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Resources for Teachers

This section of the site is focused on providing practical information and resources that teachers, teachers-in-training and teachers-of-teachers will find useful. Use the sidebar menu to explore specific areas of CRE practice.

Teacher with Class

Classroom Activity Suggestions

Here's a few activities for classroom use that can help infuse conflict resolution ideas into the learning environment. These originally appeared in a Teacher's Conflict Resolution wall calendar that featured activities for each month of the year.

More examples can be found in the activity collection archive.

Videos of Possible Interest

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Related Conference Presentations (viewable online)

District-wide Conflict Resolution, Peer Mediation and Bullying Prevention Model- 30 years of Impact

  • Presented by: Kathy Bickmore, University of Toronto
  • View Presentation and Abstract: Click Here

Experiential and Service-Learning Models for Undergraduate Conflict Resolution Education

  • Presented by: Ned Lazarus, Molly Tepper, Linda Keuntje, George Mason University
  • View Presentation and Abstract: Click Here

Connecting Schools, Communities, and Families through SEL

  • Presented by: Linda Lantieri, Collaborative for Academic Social and Emotional Learning (CASEL)
  • View Presentation and Abstract: Click Here

Effective Ways to Motivate Change in Youth Using Restorative Justice Practices

  • Presented by: Keysha Myers, Summit County Juvenile Court; Myron Lewis, Summit County Public Health
  • View Presentation and Abstract: Click Here

Developing Courses in Peace and Conflict Studies

  • Presented by: Vincent D’Agostino and Patricia Golesic, Sault College
  • View Presentation and Abstract: Click Here

Field Services Arbitration Process: Building Stronger Teachers through Facilitated Dialogue

  • Presented by: Anne Price and Marcia Roach, Cleveland State University
  • View Presentation and Abstract: Click Here

View More Presentations Here

Sample Catalog Resources

Below you'll find a randomized listing of up to 20 related items (we may have more...) drawn from our Resource Catalog.

Resource Title Description Links
Peer mediation programs: An end to school violence? On-line journal article which "focuses on the ineffectiveness of PMPs [Peer Mediation Programs] to combat higher-levels of school violence, part I discusses school violence, both past and present, part II explores the shift from traditional methods of discipline to more proactive and education-based methods that are used in many schools today, part III addresses the fundamentals of peer mediation including what it is and how it is implemented, part IV examines which students PMPs should be targeting and why PMPs fail to prevent them from committing violent acts on their schools, finally, the conclusion recommends ways to reduce conflict in schools."
Teaching about peace through children's literature 16-page PDF article in which author, Stan Steiner discusses teaching about peace and conflict resolution using children's literature. He believes that the instructor should: have more books than readers, have a wide variety of books in terms of level of difficulty, length and points of view and make sure that readers consume a number of books. Steiner mentions small group discussions vs large group discussions, providing readers with open ended questions prior to reading assignments and being open to differing points of view. The article concludes with a 10-page bibliography.
How to run a student mediation conference 22-slide Powerpoint presentation given at the Sustaining Conflict Resolution Education: Building Bridges to the Future conference in Fairfax, VA, which provided "an overview of the conference planning and offer the nuts and bolts information on how to organize and run a successful conference in your community."
Teaching conflict and conflict resolution in school: (Extra-) curricular considerations Report that explored "the school factors that influence young people's developing understandings of war, conflict, and peace ... as children grow, they develop understandings about interpersonal and social conflict, about procedures for handling it, and about the violence and war that may emerge when conflicts are not resolved, in school, official curricula guide children's and adolescents' development of understanding about war, conflict and peace, at least as powerfully, young people also learn about conflict from the implicit curricula of student activities, teacher and peer responses to political events, school governance, and discipline practices."
Strategies to prevent youth violence 92-page pdf chapter from "Best Practices of Youth Violence Prevention: A Sourcebook for Community Action," which investigates "Social-cognitive interventions strive to equip children with the skills they need to deal effectively with difficult social situations, such as being teased or being the last one picked to join a team. They build on Bandura’s social-cognitive theory, which posits that children learn social skills by observing and interacting with parents, adult relatives and friends, teachers, peers, and others in the environment, including media role models (Bandura 1986). Social-cognitive interventions incorporate didactic teaching, modeling, and role-playing to enhance positive social interactions, teach nonviolent methods for resolving conflict, and establish or strengthen nonviolent beliefs in young people ... Mentoring—the pairing of a young person with a volunteer who acts as a supportive, nonjudgmental role model—has been touted by many as an excellent means of providing a child or adolescent with a positive adult influence when such an influence does not otherwise exist. Evidence has shown that mentoring can significantly improve school attendance and performance, reduce violent behavior, decrease the likelihood of drug use, and improve relationships with friends and parents."
Online Module: How to use class meetings: classroom management and the peaceable classroom Online learning module exploring various types of classroom meetings and how they can be used to build community and prevent problems as well as address problems after the fact. Includes links to video clips demonstrating classroom meetings with different age students.
Briefing paper for trainee teachers of citizenship education: The United Nations 6-page pdf briefing paper which discusses the United Nations, including what it does, myths about the UN and resources for using the UN in teaching students about conflict resolution and citizenship.
Peer mediation, conflict resolution, violence prevention and safe schools, 1986-2001 25-page PDF bibliography of resources on the topics of peer mediation, conflict resolution, violence prevention, and safe schools.
Education for a culture of peace in a gender perspective Betty Reardon’s 2001 publication, Education for a Culture of Peace in a Gender Perspective, can be downloaded for free via UNESCO’s digital library. Betty Reardon expresses the basic rationale for including a gender perspective: "War also reinforces and exploits gender stereotypes and exacerbates, even encourages, violence against women. Changing these circumstances, devising a peace system, and bringing forth a culture of peace requires an authentic partnership between men and women. Such a system would take fully into account the potential and actual roles of women in public policy and peace-making as advocated in UNESCO’s Statement on Women’s Contribution to a Culture of Peace. Such participation would indicate an authentic partnership, based on the equality of the partners. Equality between men and women is an essential condition of a culture of peace. Thus education for gender equality is an essential component of education for a culture of peace."
Tips for developing peace education curriculum: Some lessons from Vietnam 4-page tips document, the abstract states, "Teachers and schools around Australia are being asked to take responsibility for ensuring safe schools and promoting citizenship among students. This is part of an international movement to use school-based education to promote a global culture of peace. The International Conflict Resolution Centre at the University of Melbourne recently co-developed a national peace education curriculum for primary schools in Vietnam with Vietnamese educators. This experience highlighted three important peace education tools that can also be used within an Australian context: The UNESCO "peace keys," physical games and reflective material."
Peer mediator training: Student workbook (web version) 27-page pdf web version of student workbook for peer mediation training. Discusses topics such as communication skills, conflict resolution and mediation procedures (with role play exercises), and agreement writing. Designed as part of a 1-day peer mediation training.
Standards for Peace Education 11-page pdf provides a list of recommended standards for students, teachers and teacher educators with respect to peace education. They were developed under the leadership of Dr. Candice C. Carter from the University of North Florida during her global and domestic work with peace educators and peace education researchers. These dynamic standards have been used for students in all levels of education as well as for program design. Suggestions for, and outcomes of, their use in particular cultures and contexts are welcomed.
Values education, teacher professional learning and the United Nations 8-page PDF article which, "focuses on values education in teacher professional learning and in particular the innovative use of Model United Nations Conferences as a way of enhancing values-based approaches."
The Elementary Child: Teaching to the Spirit, Teaching for Peace This combined 2-part article (published in 2 separate issues of Montessori Leadership), provides an overview of how Cathleen Haskins implemented a peace education curriculum in a Montessori classroom. It provides information on Montessori's call for peace education, and specific details on the curriculum autonomously created (activities and exercises) and used with students aged 6-9 years, in both a public Montessori and private.
Inter-agency P.E.P.: Skills for constructive living: Background notes for facilitators 37-page pdf summary of the major points covered in the training sessions to be used as a reference. This manual is "of the components of the "Inter-Agency Peace Education Programme". The programme is designed for education managers of ministries dealing with both formal and non-formal education and for agencies which implement education activities on behalf of the government."
Don't laugh at me Word document with lyrics to the song, "Don't laugh at me."
Inter-agency P.E.P.:Skills for constructive living: Manual for training of facilitators I 59-page pdf manual which is one of the components of the “Inter-Agency Peace Education Programme, the programme is designed for education managers of ministries dealing with both formal and non-formal education and for agencies which implement education activities on behalf of the government ... the manual looks at the skills required to develop effective facilitation of adult learners, these skills are useful not just for a Peace Education programme but also for all aspects of the professional life of the people with whom you are working."
UNESCO: Mainstreaming the culture of peace 26-page pdf created by UNESCO which "defined the Culture of Peace as consisting of values, attitudes and behaviours that reject violence and endeavour to prevent conflicts by addressing their root causes with a view to solving problems through dialogue and negotiation among individuals, groups and nations. The 1999 United Nations Declaration and Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace (resolution A/53/243) called gor everyone – governments, civil dociety, the media, parents, teachers, politicians, scientists, artists, NGOs and the entire United Nations system – to assume responsibility in this respect. It staked out eight action areas for actors at national, regional and international levels:" Those 8 action areas are: Fostering a culture of peace through education; Promoting sustainable economic and social development; Promoting respect for all human rights; Ensuring equality between women and men; Fostering democratic participation; Advancing understanding, tolerance and solidarity; Supporting participatory communication and the free flow of information and knowledge and Promoting international peace and security.
Reducing youth crime 4:50 podcast discussing "school-based violence prevention programs [which] have been proven effective at reducing violence, truancy, drug abuse, and delinquency."
Risk, Resilience, and Online Radicalization: Parent and Caregivers’ Toolkit for the COVID-19 Era This guide, developed by American University's Polarization and Extremism Research and Innovation Lab (PERIL), offers parents and caregivers strategies and tips to recognize the warning signs of youth radicalization as well as new risks in the COVID-19 era, understand the drivers and grievances that create susceptibility to extremist rhetoric, and intervene more effectively. The guide was launched in summer 2020 with a webinar and will be followed by an impact study. It is currently being expanded and revised for broader communities of practitioners with research including focus groups with teachers, educators, school counselors, mental health practitioners and more.