Purpose
The Peacemaking Circle training is a natural follow up to the Friendship Circle training for Years three and four students. This training is intended to consist of eight one-hour sessions, ideally held once a week. Each session combines activity and reflection so the students can learn new skills and evaluate their learning. Communication with parents of the students in advance about the training is part of the program. This training is held with an entire class, including the teacher.
The Peacemaking Circle training is based on the theories of restorative justice and narrative conversations, which focus on healing the harm to relationships that results from wrongdoing and conflict and holding respectful conversations that separate the person from the problem. Students become empowered to solve problems nonviolently rather than relying on people in authority imposing rules and punishment to control behaviour and deter wrongdoing.
The eight sessions of the Peacemaking Circle training are:
- basic conflict resolution skills,
- compassionate listening and affirmation,
- practicing facilitation of Peacemaking Circles, based on healing relationships through reconciliation and restoration as part of restorative justice,
- incorporating narrative conversations into the Peacemaking Circle,
- feelings and respect in Peacemaking Circles,
- solving problems together creatively through cooperation,
- preparing and demonstrating a Peacemaking Circle, and
- follow up session.
The following vignette describes the use of a Peacemaking Circle at Walden on October 15, 2002, as part of Cavanagh’s dissertation study.
“The day arrives for the Peacemaking Circle with Mrs. Schmidt’s class. Instead of facilitator I am the keeper of the circle. So I am ready with a board and easel with the ground rules written out, marking pens, masking tape, and the outline of the Peacemaking Circle process.
Mrs. Schmidt is ready about 8:15 a.m. I go in the classroom and ask the students if they want to sit in a circle on chairs or on the floor. They choose chairs. So they sit in a circle. Mrs. Schmidt asks if I want her in the circle or outside. I say inside. I welcome everybody and compliment them for having this circle. I explain the purpose of the circle, and I ask individual students to read each ground rule and explain what it means to them. I add a bit to it. Then I open the circle and ask Mrs. Schmidt to please explain what she sees is the problem in the classroom we are talking about today. All the students participated in the process.
The talking stick will not be passed other than to the person next to you and not need to raise your hand. We will continue to pass the talking stick around the circle until everyone has a chance to talk.
The group took time to identify the real problem, probably about 30 minutes – exclusion and treating others disrespectfully. At the end of the circle I ask the students to describe how they are feeling at this time in one word. Overall, I think the students are pleased with the process. At the end, we put the agreement on a large sheet of paper, and each student picks a marking pen and signs his or her name. Mrs. Schmidt agrees to post the agreement in the classroom.”
Session Explanation
- Creating a Peaceable School Compact: During the first session, students will reflect on how they treat one another and how they resolve conflicts within their school. They will then work together to create a Peaceable School Compact.
- Demonstration and Role-Play of Compassionate Listening and Affirmation: This session focuses on the importance of compassionate listening and affirmation. Students will learn to listen to what others say and how they feel. They will also learn to affirm one another.
- Practicing Facilitation of Peacemaking Circles: Learning how students can facilitate basic Peacemaking Circles on their own, whether at school or in another setting, is the goal of session three. Students will be provided with a script that will help them become successful when facilitating future Circles.
- Incorporating Restorative Conversations into the Peacemaking Circle to Solve Group Problems Nonviolently and Separate the Problem from the Person: Here students will learn about restorative conversations. The emphasis will be on learning to separate individuals from the problem.
- Feelings and Respect in Peacemaking Circles. Becoming Aware of Our Feelings as Facilitators and Participants and Respecting Our Differences: By understanding and becoming aware of our own feelings and respecting our differences, we can begin to improve Peacemaking Circles. This is the focus of session five.
- Solving Problems Together Creatively Through Cooperation. Using the Peacemaking Circle to Respond to Wrongdoing and Conflict in a Way That Heals the Harm to Relationships: During this session students will each contribute to the creation of a conflict resolution poem. Students will then participate in an activity where they will learn to name the problem, map the effects of the problem, and map the alternative story.
- Preparing and Demonstrating a Peacemaking Circle: During this session, students will demonstrate their ability to facilitate a Peacemaking circle on their own using all the skills they have learned from previous sessions. They will do so by building off of the basic outline provided in session three.
- Follow Up (About Two Months Later): Students and teachers will participate in a conversation about their use and success of facilitating the Peacemaking Circle process to heal harm caused to relationships.