Conflict Resolution Time Machine
Background Information: The Conflict Resolution Time Machine is part of the
Conscious Discipline classroom management system. We use a large yellow mat, as seen below,
with two children standing on either side.
My CT and I modelled to students how to use the CRTM—first, students must as one
another, “Are you willing to solve the problem?” If both are in agreement, they stand on the first
set of footprints. S.T.A.R stands for “Smile, Take a deep breath And Relax” and so both children
do this, either to each other, or they can close their eyes if they need to calm down. Then, they
take another step forward, put their hands over their hearts and say “I wish you well,” in unison.
In our classroom, we strive to build a positive family environment, and we often stress to our
students that even if we get mad at each other, it’s important to never wish harm on a classmate.
Students take another step forward, extend their arms and say, “One, two, three, let’s do it!” and
then take the final step forward. The student on the right side of the mat will tell their classmate
what they didn’t like and what their classmate can do to make it better. For example, “I don’t like
it when you take my crayons without asking. Please ask me next time you want to use them!”
We tell the students to make sure their requests are reasonable and fair, and then the other
student will answer, “Okay, I can do that,” if they agree with the request. To end the activity, we
gave students the option of a handshake, a high five or a hug. The goal for this activity was to
reduce the tattling in the classroom by encouraging students to work out their problems together
and find a solution they could agree upon. We started by making a note of situations of tattling—
we would record the names of the students involved and during our morning meeting each day,
allow two or three groups of students to come up and participate. Gradually, we expect to see
students using more conflict resolution skills in the classroom as time progresses, and become
more capable of resolving situations independent of using the CRTM.
Introduction: We introduced the Conflict Resolution Time Machine during morning
meeting on September 7. The students observed as my CT and I modelled for them how to use it.
We made sure to explain to the students that sometimes, it can be tempting to tattle when things
don’t go our way, but it can make us feel a lot better when we are able to work our own problems
out with our peers.
The following day, we got to see the children in action as we had three instances of
tattling before morning meeting even began. We brought the class over and had each group of
children go through the steps, with my CT and I leading and observing as the students talked
through their situations. The first child was angry with her side partner for taking a pencil from
her desk without asking. Both children agreed that they were willing to solve the problem,
stepped forward, smiled at each other, and took a deep breath. The first child immediately said,
“Wow, that made me feel a little bit less angry already!” Her side partner nodded his head and
said, “Yeah, me too!” We briefly talked about how sometimes stopping and taking a deep breath
can help us feel calmer about a situation and help us relax and clear our minds before we say
things we don’t really mean. Both students were eager to move forward, and once they were
standing right across from each other, their demeanor had changed completely from the
accusatory tones they had used when first coming up to my CT’s desk. Instead, they used quiet,
calm voices, and the first child said “Hey, I don’t like when you take my pencil from my desk
without asking. Please go get one from the lost and found or maybe if you ask next time, I can let
you borrow it.” The second child listened and nodded, and say, “I can do that! I forgot about the
lost and found. Next time, I’ll look there first.” The children agreed to high five each other and
went to sit down. We repeated this for our two other tattling situations, allowing students to
become more comfortable with the steps behind the CRTM. The following day, Friday, we had
two more tattling situations in the morning, and before our read aloud after lunch, we went back
to our Time Machine and helped those situations resolve.
Results: In the past three months, we have seen a significant decrease in the amount of
tattling in our classroom. We slowly began to phase out group time with the CRTM as we began
to notice students were instead resolving conflicts as they happened, independent of having
group meeting time or going together to the mat. We still keep it in the classroom, but students
have become experts at being able to talk through their conflicts, and sometimes, they even
invite a third person to help them suggest resolutions. The environment in the class has changed
too—students have become a lot more helpful and empathetic toward each other. Now, instead
of running up to me or my CT to tattle, whether they are involved or not, the students
immediately begin the steps to conflict resolution. I have also noticed many children pausing to
take a breath during our reading or math tests to help them deal with frustrations, and they will
wish one another well during the day when they recognize that one of their classmates is having
a difficult time.
My CT uses the card pulling system, and although I am not a fan, I do use it to maintain
consistency in the classroom for when I am gone next semester. Students might pull a card for a
variety of reasons, like talking out, forgetting homework, acting out in class, and other unwanted
behaviors. In the first couple months of school, there were several students who were
consistently having to pull cards for behavior problems, but once we began consistently using the
CRTM, these students suddenly found that they had another way to help manage their behaviors.
It is encouraging to see how much the students have started to thrive and become better citizens
toward one another through the use of this conflict resolution skill. One exciting thing we have
noticed is that the students are beginning to teach the other second graders some of the steps
when they are out on the playground. The swings are a big point of contention with the children,
and earlier in the year, our students would immediately come to tattle if someone stayed on the
swing too long. If someone is swinging, another child may come up and count to 60, and then it
will be their turn; however, some children would skip count or count too fast, and so there were
frequent protests about fairness. Now, and completely on their own, they have appointed a swing
monitor, more often than not, someone from our classroom, who makes sure that the counting is
fair, and if there seems to be any disagreement, the swing monitor jumps into action, holding
down the swing and helping the two students walk through the steps of conflict resolution. It’s
encouraging for me, as a teacher candidate, to see that something I taught is having a lasting
effect on students, and I think it’s empowering for the students to have their own tools to solve
their own problems. They see that their own words have power and that they can cooperate to
solve a problem on their own.