Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/creating-safe-places-for-conflict-resolution-to-happen/5008443/
Establishing an envelope of trust, protection, and mutual regard allows children to grow in the practice of cooperation, joint problem solving, and positive social behavior.Teachers who foster children's conflict resolution skills first establish a nurturing, caring classroom community based on moral values. Otherwise, children will not feel safe enough to take the emotional risks involved in learning new ways to solve problems; and they will not care enough about their classmates or teachers to bother about their rights, needs, and welfare.
To think about such a classroom context, we need to explore three dimensions of the environment: the intellectual atmosphere (Is this a safe place to think and wonder?); the moral atmosphere (Am I important here? Does my participation count?); and the community atmosphere (Do these people care about me - do I care about them?).
Creating a Safe Place for Questions and Opinions
The classroom is a place where people can disagree - where it is even desirable to disagree. Differences of opinion should be seen as the normal state of affairs and a source of interest and intellectual pleasure. This should happen throughout the day, in all kinds of activities and interactions. The teacher ...