Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Leader In Me--Want to learn more????
I can't wait until tonight's event! You WILL NOT want to miss it! Hope to see you there :)
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Conflict Recap and Parent University
I wanted to post what lessons I have conducted in January to teach conflict resolution skills! I also wanted to share a great resource from Lee's Summit Cares--a wonderful opportunity called Parent University which will occur on February 23rd at Pleasant Lea Middle School. Be sure to check out this website for more information!
In Kindergarten we read the book "Armadillo Tattletale" by Helen Ketteman. In the book Armadillo has very long, large ears and has difficulty with not twisting information and "tattling" on what he hears his friends discussing. He creates a great amount of conflict between his friends. Though he feels very remorseful he is unable to stop this behavior! Finally, Alligator, one of his friends, gets tired of his tattling and chews off his ears! This is always a surprise to the children but we learn that Armadillo, without having such large ears to cause him to hear information that is not for him to know, no longer tattles and feels better about himself. He is even a faster runner because his ears don't drag him down! In one class when discussing what we learned one child said, "I hope I don't grow long ears and tattle on all of my friends!" This provided a great opportunity to discuss how we are in control of what we say or do--large ears or not :)
In 1st grade students watched an animated book called "Howard B. Wigglebottom Learns to Listen." Students learned that they can prevent conflict from occurring if they are good listeners. Students brainstormed who we need to listen to, and what happens when we don't listen. Students were able to identify that many conflicts happen due to misunderstanding or not listening well to others. We discussed what a good listener looks and sounds like. Students also learned that they feel better about themselves when they are good listeners and avoid conflicts with others.
2nd Graders read "A Bad Case of Tattle Tongue" by Julia Cook. Students learned the rules for tattling, including the difference between reporting if someone is getting hurt or in trouble, and tattling--when the problem doesn't involve you, when you can wait and try to solve the problem later, and when and how to solve small problems on their own before running to an adult for help. Students learned a decision making process to help them decide if it is a situation to report or if they can try another technique to solve the problem.
3rd Graders were taught "I-Messages" through a Smart Board Lesson. This technique is one students can use to try and solve a problem by telling the person they are having a conflict with how they are feeling, why they are feeling that way, and what the other person can do to make the situation better. An I-Message is a very effective way to solve a problem with out causing further arguing. It is not blaming and does not cause the other person to be defensive. Students worked through several scenarios to practice identifying how a conflict situation would cause them to feel and then created an appropriate "I-Message" for each one. At the end of the lesson, students thought of a recent situation they had been in that they could create an "I-Message" for. Students were encouraged to use I-messages specifically at recess as many times that is where conflicts arise at school. We also read the book "Trouble Talk" a book about bullying by Trudy Ludwig and discussed how an I-Message could have solved many of the conflicts that were evident in the book.
4th Graders watched a video on Decisions & Conflicts and learned the decision making process for how to resolve conflicts: Stop (don't rush into a solution), Think (what are all of the possible solutions and consequences of each), Act (make a choice), and Review (decide if it was the best decision resulting in the best outcome). They then worked in groups using this process to solve different types of conflicts that many students face.
5th and 6th Graders received the same lesson on Sean Covey's Leadership Habit 4: Think Win-Win. Students learned that in order to successfully solve a conflict, you have to get beyond being right and wanting to be the winner in an argument, and instead think Win-Win: How can the conflict be resolved that results in a win for everyone involved? Students discussed various conflict situations and decided what could be a Lose-Lose result (for example arguing about a game at recess and all students having to sit against the wall) and what could be a Win-Win result (compromising so all students can still play) for many different conflict situations that students face at at school.
In Kindergarten we read the book "Armadillo Tattletale" by Helen Ketteman. In the book Armadillo has very long, large ears and has difficulty with not twisting information and "tattling" on what he hears his friends discussing. He creates a great amount of conflict between his friends. Though he feels very remorseful he is unable to stop this behavior! Finally, Alligator, one of his friends, gets tired of his tattling and chews off his ears! This is always a surprise to the children but we learn that Armadillo, without having such large ears to cause him to hear information that is not for him to know, no longer tattles and feels better about himself. He is even a faster runner because his ears don't drag him down! In one class when discussing what we learned one child said, "I hope I don't grow long ears and tattle on all of my friends!" This provided a great opportunity to discuss how we are in control of what we say or do--large ears or not :)
In 1st grade students watched an animated book called "Howard B. Wigglebottom Learns to Listen." Students learned that they can prevent conflict from occurring if they are good listeners. Students brainstormed who we need to listen to, and what happens when we don't listen. Students were able to identify that many conflicts happen due to misunderstanding or not listening well to others. We discussed what a good listener looks and sounds like. Students also learned that they feel better about themselves when they are good listeners and avoid conflicts with others.
2nd Graders read "A Bad Case of Tattle Tongue" by Julia Cook. Students learned the rules for tattling, including the difference between reporting if someone is getting hurt or in trouble, and tattling--when the problem doesn't involve you, when you can wait and try to solve the problem later, and when and how to solve small problems on their own before running to an adult for help. Students learned a decision making process to help them decide if it is a situation to report or if they can try another technique to solve the problem.
3rd Graders were taught "I-Messages" through a Smart Board Lesson. This technique is one students can use to try and solve a problem by telling the person they are having a conflict with how they are feeling, why they are feeling that way, and what the other person can do to make the situation better. An I-Message is a very effective way to solve a problem with out causing further arguing. It is not blaming and does not cause the other person to be defensive. Students worked through several scenarios to practice identifying how a conflict situation would cause them to feel and then created an appropriate "I-Message" for each one. At the end of the lesson, students thought of a recent situation they had been in that they could create an "I-Message" for. Students were encouraged to use I-messages specifically at recess as many times that is where conflicts arise at school. We also read the book "Trouble Talk" a book about bullying by Trudy Ludwig and discussed how an I-Message could have solved many of the conflicts that were evident in the book.
4th Graders watched a video on Decisions & Conflicts and learned the decision making process for how to resolve conflicts: Stop (don't rush into a solution), Think (what are all of the possible solutions and consequences of each), Act (make a choice), and Review (decide if it was the best decision resulting in the best outcome). They then worked in groups using this process to solve different types of conflicts that many students face.
5th and 6th Graders received the same lesson on Sean Covey's Leadership Habit 4: Think Win-Win. Students learned that in order to successfully solve a conflict, you have to get beyond being right and wanting to be the winner in an argument, and instead think Win-Win: How can the conflict be resolved that results in a win for everyone involved? Students discussed various conflict situations and decided what could be a Lose-Lose result (for example arguing about a game at recess and all students having to sit against the wall) and what could be a Win-Win result (compromising so all students can still play) for many different conflict situations that students face at at school.
Monday, January 7, 2013
This month I am visiting classes to teach Conflict Management. One of the greatest sources of conflict between students is tattling. Further, the focus of conflict management is to help students gain skills to solve problems on their own. In the primary grades we will be reviewing Reporting vs. Tattling. I will be using these concepts below to help students decide when they are able to handle a situation on their own or when they need to ask for help. Check back soon to see what I will be doing specifically in your child's class! :)
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