Kris Bosworth, Professor, School of Education, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN

• Joe shoves Mike into a locker because Mike picked on Joe's younger brother at the bus stop.
• Theresa is worried because she's heard that Tanya is going to beat her up after school, because Theresa is now dating Tanya's boyfriend.
• Maria and Darren are screaming and swearing at each other in English class.

These brief scenarios represent interpersonal conflicts that might occur between students in any secondary school in the country. Traditionally, schools have dealt with these kinds of conflicts punitively. However, with increased concern about violence in the schools, many institutions are trying a new approach: peer conflict mediation. In mediation, the two conflicting parties sit with a trained peer and discuss their differences. The peer mediator guides the discussion to help the quarreling students find solutions to their conflict. Once the two parties agree, they each sign a contract that outlines what each will do to solve the problem. All mediation sessions are confidential. Mediation differs from trial in many ways:

• Trial assumes guilt and innocence.
• Mediation assumes no fault.

• A trial seeks to learn the truth.
• Mediation seeks to find an equitable solution.

• A trial deals with facts.
• Mediation deal s with the feelings and perceptions behind the facts.

• In a trial, a judge makes a decision.
• In mediation, the disputants make the decisions.

A senior who has been a mediator for four years at an inner-city school, said that if there were no mediation program there would be nobody learning in this school. For more information on mediation, contact:

This document was last updated 6/1/97 by Chandra Hawley.
Copyright1996 Indiana University - Center for Adolescent Studies, all rights reserved.
Kris Bosworth - Director
>Mr. Moore: On homework, teachers have to get work back immediately and with at least some positive comments. Students need that positive feedback. My students keep their own grades,too, and once every six weeks I sit down with each of them and ask, "Is there anything I graded you on that you think is unfair?" Or simply "How is everything going?" If a serious problem comes up, I don't try to take it all on myself. I help them identify options, or refer them to a counselor.

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A key to hooking the students is to relate the content to their lives. Personal connections to the subject matter need to be found, instead of teaching content without the kids in mind-we are building kids, not refrigerators! For example, when looking where things went wrong in U.S. History, the connections with today can be made; we are still vulnerable to these mistakes.

At Tri-North, we teach an 8th-grade humanities approach to English, including social studies, math, and other areas. We pool our teaching resources and help students to reflect on some basic questions they need to understand, such as"What does our country stand for?" We have students examine symbols which represent America (i.e. the Statue of Liberty and the bald eagle) and then create their own symbol which they feel is representative of America.

There must be a sense of reality in what they are studying, where we say "This is important" because there are implications for their future employment. They have to learn these kinds of things in order to succeed as life-long learners.

The students need to have something they enjoy too. I try to get the kids to read each evening and have some positive experiences reading what they want. We are journaling as well. This affords students the opportunity to interact with a book, to question, respond, disagree, or celebrate.

Assessment

I utilize portfolio assessment, which allows me greater flexibility in structuring my classes. For example, my students create portfolios and assess them at the end of each semester so they see their own growth.

Classroom Management

Extend yourself and they will know it. If you just shout to stay in control, it doesn't help. Teachers have to be respectful toward students, and leave sarcasm out. Also, I tell my students how hard I work and I try to get papers back within a week. I have high expectations for all my students. Bad papers are not acceptable, so I allow them to make revisions until they are done right. It takes a lot of effort to be an effective teacher, yet being able to make a positive impact on students' lives makes it all worthwhile.

Ms. DeLuce can be reached at Tri-North Middle School, 1000 W. 15th St., Bloomington, IN 47404

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Using Democracy in the Classroom

In our classroom, there are three principles which guide us in our work together: maintaining dignity, honoring diversity, and democracy. To operationalize these ideas, we build our curriculum around questions kids have about themselves and their world. This approach empowers them to find answers to their own questions and presents a very different classroom atmosphere where students direct their own learning.

At the start of the year, we ask the students, "We will be working together for a year. How can we get to know each other?" Students decide on the activities and we do them. For example, one class wanted to do a survey of each other's interests, which led to an exploration of how to make a survey. So their ideas are translated into classroom learning. Then students begin to think of the questions they have about themselves and the world, and the class identifies the common ones. A committee of students goes through the lists and tries to find themes which connect the questions. Eventually, the students vote on them and pick the first theme (i.e. the environment or conflict).

Another committee is formed to find the original questions which fit under this theme "environment". Later the class works together to brainstorm for activities to answer their questions. The students then go through a process of deciding on activities, re-identifying questions they have (or changing them), and actually planning out the activities. Students find this very engaging. After an activity, we go back to the initial questions and ask, "How are we doing?"

The entire school day is not devoted to this at first, as it would be too much, so we do work on other things. The point is students are involved in a process where classroom learning is student-directed and democratic. We also allow for re-evaluating of the questions, themes, and activities.

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