Steps to Resolution

Conflict is a normal part of life. People disagree about all types of things, and that’s okay. However, if we don’t know how to handle conflict effectively, someone can get hurt. We are going to learn how to resolve conflicts in a way that supports everyone involved. Let’s brainstorm together: What solutions can you choose to solve a conflict? (Example strategies include: sharing, taking turns, apologizing, ignoring, making things right, compromising, laughing it off, flipping a coin, waiting until later, getting help, and talking it out)

1. Display this clearly in the classroom or use screen sharing to share a digital poster. Introduce the Steps to Resolution, taking time to review each step in the process:
2. Then the teacher invites the students to unite in pairs, think about and recall a controversial situation in which they were involved and try to resolve it by following the steps on the poster.
3. The teacher can also use examples from other situations to explain how to communicate using these steps.
4. The teacher should encourage students to use the Steps to Resolution ng whenever a conflict situation arises, so that students are ready to use them on their own if necessary.

• What step do you think is the easiest? What step is the most challenging? Why?
• Can you think of a time an adult you know could have used this? What happened?
• What kinds of conflicts arise often at school? How can you use Steps to Resolution to come up with a good solution?
• Are there any other steps you think would be helpful to add?

For primary school students:

• Watch a video/read a story that describes a conflict situation. Encourage students to use the Steps to Resolution, reflect on the situation, discuss each step of the strategy, and create recommendations to help the characters resolve the conflict.
• Invite students to create a poster or mind map about how to resolve conflict using creative materials. Afterwards, students can place them in the classroom/school space to return to them as needed.

For students in grades 5-6:

• The teacher can invite students to think about where they can use other Kernels (e.g., “I-Message,” “Cooldown Process,” “Belly Breathing,” etc.) to resolve conflict situations.