Greg McInerney discusses ‘Conflict in Education’
As we enter the second decade of the new millennium, we are no nearer to resolving the numerous conflicts that occur continuously in our schools.
Indeed, as the young become more and more immersed in all things technological, interpersonal conflicts through mobile or web chat pages have created the phenomenon of the cyber bully. School managers and teacher unions(1) have admitted that young persons have not acquired the ability to resolve conflict themselves. Wilmot & Hocker(2) refers to this as “ineffective resolution of interpersonal disputes” and warns that this can be associated with depression and hopelessness.
If school authorities are to educate youths to resolve conflicts themselves, it will be necessary to create a resolution programme with collaboration from this youth culture, and to remove the authoritarian system of conflict resolution already operating in our schools. If we are to prepare the young for society, we must provide a social education programme that allows students the opportunity to understand conflict as a natural daily occurrence. Additionally, they need to understand that tolerance, understanding and respect for the individual are skills necessary for self resolution.
In the schools of the 21st Century we must provide opportunities for young people to learn self directed conflict resolution skills.
The Education Act 2000(3) obliges all schools to develop a code of behaviour for all students. The Department of Education and Science (DES), in collaboration with the National Education Welfare Board (NEWB), devised the most comprehensive guidelines to date on misbehaviour in Irish schools and recently published guidelines(4) for the introduction of a code of behaviour in schools. Schools were requested to devise their own code in an inclusive manner involving all within the community of the school and with respect to the ethos of the individual school. This all-inclusive approach is to allow all partners within each school - i.e. management, teachers, parents, students, secretary and ground-staff - a direct role in devising and administering such a code.
While the NEWB is to be complimented on the comprehensive and collaborative nature of these guidelines, it nevertheless lost an ideal opportunity to introduce specific programmes for dealing with misbehaviour in a restorative manner. Regrettably, instead it produced a list of procedures and sanctions akin to the existing methods already in schools. In fact, the only mention of any restorative procedure appears under Section 23 where expelled students are allowed ‘mediation’ prior to appealing their removal from the school in question.
It seems that the education authorities are unable to move away from a managed and controlled code of behaviour in Irish schools. At present, schools are encouraged to review their existing code and utilise the NEWB programme as a blueprint for moving forward. How many schools consulted, or indeed presented, the final draft of their code to the student body in any meaningful manner?
If we are to include the students in decision making, and especially in developing a code of behaviour, we must consult them at every opportunity. It is imperative that, if we require our students to behave in an expected manner, they are aware of what is expected of them. For a meaningful code of behaviour we must identify with this youth culture within schools and empathise with their needs and interests.
References
- "School Matters" Task force on student behaviour in 2nd Level schools (appendix 7 ASTI). Dept. of Education & Science Dublin 2006.
- Wilmot. W & Hocker. J (2001) Interpersonal Conflict. 6th ed. Mc Graw-Hill Higher Education.
- Government of Ireland Education (welfare) Act 2000. Stationary office Dublin.
- Developing a Code of Behaviour for Schools. National Educational Welfare Board May 2008. Dept of Education.
Greg McInerney has been teaching and coaching rugby in Newbridge College, Co Kildare, for over 30 years. During that time he has acquired "enormous tolerance" for conflict situations. He has recently completed a post graduate diploma in Conflict Resolution.
Look out for more from Greg on Conflict Resolution in our next update. Meanwhile, email your comments/queries on this topic to Greg at info@educationmatters.ie
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One Response to “Greg McInerney discusses ‘Conflict in Education’”
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January 11th, 2010 at 6:54 pm
This is a fascinating and very important topic which, in my opinion, is not examined nearly enough. I remember hearing psychologist Maureen Gaffney telling Gay Byrne on the radio, quite a while ago now, that the single most important element in a successful marriage is a couple’s ability to resolve the many conflicts that inevitably arise between them. Unfortunately, too few of us have the skills to guide a ‘row’ towards a positive outcome and all too often both parties end up feeling alienated and lost.
Your article touches on several important strands of the topic: (a) the need for young people to develop skills that will enable them to deal with and resolve conflict themselves; (b) cyber bullying among young people; (c) the importance of involving students in drawing up a school code of behaviour; (d) dealing with misbehaviour – presumably of students – in a restorative manner.
Conflict arises in education on a number of different levels: between managers and principals; between principals and teachers; between teachers and teachers; between parents and principals; between parents and teachers; between teachers and students; between students and students. I look forward very much to future articles on Conflict Resolution which may deal with these different relationships and explore in a practical way how conflict can be resolved and goodwill restored in different contexts.