Section 5 : Ways of managing conflict

Key Focus Question: How can you manage conflict in your classroom and help pupils to manage disagreements?

Keywords: pair work; problem solving; family; managing conflict; community

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this section, you will have:

  • developed strategies for managing conflict within the classroom;
  • used pair work to identify different causes of conflicts and ways of resolving them;
  • used problem solving to resolve conflicts.

Introduction

Being able to manage differences of opinion and conflict effectively is important for us all. This section introduces the idea of conflict as it might be experienced within:

  • the family in the home;
  • the school and the classroom;
  • the wider community.

We identify some causes of conflict and explore ways to manage it, as well as thinking about ways to avoid conflict in the first place.

As conflict in the class can have a negative effect on learning, you need to develop strategies to reduce conflict in the classroom and maintain an environment that is supportive of all your pupils.

1. Using pairs and groups to discuss conflict