Peer Mediators Can Save Lives — Peer Mediation In Schools Is Effective
By
By Steven G. Mehta
Many news stories have tragically addressed the issue of two pre-teenage boys who committed suicide because they were bullied.These stories focus on the child and the things that parents and schools did to avoid the problem.One thing that more schools need to do to avoid such problems of bullying, conflict resolution, and dispute management is the concept of peer mediation.
Peer mediation is a strategy that teaches student mediators strategies to help resolve conflict among their peers. Peer mediation can be instituted at any age in school from early elementary to high school.In peer mediation, students are trained as conflict managers.They learn ways to solve problems and to assist their peers in settling disputes in a way that everyone can live with.Peer mediation helps to keep manyminor incidents from escalating over time into more serious incidents.
One of the advantages of peer mediation, is the fact that in the case of a dispute, the disputing parties' peers are helping to resolve the dispute instead of a parent or teacher.The students, with the assistance of the peer mediator, learn how they can resolve the dispute themselves in a peaceful fashion.In addition, several social studies have found that children are often influenced by their peers more than their parents.According to Nancy Kaplan, in an article originally published by School Safety, Winter 1996, entitled aStudent mediation: opportunity and challengea teaching students to employ conflict resolution skills produces significant results in decreasing school confrontations and violence.
POLL:Have you ever had to go to Peer Mediation?
I have to go to peer mediation with this girl I beat up on the bus tomorrow and they didn’t tell me what it was
is peer mediation a waste of time?
i am a sophomore in high school and have been chosen to become a peer mediator. is it going to be a waste of time ? what are the benefits and downsides to this. will it even look good on a college resime?
peer mediation?
My son needs help with a poster for peer mediation.?
Yes my son needs help with a poster for peer mediation and doesn’t have a idea on what to do.could you please give me some ideas to give to him?What he needs is words to go across the bottom of the poster any ideas?
Does anyone know about peer mediation?
I’m having some trouble with this thing I’m diong called peer mediation. I’m sopose to be like a counsouler but I’m having some trouble getting this project off the ground. I need someone’s help plz!
What exactly do you do for peer mediation, and is it realistic?
Im a sophmore who was chosen to be a peer mediator. And… will kids actually take this seriously and talk to a peer mediator? And is this ONLY for people who have conflicts with other kids, or are there times when it is one on one?
What’s the point of this program? Doesn’t seem really realistic…
Does your school have Peer Mediation and/or Restorative Justice at your school?Did the students alter ?
their behaviour under such programs or are detentions and In School Suspensions more effective? If you had a choice which would you prefer?
peer mediation process?
what is the introduction for the peer mediation process?!? please list the steps.
thanks
OK. First the basics:
Mediation is a process whereby a mediator attempts to get two or more sides to negotiate an agreement amenable to all the sides.
Peer mediation means that the mediator is a peer of the sides involved – examples can be 2 professionals that are disputing about a contract, and asking a knowledgable 3rd party in their industry to mediate.
The Wikipedia article on Mediation has a lot of information and guidelines that should help you, as well as links that have even more information.
Is thre websites or organizatios for islamic peer mediation?
Doesnt matter if they are Shyih or Qari.
How do peer mediation programs work? What type of strategies do they use? Are they successful?
where can I find some photos describing peer mediation stages?
I need to make a power point presentation on peer mediaiton , and I need some photos describing the rules and stages of peer mediation
yes, you tell your side of the story with no interruptions, she tells her side with no interruptions, then you guys talk it out. BS your way through it to make it shorter.
How can I start a Peer Mediation Program for my school?
I’ve been researching for this…
Can you give me suggestions on where to start… And where I can get help for training Mediators? Should I involve our guidance counselors?
When I was in high school, I thought that yes, the peer mediators were just names that got an extra bonus on their college resume.
Now that I’m looking at it from outside high school, I can see where they might be useful. In live theater companies, if they are associated with AEA (the union), the cast of a show elects a “deputy” that the cast can go to if they don’t feel comfortable voicing a problem to the director themselves. In the same way, someone can come to you, another student, and tell you about something they feel an adult might not understand.
I hope the program at your school works better than the one at mine. If it isn’t, it’ll probably be a waste of your time, but you’ll have that extra title on your resume. If it’s a good program, you can really help some people out.
Well it can’t hurt to throw another perspective into the mix but the mediator has to remain objective and avoid taking sides which is not always easy for people
It is realistic at least mine. It’s what counselors do when kids are in trouble. Like for example when best friends fight over some stupid thing and start pulling their hair and then it turns into a fight then you mediate it. You solve their differences and don’t take sides. They teach you how to be a peer mediator, don’t they? I’m in 7th grade though so idk how it is as a sophomore :/
I know it sounds like a good idea in theory, but it doesn’t work well in practice. I remember the ‘peer mediation’ kids at my school – the only ones who got involved were the ones who wanted to be able to have power over kids they didn’t like, and gossiped so much that everyone knew about every issue within hours. After a week, no one ever went to them again.
Its possible that they work. It’s really up to the two getting mediation.
The stragey usually used is putting the two people at opposite ends of a table, facing each other. The first thing done is for the mediators (there are usually 2) to put the problem out in the open.
After the problem is out it’s up to the two of them to discuss it. The mediators aren’t supposed to say anything while the two are discussing the problem.
Its basically somewhere two people can get together and talk out a problem.
I was a mediator in a program called “Peers Making Peace” and that is how we handled mediation
Gussie, yes they do have peer mediation but not restorative justice. I was sent to peer mediation a few times each of my first two years of high school and sometimes it was helpful sometimes not. However, it was never instead of punishment but in addition to it. Some other kids think it’s OK. I would prefer peer mediation to suspension, detention or paddling.
Thank you and good day,
ummm
ask what the problem is
ask if they want a peer mediation
if they say no tell them that they would have to go to a teacher
if still no then notify teacher
if yes bring them to a table
introduction saying hello names
cross talk
have both parties restate situation
repeat what they say back to them
ask each for a solution, write them down
have them compromise
send them away
fill out form
check up on them after a week
what is peer mediation?
one of my friends is from a different skool is in peer mediation and i dont know what it is
When people your own age help to peacefully resolve problems.
ie a bully or something
try yahoo or google images.
For words to put on the bottom of the poster, have your son put words that describe what peer mediation does. From what I understand, peer mediation is about conflict resolution, dealing with bullying, gossip, and other negative things that happen in a school setting.
Maybe you could find a picture of kids talking, or people shaking hands, etc.
Have your son write about what he likes-or dislikes- about peer mediation.
Good luck.
Briefly summarize the steps in the peer mediation process.?
CLREP Welcomes You!
Peer Conflict Mediation
School Conflict Mediation
Background
Getting Started
The CLREP Mediation Model
How Does The Mediation Process Work?
Peer Conflict Mediation Objectives
School Conflict Mediation
In our education and school systems today, every teacher must play many different roles, the most obvious being that of instructor with a solid background in a chosen field. Unfortunately, one of the roles that teachers must also assume is that of behavioral manager and disciplinarian. Misbehavior, disruptive behavior and student conflict demand much of our teachers’ time. These interruptions rob students of the kind of learning environment conducive to achievement and steal instructional time from teachers. The problem is not new. In recent years, some thoughtful and innovative methods for dealing with school conflict have come into existence and are having remarkable success. One program that has made great strides in minimizing student conflict is Peer Conflict Mediation and Resolution. The concept is deceptively simple: students act as mediators in the resolution of conflicts between their own classmates. Informal methods of having peers confront and resolve conflict have been used with success by individual teachers for some time. The idea of a formal, school-wide peer mediation program is, however, somewhat innovative. What is it about mediation that makes it so popular and successful? In traditional reaction to student conflict, arbitrary and punitive solutions were often used to solve conflict. For example, if two students were involved in a fight, they typically would be sent to an administrator for disciplinary action. Suspensions would be likely (which are recorded on students’ permanent records), parents would be summoned, and perhaps further punishment would be meted out. After suspensions, students often return bitter, angry, bent on revenge and, worse yet, days behind in their classwork. In mediation, suspensions for misconduct are the last resort, and many conflicts are resolved through mutually agreeable solutions rather than punishment. Although mediation is not, nor is it intended to be, a panacea for all conflicts, it can be used effectively with a variety of controversies.
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Background
School Conflict Mediation is an outgrowth of the neighborhood Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) programs which came into existence in the mid 1970s to help community members seek solutions to problems aside from formal court proceedings. Today, ADR programs are active in most major American cities and other advocates include members of the judiciary, law enforcement officers, and community leaders who act as the primary agents in resolving diverse conflict. This “court of first resort” has had great success. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, mediation programs found their way into school systems in southern California, Hawaii and New York. The University of Southern California aided in establishing programs aimed at reducing gang violence. Many people were surprised with the success that trained gang leaders were having in mediating problems without violence and reducing the number of students injured due to violence in school settings. The key to the success of school mediation is an increased feeling that students can make a difference and can control conflict and confrontation. As mediation programs are coming into being throughout our nation’s school systems, educators are claiming that the 3 R’s of education are now becoming the 4 Rs, i.e., “RESOLUTION” is coming into its own.
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Getting Started
Schools considering a peer conflict mediation initiative must first determine whether there is an interest and commitment to initiating such a project. Secondly, they must evaluate the most common conflicts seen in their school and determine if mediation can be used to resolve them. Once agreement is reached on the types of controversy that are appropriate for mediation, schools can contact CLREP and planning can begin for a school-based initiative. Once negotiations are complete, the initiative begins with introducing mediation to the student body at large. A variety of methods can be employed, such as guest speakers at student assemblies, question and answer sessions, or brochures and other printed material. One approach used during the pilot project was to introduce peer mediation via social studies classes with three classroom periods devoted to conflict and anger, communication, and the mediation process. Students who are interested in becoming mediators are then recruited and the training workshop is scheduled. The training itself emphasizes communication and questioning techniques, understanding anger and conflict, and role playing the mediation process. Once the training is complete and a mediation site in the school has been designated, the program is ready to be implemented. The impact of mediation is displayed in the positive reaction from schools and is having a profound effect on the lives of our young people. The benefits will be seen in years to come as the students of today take on the roles of adult citizens with the ability to resolve conflict in a non-adversarial manner.
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The CLREP Mediation Model
The Citizenship Law-Related Education Program of the Maryland State Bar Association and the Maryland State Department of Education developed Peer Mediation as a direct response to the stated needs of Maryland schools which requested an alternative to the traditional disciplinary methods. A great deal of preliminary research was done to find the common elements of other successful programs, which were then incorporated into the Maryland Model of Conflict Mediation. The Maryland Model incorporates these three key elements into all school based initiatives.
All students in the school are aware of the program as a viable alternative to traditional disciplinary sanctions.
Students who are selected as mediators represent a cross-section of the school’s population. The mediators are not viewed as members of an elite club.
Teachers, administrators, students and parents are involved in the project’s planning, training and implementation. This helps to enhance commitment and to ensure the success of the program.
Based upon our initial pilot project in 1991 and evaluation data gathered from participating schools since that time, the CLREP Peer Conflict Mediation model includes the following four phases:
Phase I: NEGOTIATION/PRE-PLANNING: School/sponsoring agency requests CLREP consultation to design an initiative.
Phase II: PLANNING AND ORIENTATION: Planning, information sharing and recruitment for school involvement.
Phase III: PEER MEDIATION TRAINING: Focus on understanding the importance of anger, conflict and communication in the mediation process. Mediation skill training for students and staff design of the specific school plan for implementation
Phase IV: IMPLEMENTATION: School implements Peer Mediation Initiative with CLREP technical assistance and follow-up consultation.
Each school-based initiative is designed to address the school’s needs and requirements within this framework. For information on fees and initiating a project in your school or youth service agency call (410) 706-5360, fax (410) 706-5576 or e-mail us at info@clrep.org
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How Does the Mediation Process Work?
The actual mediation process involves a systematic approach to resolving conflicts. Regardless of the type of dispute, the mediation process applies a six-step method to reach agreement. The steps are:
The mediators set the ground rules.
The mediator asks each disputant to define the conflict and to express his or her feelings in a non-aggressive manner.
Each disputant states the problem.
The mediator restates and summarizes the information provided and asks questions to clarify issues.
The mediator then asks the disputants for a proposed solution to the problem and then restates the proposal. The mediator should avoid offering solutions.
When agreement is reached, a contract is written and signed by the disputants.
Conflict Mediation is not peer counseling, nor is it intended to be sensitivity training. It is critical that the mediator remain neutral in order to aid in the resolution process.
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Peer Conflict Mediation Objectives
The underlying and primary objectives of peer mediation are:
To increase student understanding that conflict is a natural and normal part of life. Physical confrontation is only one, and the least desirable, reaction to a conflict.
To enable students to work in harmony with each other despite differences.
To create a positive school climate by utilizing a process to resolve interpersonal conflict.
To avoid suspensions and expulsions from school by providing alternative methods of dealing with misbehavior.
To increase attendance and academic performance by decreasing the environment of conflict and violence.
To develop an awareness and encourage the use of compromise as a viable alternative to conflict and to relate this to a deeper understanding of the American political system.
That is the longest question I have come across in Yahoo Answers. Then I realized that there is really no question here and you have answered your own question thoroughly. Great job!
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