Michigan Department of Education Segment 5: RJ Informal Interventions

Michigan Department of Education
Segment 5: RJ Informal Interventions
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Introduce Restorative Justice (RJ) Practices on
the Informal segment of the RJ Continuum.
Show an example of how RJ applies to
common situations in schools.
Possible use of some of these practices in
your school.
Informal
Formal
Based on the IIRP’s Restorative Practices
Handbook Page 12
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In any social setting, people have conflicts
and sometimes misbehave. Lucky for us,
schools offer countless opportunities to
address conflict and misconduct restoratively!
This video (SEGMENT 1) depicts one
interaction at a Michigan high school, in the
hallway outside Mr. Tims’ room.
Think about how you could help these
students address their concerns and move
beyond the conflict.
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Whether your school has adopted a restorative paradigm
or not, you can choose to apply the RJ philosophy to your
work by using affective statements and questions when
you’re faced with a conflict or situation of misconduct.
Commonly called “I statements,” affective statements
simply express how you feel or perceive a situation. They
don’t make any judgment or offer any solution.
Rather, they state your experience and open the possibility
for discussion so others can share their perspective as
well.
As with all RJ interactions, Affective Statements and
Questions should be delivered in a respectful manner. Of
course, the response they generate must also be received
as respectfully as possible.
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The following slides offer some examples
of Affective Statements.
Affective Statement
Common Response
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Stop teasing Sandy
Stop talking during
class.
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It makes me uncomfortable
when I hear you teasing
Sandy.
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I am frustrated that you aren’t
listening to me.
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You shouldn’t do that.
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I feel sad when I hear you say
something like that to John.
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Sit down and be quiet!
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I get angry when you talk and
joke during my lectures.
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I was shocked to see you hurt
Pete.
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I don’t want to see you
fighting with him/her.
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“If a teacher sees a student behaving in ways that
raise flags of concern, then the teacher voices his or
her concerns to the student:
◦ I care that you feel safe in the school.
◦ I see that you are late for gym class and that you flinch
around certain students.
◦ I feel uncomfortable, and I worry that you may be bullied or
scared of these students or that the locker room is not safe
for you.
◦ I’m listening: What do you think?
◦ I want you to be safe, and I am wondering if you might want
to talk further about this, perhaps with the counselor or
nurse.
◦ I will go with you if you want to talk to the counselor. You
think about what you want to do, and I will check back with
you in a few days.”
P. 59, Circle in the Square
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“Belinda Hopkins, a pioneer in restorative approaches in the United
Kingdom . . . coaches students, teachers, and administrators on
encouraging conversations:
◦ “Ask the question, and then listen.
◦ Give sounds of encouragement, such as ‘humhm,’ or invite further
reflection by saying, ‘tell me more.’
“Here is how she outlines the restorative frame of understanding that
informs the questions:
◦ “Each person’s perspectives are unique and equally valued.
◦ Thoughts influence emotions, and emotions influence subsequent
actions.
◦ Empathy and consideration for others motivate the conversation.
◦ Identifying needs comes before identifying strategies to meet these
needs.
◦ The dialogue aims to build trust and promote empowerment.”
--Circle in the Square, pp. 57 & 58
When Challenging Someone’s
Negative Behavior
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What Happened?
What were you thinking at the time?
What have you thought about since?
Who has been affected by your actions and
how have they been affected?
How can you make things right?
When Helping Someone Negatively Affected
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What did you think when you realized what
had happened?
What impact has this incident had on you and
others?
What has been the hardest thing for you?
What do you need to feel things are right? Or
What would you like to see from this?
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Tell me what’s been happening. What has not been
working for you?
What are you thinking about this situation?
How are you feeling about this situation?
How is this getting in the way of your learning?
Feeling okay about school? Being the person you
want to be at school?
What do you need to learn/to do to make things
better? Make things right? Reset and get back on
track?
What can we do to support you?
What might you do differently the next time you find
yourself in this situation?
Suggested by Engaging Schools, author Carol Miller Liebler
from the Summer 2014, Teaching Tolerance article Restoring
Justice available at
http://www.tolerance.org/magazine/number-47-summer2014/feature/restoring-justice
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Affective Statements and Questions lend themselves well
to informal RJ interventions known as impromptu circles.
Whether delivered in a casual or more serious manner,
they engage participants in thinking about the situation of
conflict or misconduct and can provide a safe space for
them to resolve it immediately and informally.
When engaging others in a circle, it’s essential that you
treat everyone with equal respect and give all participants
an equal opportunity to answer the questions. All those
affected should have a voice in the process and in the
resolution.
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In video SEGMENT 2, notice how Mr. Tims
uses an impromptu circle to address the
hallway interaction we observed earlier in
this segment.
Pay special attention to how he uses an RJ
Philosophy (rather than a zero-tolerance
approach) to addressing this situation with
the young men.
How many times does Mr. Tims use practices
from the Informal RJ Continuum?
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If you are taking this training alone, skip to the questions at
the bottom of this slide and think about their answers. If you
are in a group, arrange your chairs in a circle with everyone
facing into the center.
Taking turns so that only one person speaks at a time, go
around the circle so that each person answers the first
question listed in bold below.
Once everyone has answered the first question, follow the
same process to answer the remaining two questions. Keep
track of the time you have—if necessary apply time limits to
each answer so everyone has the same amount of time to
speak.
◦ What is one thing you noticed about Charlie’s and Tony’s
reaction to the collision?
◦ What is one change you observed in the students’
demeanor when Mr. Tims intervened?
◦ Name one situation in your school that would lend
itself to small impromptu circles.