COURSE TITLE:
REDUCING CONFLICT IN OUR SCHOOLS
NO. OF CREDITS:
5 QUARTER CREDITS
[Semester Equivalent = 3.33 credits]
INSTRUCTOR:
JULIE BORA, M.S.T.
ask4jam@gmail.com
WA CLOCK HRS:
OREGON PDUs:
50
50
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
Your classroom and school will benefit from the nationally recognized, number one conflict reduction
program in the country (Resolving Conflict Creatively) by Linda Lantieri and her ground-breaking book
Waging Peace in Our Schools. Lantieri’s holistic approach goes beyond simply identifying youth as
problems and looks at the broader cultural issues involving equity, racism as well as teacher attitudes and
practices. Lantieri's work addresses many of the core issues: helping students deal with emotions, simple
de-escalation skills, valuing diversity, inclusive schools and communities, mediation and the role of the
teacher in the peaceable classroom.
The main text is about $5 including shipping, or can be found in most libraries.
LEARNING OUTCOMES:
Upon completion of this course, participants will have:
1. Gained an understanding of the facets of the “peaceable classroom.”
2. A better appreciation for the role of social & emotional learning (SEL) and diversity in
reducing violence and conflict.
3. Rethought their curriculum and class activities to promote SEL and diversity.
4. Increased their ability to communicate caring authentically to students in conflict.
5. Learned to teach skill sets to help youth express difficult emotions assertively.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
Completion of all specified assignments is required for issuance of hours or credit. The Heritage Institute
does not award partial credit.
HOURS EARNED:**
Completing the basic assignments (Section A. Information Acquisition) for this course automatically earns
participants their choice of 50 Washington State Clock Hours, 50 Oregon PDUs or 5 CEUs (Continuing
Education Units, which translates to 50 hours). The Heritage Institute is an approved provider of
Washington State Clock Hours, Oregon PDUs, and CEUs by IACET (International Association of
Continuing Education and Training, an official national and international certifier of CEUs).
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UNIVERSITY QUARTER CREDIT INFORMATION
REQUIREMENTS FOR UNIVERSITY QUARTER CREDIT
Continuing Education Quarter credits are awarded by Antioch University Seattle (AUS). AUS requires
75% or better for credit at the 400 level (Upper Division) and 85% or better to issue credit at the 500 level
(Post-Baccalaureate). These criteria refer both to the amount and quality of work submitted.
Teachers who register for Antioch University Seattle 400 or 500 Level Credit will be required to:
1. Complete Section A: Information Acquisition assignments
30%
2. Complete Section B: Learning Application assignments appropriate for your levels
40%
3. Complete Section C: Integration Paper assignment
30%
CREDIT/NO CREDIT (No Letter Grades or Numeric Equivalents on Transcripts)
Antioch University Seattle (AUS) Continuing Education (CE) Quarter credit is offered on a Credit/No
Credit basis; neither letter grades nor numeric equivalents are on a transcript. 400 level credit is equal to
a “C” or better, 500 level credit is equal to a “B” or better. This information is stated on the back of the
transcript.
AUS CE quarter credits may or may not be accepted into degree programs. Prior to registering determine
with your district personnel, department head or state education office the acceptability of these credits for
your purpose.
ADDITIONAL COURSE INFORMATION
NOTES:
• You may work collaboratively with other teachers and submit joint assignments on all but the final
Integration Paper, which must be individually authored and submitted.
• Alternatives to written assignments (video, audio tape, photo collage, a collection of products,
letters to editor, brochure and/or Web pages) may be submitted as substitute assignments with
the instructor’s prior approval.
• To maintain privacy, please do not refer to students in your paper by their actual name, but rather
use an alias or designation such as “Student A.”
REQUIRED TEXT:
• Waging Peace in Our Schools, by Linda Lantieri. Book is available for about $5 used (including
shipping) from amazon.com.
• Credit registrants will review a second text either from the bibliography or their own choosing.
MATERIALS FEE:
• NONE
HEADING REQUIRED FOR ALL ASSIGNMENTS
A heading is required; please use the following format.
Your Name:
Course Number:
Date:
Assignment #:
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Instructor Name:
Course Name:
Level: Clock/ PDU/ CEU/ Credit (400 or 500)
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ASSIGNMENTS for CLOCK HRS/PDUs, CEUs, 400 or 500 LEVEL UNIVERSITY QUARTER CREDIT
A.
INFORMATION ACQUISITION
Assignment #1:
Limiting your comments to 3 pages, describe:
• Your teaching situation (grade level, subject)
• Your reasons for taking this course, including the level and kind of problems around conflict your
classroom and your school have been experiencing.
• Summarize what has worked well for you and your school in terms of reducing conflict and what
has not worked well or needs improvement.
Send to instructor: ask4jam@gmail.com, Subject to read ‘Reducing Conflict #1’
Assignment #2:
Read the assigned text Waging Peace in our Schools. Summarize your learning in a paper of 3-5 pages.
Take notes as you read, and be sure your paper addresses the main points in Lantieri’s approach,
including: skills of conflict resolution, valuing diversity and creating inclusive schools, the change in the
teacher’s role in a peaceable classroom, and peer mediation.
Send to instructor: ask4jam@gmail.com, Subject to read ‘Reducing Conflict #2’
Assignment #3:
Review the literature (minimum of four magazines, journals or web sites) on general topic of conflict
reduction in schools. Create an annotated bibliography. The annotation should include Title, Author,
Publisher (or URL), length of article and your review of information contained. Add your opinion of the
value of the contents of each article.
Send to instructor: ask4jam@gmail.com, Subject to read ‘Reducing Conflict #3’
Assignment #4:
Identify a student, a group or a pair of students in your classroom or school with whom you, other
students or faculty have conflict. Make observations and write them down over a period of at least week.
Gain information from other educators, including those who have fewer or no problems with the
student(s). Summarize your observations either in writing or via a mind-map, showing the relationship
between behaviors and external circumstances.
Send to instructor: ask4jam@gmail.com, Subject to read ‘Reducing Conflict #4’
Assignment #5:
Interview a teacher who has few conflict situations or observe their classroom or do both, and summarize
the key elements you feel would be helpful in your own teaching.
Send to instructor: ask4jam@gmail.com, Subject to read ‘Reducing Conflict #5’
Assignment #6:
Search for web sites and organizations that publish information on conflict reduction in schools.
For the four (4) sites that you find most informative, describe in one paragraph for each site:
• website or organization name (URL)
• reason you selected it
• key piece of information from the site that you can use in your teaching environment
Send to instructor: ask4jam@gmail.com, Subject to read ‘Reducing Conflict #6’
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Assignment #7:
Formulate a number of questions that engage teachers/administrators in deeper thinking about ideas and
strategies from this course. Based on these questions, conduct 4-7 first hand interviews with
teachers/administrators and determine things like policy issues, personal points of view, other important
sources of information, and what does or doesn’t work currently in the area involved. Based on the
responses and your evaluation, write a description of specific areas of growth needed and suggestions for
your school or district. Share this list with a supervisor, administrator or colleague. Send list to instructor.
Send to instructor: ask4jam@gmail.com, Subject to read ‘Reducing Conflict #1’
This completes the assignments required for Washington Clock Hours or Oregon PDUs.
Continue to the next section for additional assignments required for University Quarter Credit
ADDITIONAL ASSIGNMENTS REQUIRED for 400 or 500 LEVEL UNIVERSITY QUARTER CREDIT
B.
LEARNING APPLICATION
In this section you will have an opportunity to apply your learning to your professional situation. This
course assumes that most participants are classroom teachers who have access to students. If you are
not teaching in a classroom, please contact the instructor for course modifications. If you are a classroom
teacher and start or need to complete this course during the summer, please try to apply your ideas when
possible with youth from your neighborhood, at a local public library or parks department facility (they will
often be glad to sponsor community-based learning), or with students in another teacher’s summer school
classroom.
Assignment #8: (Required for 400 and 500 Level)
In order to round out your learning about how to reduce conflict, review at least one additional text either
from the bibliography or of your own choosing, and make a checklist of key strategies from your reading
that will supplement what you have already learned.
Send to instructor: ask4jam@gmail.com, Subject to read ‘Reducing Conflict #8’
Assignment #9: (Required for 400 and 500 Level)
From what you have read, observed and concluded, describe in 2-3 pages what specific skills, attitudes,
approaches or curriculum modifications you feel you could adopt to be more effective in reducing conflict
in your classroom or school.
Send to instructor: ask4jam@gmail.com, Subject to read ‘Reducing Conflict #9’
Assignment #10: (Required for 400 and 500 Level)
Identify a student, a group of students or a particular staff situation which could benefit from your
intervention based on what you’ve learned so far in this course. Write a plan of action that takes place
over a 2-4 week period, including your goals for yourself and the students/staff in question. Implement
your plan, and in 3-4 pages, describe the details of your plan, as well as an assessment of what did/did
not work.
Send to instructor: ask4jam@gmail.com, Subject to read ‘Reducing Conflict #10’
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500 LEVEL ASSIGNMENT
Assignment #11: (500 Level only)
In addition to the 400 level assignments, complete one (1) of the following assignment options:
Option A) Create a PowerPoint presentation for staff members on the main strategies from this course
and send it to the instructor as a PDF.
OR
Option B) Create an annotated reading list citing six (6) articles, web sites, journals or books (other than
those in the bibliography) which you could share with other teachers.
OR
Option C) Another assignment of your own choice with the instructor’s prior approval.
Send to instructor: ask4jam@gmail.com, Subject to read ‘Reducing Conflict #11’
ADDITIONAL ASSIGNMENT REQUIRED for 400 or 500 LEVEL UNIVERSITY QUARTER CREDIT
400 & 500 LEVEL ASSIGNMENT
C.
INTEGRATION PAPER
(Required for 400 and 500 Level)
Assignment #12: Integration Paper
Write a 2-3 page Integration Paper answering these questions:
1. What did you learn vs. what you expected to learn from this course?
2. What aspects of the course were most helpful and why?
3. What further knowledge and skills in this general area do you feel you need?
4. How, when and where will you use what you have learned?
5. How and with what other school or community members might you share what you learned?
Send to instructor: ask4jam@gmail.com, Subject to read ‘Champion #12’.
INSTRUCTOR COMMENTS ON YOUR WORK:
Please indicate by email to the instructor if you would like to receive comments on your assignments.
QUALIFICATIONS FOR TEACHING THIS COURSE:
Julie Bora, M.S.T., has been active in educational renewal since the early 90’s. She has taught a variety
of subjects at both elementary and secondary levels. In addition to a Master of Science In Teaching
degree from State University New York – Plattsburgh, Julie has a B.S. in pharmacology/ biology from the
Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Science. Julie is currently a staff member of The Heritage
Institute.
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REDUCING CONFLICT IN OUR SCHOOLS
BIBLIOGRAPHY
You may pick a book not from the list, with the instructor’s approval.
To order a book, contact the publisher or purchase through an online seller like amazon.com.
Berkeley, Terry R., Schroth, Gwen. Fishbaugh, Mary. 2002. Ensuring Safe School Environments.
Routledge. New York.
This book presents research findings and information about school violence, with a focus on strategies for
increasing school safety. Based on a special topical issue of Rural Special Education Quarterly, the
original journal articles have been rewritten to address safe schools from the perspective of suburban and
urban, as well as rural environments.
Burstyn, Joan. Bender, Geoff. 2001. Preventing Violence in Schools: A challenge to American
Democracy. Routledge. New York.
This book provides an in-depth analysis of violence prevention programs and an assessment of their
effectiveness, using data from observations, individual interviews, and focus groups, as well as published
data from the schools. It is distinguished by its focus on the cultural and structural context of school
violence and violence prevention efforts.
Carr, Tom. 2003. When All Else Fails: 101 Unique, Last-Resort Strategies, Activities, & Proven
Programs for Reaching Difficult Students. Youthlight Inc. Chapin, S.C.
This is a realistic, practical, no non-sense book full of fresh, unique ideas to help "today's" teachers deal
with disruptive students. K-8. www.youthlightbooks.com.
Cornell, Dewey 2006. School Violence: Fears vs. Facts. Routledge. New York.
Illustrated with numerous case studies–many from the author’s work as a forensic psychologist–this book
identifies 19 myths and misconceptions about youth violence, from ordinary bullying to rampage
shootings. Plus controversial topics: gun control and effects of entertainment violence on children.
Conoley, Jane C., Goldstein, Arnold P. 2004. School Violence Intervention: A Practical Handbook.
2d Ed. Guilford Press. New York.
This highly informative volume provides empirically based models for intervening with students at risk for
aggression and protecting school safety overall. Current advances in research and practice are reflected
in the detailed coverage of effective intervention approaches at the student, school, and system levels.
Karns, Michael. 1994. How to Create Positive Relationships with Students: A Handbook of Group
Activities and Teaching Strategies. Research Press. Champaign, Ill.
How to Create Positive Relationships with Students offers a compelling approach that reaches out to
engage the whole child. This book is written for teachers, guidance counselors, parents, and others who
work with children.
Lantieri, Linda. Patti, Janet. 1996. Waging Peace in Our Schools. Beacon Press. Boston.
Prominent activists working in the fields of conflict resolution and emotional literacy argue that schools--as
our children's last common public institution in a fractured time--must educate the heart as well as the
mind. Lantieri and Patti draw on the latest research in social and emotional learning, as well as on their
years of experience with thousands of kids and teachers through the Resolving Conflict Creatively
Program--one of the largest and most successful of its kind in the country, serving over 150,000 children
in more than 325 schools nationwide.
Nelson, Jane. 2006. Positive Discipline Series. Empowering People Inc. Orem, UT.
Create cooperation and self-discipline in students (grades K – 12, series).
http://www.empoweringpeople.com/ 800-456-7770.
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