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Teachers Comment on this assignment
School conflict, culture, and solutions is one topic I am personally invested in. I agree with you that mediation in schools can help improve the climate and culture of a school. I would like you to consider some additional holistic approaches to improving school’s culture. I consider mediation almost a final step when students are in conflict. How can we improve school culture, making it a more positive learning environment, and teaching students how to better communicate their issues not only at school, but in all aspects of their lives? If you want to explore mediation alone, consider the best approaches to this in your research. I look forward to reading more from you!
Addressing the Growing Need for Mediation Programs in Educational Settings
Part A: Introduction
Nowadays, the student environment is changing rapidly, and this implies the need for the establishment of mediation programs in schools. In the face of the numerous changes that society is going through and the way students are dealing with present problems, such as interpersonal conflicts and mental health issues, mediation in creating a safe and supportive learning environment becomes necessary. This paper is trying to resolve the urgent need for thorough mediation programs in schools, which are mostly focused on the existing gaps and the possible risks of not having enough mediation resources.
New technologies and social media platforms have created a situation where students are exposed to different viewpoints and communication methods, which in turn can sometimes lead to misunderstandings and conflicts. Besides, the pandemic has made the stressors and mental health issues among the students to be worse, and the new issue of resolving the conflicts among the students have to be the first priority.
Rationale
The theory of this paper rests on the fact that the mediation is a key factor in the solution of the conflict, improvement of the communication skills, and in the development of the emotional intelligence among students. Many studies have proved that schools with strong mediation programs have lower incidences of disciplinary issues, good student relationships and better academic performance.
Besides, mediation provides students with vital life skills that are not only needed in school, but also in other situations thus, they can deal with the complex social dynamics and conflicts in many fields. Through the creation of a culture of respect, empathy and active listening, mediation programs make a contribution to the overall development of students, thus enabling them to become responsible and active members of society.
Nevertheless, even with the evident advantages, many schools do not have enough mediators, so the students, teachers and administrators are not able to deal with problems well. It may be due to the budget constraints, administrative barriers, and a lack of awareness about the value of mediation that the gap between the number of cases and the number of mediators is so wide that it forms a hindrance to the creation of a supportive and inclusive school environment.
Part B: The Problem
[Ideal Scenario] The administration of Maplewood High School views that the best way to create a positive and inclusive learning environment that is conducive to the academic success of the students is to introduce a multifaceted mediation program that will deal with the relationships among the students. This program would involve the participation of the administrators, professors, students, and parents, thus providing the support for the conflict resolution and the skill improvement.
In the [Current Scenario] in Maplewood High School, the mediation resources are limited and fragmented. The school depends mostly on ad-hoc ways of conflict resolution, such as the teacher’s intervention or the short counselling sessions. Despite the good intentions, these methods usually do not solve the real problems, and therefore, the conflicts and the unresolved tensions within the school community are still there. In spite of the fact that the necessity of a formal mediation program has been acknowledged, the constraints of the budget and the administrative obstacles have been the main barriers to the development of this program.
[Possible Results] Maplewood High School is going to face some problems if it does not have a good meditation school. Firstly, confronted conflicts may turn into bigger ones, which will create chaos in the learning environment, and the student’s academic performance will be damaged. Furthermore, the absence of systematic ways of dealing with conflicts may lead to the creation of a hostile and mistrustful environment between students, teachers, and parents, which will negatively affect the whole school experience (Benson & Manu, 2024). Besides, the problem of student alienation will be increased without the measures that are addressed by the conflict in the school; the marginalized students will feel unsupported and will not be interested in the school community, leading to their inequity and exclusion. Thus, Maplewood High School should concentrate on the creation and application of a wide-ranging mediation program in order to reduce these consequences and stay true to its goal of creating a secure and supportive educational atmosphere for all students. Through the training of teachers for mediation, setting up of peer mediation programs and cooperation with the parents and the community stakeholders, the school will be able to create a culture of conflict resolution and mutual respect that will be a pillar of the student’s academic and social development (Mahvar et al., 2018).
References
Benson, G. H., & Manu, I. Y. (2024). An assessment of the conflict resolution mechanisms in use by Ghanaian public universities.
SN Social Sciences,
4(2), 1-32.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s43545-024-00850-8
Mahvar, T., Farahani, M. A., & Aryankhesal, A. (2018). Conflict management strategies in coping with students’ disruptive behaviours in the classroom: Systematized review.
Journal of advances in medical education & professionalism,
6(3), 102.
