Embracing Restorative Practice in The Classroom
A mini-course designed by L.Klass
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Overview and Purpose
The purpose of this lesson sequence revolves around empowering teachers to deconstruct preconceived notions about conventional discipline and implement restorative practices (RP) in their place. With the current emphasis on these practices in education, this lesson sequence explores beginner restorative teaching methods, ways to teach students restorative communication, and guided goal planning to aid in the consistent use of RP long-term. I've chosen this subject due to the growing body of research supporting RPs positive outcomes. Restorative approaches hinge on collaboration and community involvement; when these elements are absent, RP effectiveness is reduced. Thus, my objective is to highlight for teachers the restorative practices they are already using and scaffold for them a framework for establishing a strong foundation in restorative practices that can be carried out consistently.
The intended learners for this course are school faculty, primarily teachers and pre-service teachers, as well as students interested in building a better community. As a learner, by the end of this course, you can expect to
- Describe restorative practices and their use in a day-to-day classroom environment
- Execute restorative strategies in their classroom. [assessment boundary: this does not include restorative justice on an administrative disciplinary scale]
- Encourage student involvement in a restorative community
- Create a practical plan to enact a long term restorative community
Why do Restorative practices matter: A tale of two schools
Let's imagine the story of a hypothetical student, Sandra. She is an 8th grader taking mostly honors classes. She is involved in band, fundraises for the Spanish club, and plays several sports. Sandra has experienced abuse and is highly reactive. Sandra accidentally bumps into another student, they have an altercation.
In one school, the school hall monitor scolds the students and writes them up for disrupting the hallway. Sandra gets to class and is now late so the teacher scolds her again for being late. Sandra snaps back at the teacher and is given detention. Sandra now wary of the teacher starts skipping class, she receives a suspension after multiple infractions. Severely behind and overwhelmed Sandra is removed from the sports and clubs due to poor grades. She is still highly reactive, struggles to maintain relationships, and is now isolated from her friends, overtime she may lose interest in school entirely.
In another school, the school hall monitor scolds the students and writes them up for disrupting the hallway. Sandra gets to class late and the teacher chooses to check in with her privately later after class. Sandra tells the teacher her story and the teacher refers her to counseling, the school staff holds mediation between the students, teaching Sandra conflict resolution. Over time Sandra gets better at managing her emotions and becomes less reactive overall.
The traditional school response removed Sandra so that she was no longer causing problems, but failed to address the underlying cause leaving her isolated and alone. Restorative practices give us and our students a chance to address the underlying problem and create communities focused on empathy and understanding.
Needs Assessment
In recent years, schools have grappled with escalating challenges like increased student dysregulation, rising mental health issues, and teacher burnout. Conventional disciplinary approaches, known for biases and harmful outcomes, have proven inadequate for managing dysregulated students. Restorative practices offer a solution by emphasizing structure and consistency while eschewing punitive measures. These practices prioritize relationships and conflict resolution, aiming to empower teachers with effective strategies that maintain high expectations and order in the classroom. When done well restorative practices have shown to universally improve educational outcomes. While conducting a needs assessment I found that restorative practices have been around for long enough that many teachers have heard of them, and many are working in a district that is actively trying to enact them. However, there are many misconceptions about restorative practices. Unfortunately, many districts have made well-meaning but inadequate attempts to shift to a restorative framework. The shift away from conventional discipline has left many educators feeling frustrated by perceived lack of consequences and structure, leading to chaotic learning environments which only further intensify the challenges listed above. Thus many teachers are bitter or wary of restorative techniques. This mini-course will help learners better understand restorative practices and feel empowered to utilize a balanced restorative approach by presenting tools and strategies that are both high support and high control that can be used in classrooms and integrated into everyday teaching.
Performance Objectives
After completing this mini-course, learners will be able to
- Confidently describe restorative practices and their use in day-to-day teaching and learning environments.
- Identify and reflect upon the restorative practices they already utilize in their classrooms.
- Execute a new or previously under-used restorative strategy in their classroom.
- Encourage students to be active participants in a restorative community by teaching a lesson that models restorative conflict resolution and community building strategies.
- Analyze their current classroom practices and identify the ways they are and are not restorative.
- Create a foundational plan that can be built upon and carried out consistently to foster long-term restorative classroom communities.
Course Units
This mini-course includes the following units. Click the title of a unit to go to its page.
Unit 1: Understanding Restorative Practices
An introduction to restorative practices seeking to reframe your current understanding of RP as a set of practices, many of which you likely already do, that build empathy, allow for mature conflict resolution, and foster self-advocacy and leadership skills.
By the end of this unit learners will:
- Confidently describe restorative practices and their use in day-to-day teaching and learning environments
Unit 2: Practical Restorative Strategies for Classroom Teachers
6 practical restorative strategies you can carry out in your classroom. Learners can expect to identify restorative practices they are already using, then reflect on if those strategies are used intentionally and consistently. Followed by an attempt to utilize a new or under used restorative strategy in their classroom. Our focus in unit 2 are actionable procedures teachers can use to implement restorative classroom communities. This does not extend to large scale or administrative disciplinary procedures.
By the end of this unit learners will
- Identify and reflect upon the restorative practices they already utilize in their classrooms.
- Execute a new or previously under-used restorative strategy in their classroom.
Unit 3: Getting student’s Involved
One of the centralized goals of RP is creating a community of care. Tn order to do this we need students to get involved. Unit three focuses on teaching students a restorative strategy that can be utilized while navigating peer conflict and while building up their classroom community.
By the end of this unit learners will
- Encourage students to be active participants in a restorative community by teaching a lesson that models restorative conflict resolution and community building strategies.
Unit 4: Building Long-term Restorative Communities
Consistency and longevity matter. We need to set ourselves up for success. Learners can expect to conduct an analysis of practice. Then create a realistic plan that can be built upon and carried out consistently to foster a long term restorative community.
By the end of this unit learners will
- Analyze their current classroom practices and identify the ways they are and are not restorative.
- Create a foundational plan that can be built upon and carried out consistently to foster long-term restorative classroom communities.
Project References
Adukia, A., Feigenberg, B., & Momeni, F. (2023). From Retributive to Restorative: An Alternative Approach to Justice. SSRN Electronic Journal. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4567681
Anjali Adukia, Feigenberg, B., & Momeni, F. (2023). From Retributive to Restorative: An Alternative Approach to Justice. Social Science Research Network. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4566132
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