Online Companion: A Guidance Approach for the Encouraging Classroom, 4e

Chapter 9

APPLICATION ACTIVITIES

Application activities allow students to interrelate material from the text with real-life situations. The observations imply access to practicum experiences; the interviews, access to teachers or parents. Students may compare or contrast observations and interviews with referenced ideas from the chapter.

  1. Essentials of Conflict management.
    1. Observe and record an instance of conflict management that you believe to be handled effectively by the teacher. Referring to the text, which of the guidelines for conflict management did you see the teacher using during the mediation? Which did you not see?
    2. Interview a teacher who uses conflict management regularly in the classroom. Ask the teacher to discuss each of the guidelines. What are her thoughts about the importance of each in the mediation process? Compare the teacher's comments with what the text says about the guidelines.
  2. Young children's development and conflict management.
    1. Observe a typical conflict in a classroom and record it. Using the text as a reference, decide whether the primary cause of the dispute was property, territory, privilege, or some other cause. What did you learn about young children from your observation and analysis?
    2. Interview a teacher about the three types of disputes in the text. Ask the teacher to select one of the types. In conducting conflict management in relation to the type of dispute what is the teacher's basic approach? What does she try to teach through the mediation? Compare your findings to ideas from the chapter.
    3. Interview a teacher who uses a peace prop to aid in conflict management. Find out as much as you can about how the teacher uses the prop. Using the text for comparison, what did you learn about the use of peace props in conflict management with young children?
  3. The five-finger formula.
    1. Conduct the mediation of a conflict using the five-finger formula. Record what you and the children said and did. Referring to the text, which of the steps did you find easier to follow? Which of the steps were more difficult to follow? What did you learn from this experience that may help you when you mediate a conflict in the future?
    2. Interview the teacher about the steps she follows in conducting conflict management. Record the main points from the interview. Which of the five steps did the teacher mention? Compare your findings from the interview with what the book says about conflict management.
  4. Teaching problem-solving skills to children.
    1. Observe an instance of high-level mediation, low-level mediation, or child negotiation. Which do you believe it is? Why? How effective was the process of social problem solving that you observed? How successful was the solution reached? Compare your findings to ideas from the chapter.
    2. Interview a teacher about her views on the relative importance of teacher-led mediation versus teaching children to negotiate. What surprised you about the teacher's comments? Which of her comments were what you expected? How do the teacher's comments compare or contrast with the text?
  5. Family diversity: father- and grandparent-led families.
    1. Interview a father in a single-parent family. Ask about his priorities for the education and upbringing of his child(ren). Ask about the difficulties and benefits of being a single dad. Ask what teachers can do to be supportive of single fathers. Compare your findings to ideas from the chapter.
    2. Interview a grandparent in a grandparent-led family. Ask about her or his priorities for the education of the child(ren). Ask about the difficulties and benefits of being a grandparent raising grandchildren. Ask what teachers can do to be supportive of grandparents who are raising their grandchildren. Compare your findings to ideas in the chapter.
  6. What do teachers need to know about two trends in family diversity?
    1. Observe a teacher working with either a custodial father or grandparent. The event could be a conference, home visit, or instance of a volunteer in the classroom. What does the teacher do to convey acceptance of and encouragement for the head of family? What messages does the teacher leave with the guardian about actions he or she could take to help with parenting decisions and/or involvement in the child's education? How do the teacher's responses compare to references from the text about working with diverse families?
    2. Interview a teacher about working with either a custodial father or grandparent. Ask how the teacher uses conferences, home visits, classroom contacts, and/or other means to form and maintain positive relations. Ask what is important to the teacher in working with increasingly diverse family structures. Compare the teacher's responses to references from the text about working with diverse families.

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RECOMMENDED READINGS

Brickmayer, J., Cohen, J., Jensen, I. D., & Variano, D. A. (2005). Supporting grandparents who raise grandchildren. Young Children, 60(3), 100-109.

DeToledo, S., & Brown, D. (1995). Grandparents as parents: A survival guide for raising a second family. New York: Guilford.

Frieman, B. B., & Berkeley, T. R. (2002, Spring). Encouraging fathers to participate in the school experiences of young children: The teacher's role. Early Childhood Education Journal, 209-213.

Gadsden, V., & Ray, A. (2002). Engaging fathers: Issues and considerations for early childhood educators. Young Children, 57(6), 32-42.

Glass, C. J., & Huneycutt, T. L. (2002). Grandparents parenting grandchildren: Extent of situation, issues, involved, and educational implications. Educational Gerontology, 28, 139-161.

Rogers, A., & Henkin, N. (2000). School-based interventions for children in kinship care. In B. Hayslip, Jr. & R. Goldberg-Glen (Eds.), Grandparents raising grandchildren: Theoretical, empirical, and clinical perspectives (pp. 221-238). New York: Springer Publishing.

U.S. Census 2000 Brief. (2000, October). Retrieved from http://www.census.gov

Williams, T. (2005, May 21). A place for grandparents who are parents again. New York Times, pp. B1, B6.

Williamson, J., Softas-Nell, B., & Miller, J. (2003). Grandmothers raising grandchildren: An exploration of their experiences and emotions. The Family Journal: Counseling and Therapy for Couples and Families, 11(1), 23-32.

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WEB LINKS

Note: The following list of materials does not necessarily indicate author endorsement.

Conflict Management

  1. Conflict Resolution Center International http://www.conflictres.org/
  2. Center for Social Emotional Education http://www.csee.net/

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AUDIO-VISUAL RESOURCES

[Avoiding Conflict; Dispute Resolution Without Violence] www.films.com

[Conflict Resolution Strategies in Schools] www.insight-media.com

[Sunburst Videos] www.store.sunburst.com

AUDIO-VISUAL MATERIALS

Note: The following list of materials does not necessarily indicate author endorsement.

Avoiding Conflict; Dispute Resolution Without Violence. This program details ways of stemming the rising tide of aggression in our schools and playgrounds, our streets and homes. It shows ordinary problems that can ignite into violence, and how the problems can be resolved peacefully. #AQK5771. Films for the Humanities and Sciences, PO Box 2053, Princeton, NJ 08543-2053. 1-800-257-5126.

Conflict Resolution Strategies in Schools. Dr. Patti Chance draws upon her work as a principal and classroom teacher in this video lecture on the cause of conflicts in schools. She differentiates between constructive and destructive conflict, presents strategies for resolving conflict, and provides a model for student mediation programs that can be implemented in elementary and secondary schools. #UR744. Insight Media, 2162 Broadway, New York, NY 10024. 212-721-6316.

Sunburst Videos offers a wide selection of videos on conflict resolution and character education, including the following at the kindergarten/primary level: Ten Things to Do Instead of Hitting, It's Okay to Say No, No Fair!, Stop Teasing Me!, Use Your Words!, Let's Practice: Working It Out, We Can Work It Out!, Conflict Resolution, I Get So Mad!, Kelso's Choice: Conflict Management Skills, Let's Work it Out!, Conflict Resolution, I'm So Frustrated!, Everyone Makes Mistakes, I Know How to Listen, Feelings: Glad, Mad, Sad, Face to Face: Conflict Resolution in Schools. For catalog and free 30-day preview contact: Sunburst Communications, Dept PE27, 101 Castleton Street, PO Box 40, Pleasantville, NY 10570. 1-800-431-1934.

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RELEVANT WEB SITES

Note: The following list of materials does not necessarily indicate author endorsement.

Conflict Management

  1. Conflict Resolution Center International http://www.conflictres.org/

PREVIEW

Nine - Using Conflict Management

Chapter Nine explores how the adult can model and teach conflict management and negotiation skills so that children learn to solve social problems. Discussion is given to conflict management basics for teachers; using an understanding of children's development to assist in conflict management; a five-finger formula for using and teaching conflict management; and the process of teaching conflict management skills to children. The final section recognizes the growing diversity in family structures, in particular families led by single fathers and families led by grandparents.

Ten - Problem-Solving Mistaken Behavior

Chapter Ten presents strategies for the teacher to use to resolve mistaken behavior. Strategies include making the decision to intervene, responding to behaviors reported by children, using quick intervention techniques, and intervening when follow-up is necessary. A question answered is, "Why take the time to find solutions"? The final section discusses building cooperation with families through nonbiased communication.

Eleven - Guidance Through Intervention

Chapter Eleven offers information to help prospective and practicing teachers cope with and remediate strong needs mistaken behavior. Conditions that make intervention necessary are examined. Methods of crisis management and of handling feelings of anger are discussed. Strategies and case studies in working with Level Three strong needs mistaken behavior are presented. The chapter concludes with considerations for when teachers and parents disagree.

Twelve - Liberation Teaching: A Guidance Response to Violence in Society

Chapter Twelve develops the concept of liberation teaching as a guidance response to violence in society. The chapter begins with a look at societal violence and its effects on children in the classroom. The discussion then turns to defining liberation teaching and discussing how liberation teaching responds to violence in the classroom. A section investigates recent research on bullying, and the liberating teacher's response to bullying. The relation of liberation teaching to anti-bias education, guidance, and peace education is explored. The chapter ends with application of the concept of liberation teaching to relations with families.

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GUIDING QUESTIONS

  • What is essential to know about conflict management?
  • How does understanding young children's development assist in conflict management?
  • What is the five-finger formula for conflict management?
  • How does the adult teach conflict management skills to children?
  • What do teachers need to understand about two trends in family diversity?

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DISCUSSION ACTIVITY

Recall a conflict situation in a classroom resolved by the use of conflict management. Referring to the chapter, was the process used high-level teacher mediation, low-level teacher mediation, or child negotiation? Analyze the possible effects for each individual involved (including the teacher if present) in relation to self-esteem and life skills.

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