Dialogue Programs
Dialogue is a process in which people or groups involved in serious conflict share information in order to create better understanding. Dialogue programs used in schools, usually in high schools, teach the dialogue process to students to help them talk through contentious issues like interracial or interethnic conflicts among groups of students. The goal of dialogue is a transformation of the relationship or system of communication in which parties are engaged. In dialogue students may not change opinions, but may undergo a radical shift in how they view self, other, and the relationship.
In order for dialogue to be effective, it has to be well facilitated to create a safe and respectful place for talk. It assumes that participants will learn and use effective listening skills. Many dialogue programs use guidelines for the process including the following:
• We will speak for ourselves and from our own experience
• We will not criticize the views of other participants or attempt to persuade them
• We will listen with resilience, hanging in when it is hard to hear
• We will participate within the time frames suggested by the facilitator
• We will not interrupt
• We will pass if we do not wish to speak
Related 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Developing departmental communication protocols | Pdf article from Conflict Management in Higher Education Report, Volume 4, Number 1, (Oct. 2003), which presents the concept of a "Communication Protocol [which] is a set of guidelines for day-to-day communication and informal problem solving developed in a mediation context involving a group of co-workers, these Protocols are most effective when developed with the full participation of both staff and management, although difficult to achieve, in academic units the chair needs to participate, the more inclusive the group, the more the Protocol will reflect the culture and norms of the organization." | Catalog Listing Direct Link to Resource |
| School conflict management resource guide for grades K-8, 3rd ed., Fall 2002 | Pdf document of 1107 pages exploring school conflict management resources for K-8 graders, with introduction, table of contents, a for teachers section, eight academic subject sections containing hundreds of age-appropriate lessons, a section-specific table of contents within each academic subject section and a references section. | Catalog Listing Direct Link to Resource |
| Role play : The power of dialogue fact sheet | Pdf document that presents a role play dialogue between the parent of a middle school child, a middle school teacher and a principle, with background information on characters and a case overview. | Catalog Listing Direct Link to Resource |
| Math teacher's perspective on infusion: "Let the kids do the talking" | Pdf document with personal experience of teacher helping students discuss and share solution strategies to mathematical problems. Written above title on document: NCIP (National Curriculum Integration Project). | Catalog Listing Direct Link to Resource |
| Managing interethnic relations manual | 104-page manual whose purpose is to fill the informational and methodological gap in addressing interethnic relations, it also intends to combat the passive attitudes held by many regarding the improvement of interethnic relations in Georgia, the book is meant for all specialists working on the issue of interethnic relations or those intending to focus on it, includes bibliography. | Catalog Listing Direct Link to Resource |
| Place to work things out, A | Pdf article from Conflict Management in Higher Education Report, Volume 2, Number 4, (July 2002), which presents the idea of personal narrative model of mediation and the work at Oberlin College using this model. | Catalog Listing Direct Link to Resource |
| Integrated lessons: Collection from the National Curriculum Integration Project | Pdf document presenting a series of lessons for both language arts and social studies classes which examine conflict, explore positive solutions and examine how issues of culture and bias, social and emotional learning and law related education impact conflict and its resolution. Written above title on document: NCIP (National Curriculum Integration Project). | Catalog Listing Direct Link to Resource |
| School conflict management resource guide for grades 7-12, 3rd ed., Fall 2002 | Pdf document of 987 pages exploring school conflict management resources for 7-12 graders, with introduction, table of contents, a for teachers section, eight academic subject sections containing hundreds of age-appropriate lessons, a section-specific table of contents within each academic subject section and a references section. | Catalog Listing Direct Link to Resource |
| Teaching and learning in circle | Pdf article from Conflict Management in Higher Education Report, Volume 3, Number 2, (February 2003), which "explores the impact of teaching using a circle format, both at the high school and college level." | Catalog Listing Direct Link to Resource |
| Setting up a dialogue session | One page diagram of the steps involved in setting up a dialogue session. | Catalog Listing Direct Link to Resource |
| STOP: On-the-spot bullying intervention | Word document presenting actions and statements for on-the-spot intervention of bullying behavior. | Catalog Listing Direct Link to Resource |
| Dialogue | Powerpoint presentation on dialogue, the process of sharing information to create better understanding between people and groups. | Catalog Listing Direct Link to Resource |
| Conversation buddies | One page conversation sign up sheet. | Catalog Listing Direct Link to Resource |
| How to talk so kids will listen & listen so kids will talk | Document summarizing Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish's work of the same title, with instructions to increase listening skills, help children deal with feelings, provide praise and use alternatives to punishment, with role playing exercises. | Catalog Listing Direct Link to Resource |
| CRETE dialogue, day 4 | Powerpoint presentation on the art of dialogue. | Catalog Listing Direct Link to Resource |
| Role play for nonverbal involvement activity | Word document presenting a role play exercise in nonverbal communication. | Catalog Listing Direct Link to Resource |
