Unit Introduction
Conflict Resolution
Arguments between siblings, disagreements during group work activities in the classroom, fights on the playground, disputes between best friends, teasing, name-calling, bullying... Conflicts are a regular part of daily life for elementary school students. And they may very well have been for generations. Because it is difficult for young children to put themselves in someone else's shoes and understand his or her viewpoint, molehills quickly grow into mountains and simple disagreements turn into real fights involving verbal or physical violence. Much has been said and written about the rise of violence in schools, and various reasons are quoted. Children are more exposed to violence than ever before. They see it in newspapers, in magazines, on television. They see it portrayed in many games and toys. Adults themselves do not always set the best of examples, and their attitudes often reinforce children's negative behaviour. A typical example is that of parents encouraging their children to violence against the other team in sports, in no uncertain terms... So teaching children how to resolve conflicts peacefully has become a major concern in educational circles in recent years.
Parents and teachers alike recognize the importance of teaching children nonviolent conflict resolution skills. But thoughts of already very busy schedules make people hesitate to demand that such skills be taught at school. This is one reason why this sample unit makes considerable use of children's literature and suggests various activities relating to language arts. Because conflict is a common ingredient in the plot of many stories, there is no shortage of examples in children's literature. As they read different stories, students visualize various situations involving conflict, identify with the characters, observe models and are exposed to different ways of handling conflict. Finally, children's literature can help students better understand the different facets of a problem through the reactions of each character. Of course, the arguments and disagreements that crop up almost daily at school represent another source of learning experiences that should be incorporated not only into a unit such as this one, but also into activities throughout the year to continually strengthen the children's conflict resolution skills.
The various social skills necessary for conflict resolution must be developed gradually and continuously at all levels. Learning to identify and express one's feelings, to share, to listen to others, to control anger, to cooperate, to eliminate discrimination, to become assertive and to accept differences are all examples of social skills which help avoid or resolve conflicts. These skills are built into the Social Relationships and Self-esteem strands of this curriculum at all grade levels.
Efforts to prevent violence in schools will be most effective through close collaboration between the school, the family and the community. The local liaison committee should play an important role in coordinating such efforts.
Grade Level Perspective
"Gathering Facts for Wellness" is the grade 3 perspective. In this unit, the students make decisions to solve conflict situations peacefully. They learn about conflict resolution strategies and later reflect on the impact of this knowledge base on the success of their decisions. The three-level Decision-making Process is used with that perspective in mind throughout the unit.
Gathering Resources
The introductory activity in this unit suggests the use of photos and illustrations representing a range of conflict situations (from simple disagreement, expressed with a gesture or expression, to a fist fight or war). Consider developing a thematic health-related picture file by recycling outdated magazines, newspapers, textbooks, activity books, encyclopedias, etc.
In this unit, the students explore conflict resolution through literature. Many stories provide excellent scenarios for this topic. Specific titles are suggested in the activities only as examples. These and other appropriate titles are listed in Health Education: An Initial List of Implementation Materials for the Elementary Level, 1998. Additional instructional materials to support this curriculum will be listed in Health Education: A Bibliography for the Elementary Level, scheduled to be published in the spring of 1999.
Teachers are encouraged to investigate possibilities for using resources suggested in other lists of materials, such as the bibliographies accompanying the curriculum guides for all other areas of study.
Check the school's resource centre and the public library for stories featuring conflict situations. Following are other possible sources of instructional materials related to conflict situations and conflict resolution:
children's magazines
It is also important to access local human resources such as police officers, social workers, health professionals, parents, Elders, storytellers. As in all subject areas, care is required when arranging for guest speakers and classroom presenters. It is the responsibility of teachers to clarify with the speaker the content and objectives of the presentation.
Students at this grade level should be fairly independent in using the steps
within Level B of the Decision-making Process. These correspond to the focus
of the grade 2 perspective. The purpose of the grade three perspective, Gathering
Facts for Wellness, is to help students become increasingly independent in using
the steps within Level A of the Decision-making Process. The steps within Level
C guide instructional planning but are not formally taught to grade three students.
| Level |
Steps |
Activities |
| Level A Stop! |
1.Think 2.Research |
|
| Level B Explore... |
3.Look at options and consequences 4.Choose an option |
|
| Level C Go! |
5.Design and carry out an action plan 6.Examine the results. Revise as needed. |
|
Grade 3 Lessons and Information Sheets