Peer Mediation
School-based peer mediation is one of the most popular and effective approaches to integrating the practice of conflict resolution into schools. From the start of the modern “conflict resolution in education” (CRE) movement in the early 1980’s, peer mediation has been one of its centerpieces. Many thousands of schools in the US and in dozens of other countries have implemented peer mediation programs, and these efforts serve almost every conceivable student population.
Peer mediation teaches mediation skills to students so they can help mediate disputes that other students are having—hence the label, “peer mediation.”
The convergence of a number of factors help to explain peer mediation’s status:
* Increasingly, educators--in rural and suburban as well as in city schools--were troubled by an increase in the amount and the tenor of student conflict. There consequently was a burgeoning interest among educators to explore this issue.
* The mission of most schools includes helping young people develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes that will enable them to succeed as adults. One of the most essential sets of skills is the ability to resolve conflicts effectively.
* Peer mediation encourages students to apply conflict resolution skills when it matters most--when they are in dispute. This sets it apart from other conflict resolution models that lack a formal effort to encourage students to use their skills when they are actually involved in a conflict.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Multi-party roommate conflict | Pdf article from Conflict Management in Higher Education Report, Volume 5, Number 1, (Sept 2004), which presents a "roleplay for a graduate course in interpersonal and small group conflict resolution, while it could be used for a mediation roleplay, it's written to be a 4-5 person small group conflict with no formal, outside intervenor, the expectation is that students can represent the characters and still demonstrate conflict resolution skills." | Catalog Listing Direct Link to Resource |
| Conflict resolution education and Social emotional learning programs: A critical comparison | Pdf document that compares and contrasts Social and emotional learning programs to Conflict resolution education, with bibliography. Written above title on document: NCIP (National Curriculum Integration Project). | Catalog Listing Direct Link to Resource |
| Creating harmony in the classroom: Building safe and inclusive classrooms for special populations | 231-page pdf manual designed "to assist teachers with building an inclusive and safe classroom for all students, including special needs, deaf, and visually impaired youth. Teachers who build an inclusive and safe classroom environment are encouraging all youth to excel academically and socially." Includes chapters on building self-awareness in students, enhancing student's problem-solving skills, mediation in school settings, evaluting conflict resolution education programs and a chapter on resources. | Catalog Listing Direct Link to Resource |
| SCORE peer mediation guide for students: Student conflict resolution experts | 34-page pdf manual which "guides students through the principles and techniques for successful mediation. The content of the student manual reflects that of the coordinators’ manual." With lessons in introduction to mediation, building trust, listening and troubleshooting. | 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 |
| Conflict resolver to conflict creator: Thoughts on writing mediation roleplays | Pdf article from Conflict Management in Higher Education Report, Volume 3, Number 3, (May 2003), which discusses "roleplays [which] were designed to help prepare the newly emerging student CPR (Campus Peer Resolution) Team based in WSU's [Wayne State University] Counseling and Psychological Services office, roleplays are a significant part of the education process, they play a vital role in training mediators to help parties consider positions from the other side." | 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 |
| Building for the future: Connecting up with high school mediation program alumni | Pdf article from Conflict Management in Higher Education Report, (Volume 1, Number 1, Jan/Feb 2000), which puts a call out to people and organizations interested in helping to build a national networking system for high school mediation program alumni as they continue their eduacation often at colleges and universities with no mediation programs. | Catalog Listing Direct Link to Resource |
| Peer mediation | Powerpoint presentation introducing the concept of peer mediation. | Catalog Listing Direct Link to Resource |
| Conflict Resolution Education: A Guide to Implementing Programs in Schools, Youth-Serving Orgs | A manual in pdf format providing an overview of various models for conflict resolution education program implementation. The first chapter defines conflict as a natural condition and examines the origins of conflict, responses to conflict, and the outcomes of those responses. It introduces four approaches to implementing conflict resolution education. Each of the next four chapters discusses one of these approaches and presents examples of programs that use the approach. One chapter describes an approach to conflict resolution education characterized by devoting a specific time to teaching the foundation abilities, principles, and one or more of the problemsolving processes in a separate course or distinct curriculum. Another chapter describes an approach in which selected, trained individuals provide neutral third-party facilitation in conflict resolution. A chapter presents an approach that incorporates conflict resolution education into the core subject areas of the curriculum and into classroom management strategies, and another chapter presents a comprehensive whole-school methodology that builds on the previous approach. The next two chapters address conflict resolution education in settings other than traditional schools. The final three chapters address more overarching topics: conflict resolution research and evaluation; a developmental sequence of behavioral expectations in conflict resolution; and the process of developing, implementing, and sustaining a conflict resolution program. | Catalog Listing Direct Link to Resource |
| SCORE coordinator's manual, 2007-2008: Student conflict resolution experts | 183-page pdf manual which "provides an overview of the program, and instructs coordinators on the steps to setting up the program from start to finish, and the methods and expectations for training their mediators. The manual also provides an extensive lesson plan for training, as well as sample exercises and role-play scenarios." | Catalog Listing Direct Link to Resource |
| Evaluating Your Conflict Resolution Education Program: A Guide for Educators and Evaluators | This 258-page pdf manual is intended to help educators and/or evaluators conduct evaluations of their conflict resolution education programs. Because much of the funding from the Ohio Commission on Dispute Resolution and Conflict Management and the Ohio Department of Education supports school programs, most attention was placed on helping users evaluate these kinds of programs. The manual was prepared as a workbook so that it should be easy to use. Worksheets are included throughout the beginning parts of the manual to help users identify the program goals and evaluation goals they want to emphasize. When offered, questionnaires and interview questions are presented so that the user can simply copy the forms from the book and use them in a school. | Catalog Listing Direct Link to Resource |
| World of CRE | Powerpoint presentation examining peer mediation. | Catalog Listing Direct Link to Resource |
