible guidelines for locally developed, comprehensive approaches to managing complex conflict in schools. The paper examines the background of school conflict programs (providing examples) and outlines approaches that expand the scope of problems concerned educators can manage.…

Discusses the development of three different curricula for teaching conflict resolution to students in the Israeli public schools. Explains curriculum goals, presents eight examples of available teaching technologies appropriate for students in different age groups (e.g., peer mediation and second-language learning), and discusses creative…

This document, the third in a series on diversity in the classroom, examines the responsibility of teachers to their diverse students. Section 1, "Introduction," reviews the issue. Section 2, "A Shared Responsibility," describes the context within which to build practices that help children become stronger. Basic to this…