2. Objective: to help students devise win-win solutions
through role-playing one of the conflict situations below.
Explain to your students that this activity examines ways of
resolving conflict so everyone's needs get met.
General guidelines for teacher:
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Explain that role-plays are improvisations involving two or
more characters in an invented conversation.
Be clear about your role-play goal: define characters,
situations, objectives.
Be a facilitator: be sure that actors and audience are clear on
what's going on. If side coaching is necessary, interrupt
obviously so everyone knows what is happening.
Assign fictitious names to the characters so students
understand that actors are not playing themselves.
When the role-play situation has developed, freeze the action
and ask the audience open-ended questions such as: What did
you see? How did it make you feel? Who said what to whom?
Ask your students for suggestions on how the actors could
have played the scene differently, then replay the situation
using these suggestions. Afterwards, reprocess with the class.
Ask: How did this go? How did you feel about it?
Finally, debrief your students by helping the actors separate
from their characters with questions such as: How did you feel
as that character? What would you have done differently
yourself? How would you advise these characters? What was
most difficult about your role? Would you like to do this again?
Keep scenes and discussion to a maximum of 10-15 minutes.
Introduce this chart on ways to resolve a conflict as a handout or on
the board.
Roger gets what
Amy gets
what she needs
Amy doesn't get
what she needs
WIN-WIN
WIN-LOSE
he needs
Roger doesn't get
what he needs
LOSE-WIN
LOSE-LOSE
Select two students for a role-play using this situation:
Roger is a middle school student having math trouble with a big test
tomorrow. He is in the living room studying for this test when he's
interrupted by his little sister, Amy, who's had a tough day and
needs to have some fun and relax. She turns on the music and
starts dancing. Roger needs quiet. They argue. Introduce the above
chart as a handout or on the board.
Discuss the possible outcomes in reference to the chart. If Roger
intimidates Amy into turning off the music, it's a win-lose situation.
If Roger and Amy's parents find them brawling, they're both in
trouble and it's a lose-lose outcome. Win-win ideas include Amy
using a Walkman or going to a friend's house.
Spend some time devising win-win solutions stressing multiple
options. Replay the scene using these win-win suggestions.
In this situation, Roger needed quiet while Amy wanted the same
space for music. If they held on to these positions, no win-win
solution was possible. The win-win solutions were based on
satisfying underlying needs; that is, Roger's need to have some
acknowledgment of the importance of his work, and Amy's
important need for lighthearted fun. Underlying needs are often
basic human needs for security, economic well-being, a sense of
belonging, recognition and control over one's life. Once identified,
these needs can often be met with win-win solutions.
Ask your students to describe times when they were expressing a
need in a positional way and times when they feel they reached a
win-win solution.
Finally, ask your students to explain the most significant lesson
learned from this activity.