Restorative Practices Handbook

This is a short book (only 98 pages) that is filled with information. It focuses on a continuum of practice from informal to formal restorative practices. The informal practices (affective statement, affective questions, and small impromptu conferences are excellent techniques that teachers can use to deal with small issues. And to, hopefully, keep them from escalating.

Chapter One: Restorative Practices in the Classroom

Affective Statements

Another way of sayng, "Expressing your feelings" - crucial first step. Students become more empathetic when you express your feelings. They see you as someone who cares and has feelings. Express both pos and neg feelings. Students tend to be unaware of the impact their behavior has on others. They need to know that when they don't meet expectatiohs, it's not just a rule that is violated, it's also a relationship with the teacher and peers. Be specific. "I'm upset" is better than "that is inappropriate". But "I feel frustrated that you kept disrupting class" is even better (more precise emotion).

Affective Questions

There will always be conflicts in schools. Restorative practices helps to revise our thinking so that we see conflict in school as an opportunity to foster learning and build better relationships." p. 16

Punishment often reinforces a student's sense of unfairness or outrage. Often a natural consequence is simply to apologize. Restorative questions often give both the offender and the victim the opportunity to talk about their own feelings.

Asking the victim questions allows them to express their feelings and feel cared for. When we only worry about punishing the offender, we often forget that the victim needs restoration too.

Small Impromptu Conferences

When more than one person is involved (an argument or fight) a small conference built on affective questions can help the students involved understand each other and make amends. Addressing a small problem helps keep it from escalating and becoming a bigger issue later.

Follow-up: What can you do differently? Tomorrow I'd like you to come and let me know how the rest of the day went. Commitments give students something specific and constructive to try and achieve. The follow-up helps reintegrate the students so they know they're no longer in trouble.

Circles

Can be used for check-ins, check-outs, to set classroom norms, to set academic goals, to go over content (if kids are getting off task - help them see how the content relates to them Ex from economics class: "talk about your own strengths and weaknesses in terms of owning and operating a small business") and to address behavior problems.

Circles and other restorative practices are a proactive way fo avoiding potential problems.

Formal Conferences

These are for bigger issues and will include a variety of people (psychologist, principal, parents,etc)

Chapter 2: Restorative Practices and Discipline

See conflict as an opportunity for learning. If you take advantage of these teachable moments. students learn from each other's problems and you begin to spend less time on misbehavior p. 47

Social Discipline

instead of looking at discipline on a continuum of punitive to permissive, it's better to see it on two axes - one for control or limit setting and the other for support or nurture. The "Social Discipline Window" highlights the 4 resulting combinations. High control with low support is punitive and high support with low control is permissive. I love the idea of "not doing", doing "to" "with" or "for" students.

We can "take the best of both axes and achieve high levels fo nurturing and support with high levels of expectation and accountability." p.51

When students are punished they see themselves as victims and don't take responsibility for their actions.

Goals of restorative practices:

Fostering Understanding

Allowing students to better understand the impact of their behavior is more likely to influence their future behavior. p. 53

Having students and others that have been involved in a conflict meet face-to-face is almost always productive. Better to have a supervised restorative encounter than a chance encounter in or out of the school.

Repairing the Harm

Ex of vandalism - a fire was set. Even if we don't know who did the damage, a circle can be held to talk to the victims (other students and teachers) to let them express their feelings and ask what they need to feel safe. Even if the culprits are never found, they get to hear everyone's fear and anger. The circle provides an opportunity to redress the harm done, to alleviate feelings and to develop a plan to prevent re occurrence. It affirms a sense of community. p. 55

Instead of simply meting out punishments for the violation of the code of conduct, our focus should be on the real needs of human beings. Repair harm done to relationships and restore feelings of security and peace.

Reparation can be concrete (replacing a stolen or broken item) or symbolic (apologiy) or a mix of the two. Reparation should stem from a desire to make things right and ideally students should have a say in how they'll do this.

Apologies

Students can't be forced to apologize. They must want to. They also have to make sure that they don't keep repeating the action. Should be an apology of action as well as words.

Attending to needs p.59

Victims needs need to be taken card of too. They may need one or more of the following:

An opportunity to express emotions
Acknowledgement from loved ones and colleagues.
Assurance that what happened was unfair and undeserved.
Seeing the offender held accountable.
Financial restitution
Possible contact with the offender
- apology
- having questions answered
- assurance of safety.

Teachers who are victimized also need to feel that these needs are being met.

Chapter 3: Leadership and School Change

Perceiving the Need for Change

School as a whole must see the need for change.

The Vision of Restorative Practices

Not a one-size-fits-all system. Each school must develop their unique vision.

Organizational Change: A Practical Approach

Teachers and admin must be committed to making a change. Everyone needs to be trained in restorative practices.

Organizational Change Window p.85

The two axes are "pressure" and "support"

Pressure without support (change TO people) breeds resentment and resistance. Fails to achieve change that is effective, meaningful and enduring

Support without pressure (change FOR people) wastes resources. People won't use the tools and strategies because they are inherently resistant to change.

High levels of support and pressure (change WITH people). Real change happens when teachers know they will be held accountable for change and are given the support and tools they need.

Fair Process p.86

Engagement: everyone affected by a decision is given the chance to provide input and have an opportunity to discuss various possible courses of action.
Explanation: after a leader has made a decision, that decision and the process and reasoning behind the decision are made clear to all stakeholders.
Expectation clarity; everyone involved understands the implications of that decision, the specific expectations and the consequences for failing to meet those expectations.

Not a democratic process (everyone has a vote) but about creating open channels of communication and by showing people that their ideas and feelings have been taken into account,

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