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.
For more information on developing Peer Mediation as a model in your school, please visit Day 2 of our curriculum on Managing and Resolving Conflicts Effectively in Schools and Classrooms. To hear an interview with a middle school peer mediation coordinator and a student mediator, check out this episode of Peace Talks Radio.
Related Videos of Possible Interest
- Classroom Closeup NJ - Peacemakers
- Conflict Resolution Resources on Your IPad
- Don’t Give In to the Drama - Peer Mediation Training Video from Hawaii
- Elementary Students Using Their Playground Peace Bridge
- In the Mix: Peer Mediation—A Process of Respect
- KS3/4 PSHE - Mediating Conflict
- Kapaa High Peer Mediation Program Makes Peace in Hawaii
- LA Peer Mediation Program Video
- Mediator Mentors Peer Mediation Training Video
- Models of Peer Mediation Reviewed
- On-the-Spot Mediation: how to use your skills in everyday life
- Peer Mediation Video from Dibble Middle School
- Professor Shuldman on Mediation in the Classroom
- Recess Redone - The Power of Play
- Seeing Both Sides of a Story
- Take a Look at a Cool School - Peer Mediation
- Talk It Out - Bronx Intl High School Peer Mediator Music Video
- What Makes a Good Peer Mediator?
Related Catalog 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 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 View in Browser |
| My Peer Mediators Handbook | A 15-page booklet designed to support trained peer mediators as they carry out their work. Topics include referrals, the mediation process, suggestions for a mediation service, some guidelines for good practice, what ifs, and help and support. | Catalog Listing Direct Link to Resource View in Browser |
| 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...(see more) | Catalog Listing Direct Link to Resource View in Browser |
| Mediation@MIT Basic Mediation Training Trainers' Manual (Higher Education) | A mediation training manual for use in higher education settings. According to the developers, "this Manual is intended to serve as a guide for the trainer(s) leading a Basic Training in Mediation for participants with no prior mediation experience. It reflects the style of mediation and the style of teaching we use at the Massachusetts Institute...(see more) | Catalog Listing Direct Link to Resource View in Browser |
| Mediation@MIT Basic Mediation Training Slides and Scenarios | This document accompanies the Mediation@MIT Basic Mediation Training Trainers' Manual (Higher Education). It contains all the slides utilized by instructors in the Basic Mediation Training. The lectures are NOT continuous slide presentations but consist primarily of discussion and exercises. The slides are used at intervals to reinforce key...(see more) | Catalog Listing Direct Link to Resource View in Browser |
| PROS: Peaceful resolutions for Oklahoma [elementary] students: Student edition | 46-page PDF (student edition) manual which introduces elementary school students to peer mediation and conflict and teaches communication and problem solving skills. | Catalog Listing Direct Link to Resource View in Browser |
| Peer mediation training for schools: Best practice guidelines (UK) | 8-page Word document which presents best practice guidelines developed by the Peer Mediation Network in the UK. Paper begins with a definition of peer mediation and then outlines best practices for many aspects of training. | Catalog Listing Direct Link to Resource View in Browser |
| World of CRE | Powerpoint presentation examining peer mediation. | Catalog Listing Direct Link to Resource View in Browser |
| 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. Part of the results of the National Curriculum Integration Project. | Catalog Listing Direct Link to Resource View in Browser |
| Helping Children Resolve Peer Conflict | Vol 15, Issue 1 of School-Age Connections provides 4-page pdf reviewing research and concepts for understanding children's peer conflicts. Includes 8-step model for assisting children in resolving their conflicts. | Catalog Listing Direct Link to Resource View in Browser |
| Resolving Conflict with a Peer Mediation Program | This 62-page peer mediation handbook for grades 4-8 provides the materials and resources for designing, building, implementing and sustaining a peer mediation program. It was developed as a collaborative project of the Peace Studies Program, University of Maine, and Maine Law & Civics Education, University of Southern Maine, with support from the...(see more) | Catalog Listing Direct Link to Resource View in Browser |
| A Peer Mediation Needs Analysis For Schools | A three-page worksheet providing a series of questions for schools to consider prior to implementing a peer mediation program. | Catalog Listing Direct Link to Resource View in Browser |
| Summary of Core Skills For Conflict Work | Peaceworkers UK developed this detailed description of the Core Skills they consider essential for Conflict Work and the vocational standards associated with them. Core Skill 1: Research Skills Core Skill 2: Written Communication Core Skill 3: Verbal Communication Core Skill 4: Self-Management Core Skill 5: Conflict Management Core Skill 6:...(see more) | Catalog Listing Direct Link to Resource View in Browser |
| Institutional and Program/Practitioner Guidelines For Conflict Management in Higher Education | Document (30-page pdf) provides a set of guidelines designed to support the development of comprehensive, educational, integrated and conflict-friendly approaches to managing conflict and disputes in institutions of higher education. The target audience includes key decision makers such as senior administrators, deans and department heads,...(see more) | Catalog Listing Direct Link to Resource View in Browser |
| PROS: Peaceful resolutions for Oklahoma [high school] students: Student edition | 46-page PDF high school student manual designed to teach peer-mediation techniques as well as communication skills, leadership and problem solving. | Catalog Listing Direct Link to Resource View in Browser |
| Conflict resolution, peer mediation and young people's relationships: Technical Report | 74-page PDF technical report that investigated, "what schools could do to improve young people's relationships with each other, with teachers and with their families. This is a key question for schools, policy-makers and pressure groups; there are currently programmes and initiatives on behaviour, citizenship, healthy schools and many other areas...(see more) | Catalog Listing Direct Link to Resource View in Browser |
| 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...(see more) | Catalog Listing Direct Link to Resource View in Browser |
| Mediating a Better Solution | A 5-page article on peer mediation written for principals. It appeared in the magazine Principal Leadership as part of a monthly column entitled "Counseling 101" that is written by members of the National Association of School Psychologists. Includes a case study exploring the need for improved referral system for a peer mediation program. | Catalog Listing Direct Link to Resource View in Browser |
| Kids Working It Out Resource Appendix | A listing of books, publications and websites provided in the appendix to Tricia S. Jones and Randy O. Compton (Eds.) 2003 book Kids Working It Out: Stories and Strategies for Making Peace in Our Schools. | Catalog Listing Direct Link to Resource View in Browser |
| 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...(see more) | Catalog Listing Direct Link to Resource View in Browser |
