Peer mediation at school Context / background / objectives of the project: As in all interpersonal relationships, conflicts between students are part of the every day school routine. Cyberbullying in particular is widespread. If these conflicts place such a burden on the students that they impair the school success, there is a need for action. It is therefore important to create favourable conditions for resolving or regulating conflicts. The acceptance of solutions is encouraged by the fact that the disputes are settled by the students themselves without being influenced by a teacher. The project ‘Peer mediation at school’ teaches the learners the skills of an independent conflict resolution. At the same time, students improve their language skills by learning to express themselves in English in conflict situations. The exchange between the partner schools strengthens understanding and empathy at an European level. The experience that conflicts can be resolved through direct communication is an integral part of the projects idea. Number and profile of the participants: The participating students, approximately 25 per participating school, are 13-14 years old at the beginning of the project (in Lower Saxony grade 8). They complete the training, which lasts one school year, as mediators. In Year 9, these students regularly offer consultations for the younger age groups to counteract conflicts such as exclusion, bullying and fear of school failure. During the second half of the 9th grade, the mediators complete a media coach training course in which they are sensitized to cyberbullying situations. As media coaches, they offer short workshops in the lower years to train them in dealing with social networks. Activities and methodology to be used in carrying out the project: The project is divided into 4 phases: Phase 1) Students deal with different definitions of the term "conflict". Students learn to analyse conflicts by using various theoretical models ("cobweb analysis", iceberg model). Constellations of perpetrators and victims as well as different causes of conflict are examined. They also train the ability to listen actively and to represent their own interests appropriately. Phase 2) The students learn the basic principles of mediator work, such as impartiality, confidentiality and esteem. They deal with different causes of conflict. Furthermore, they acquire the standardised procedure of a mediation session, including the appropriate linguistic repertoire, and practice solving typical school conflicts in role-plays. The students also experience the limits of mediation and are sensitized to situations in which external help is needed. Phase 3) The mediators present their work to the students in the new 5 years classes (or first year of secondary school). In addition to regular consultation hours, they also offer dispute mediation services for urgent needs. The mediators will be supported in their work by their instructors. Phase 4) The mediators are trained as media coaches. They are sensitized for different bullying structures with the focus on cyberbullying and develop positive action patterns on how to behave in social networks. This is how they acquire expertise in new information technologies and legal foundations. The students reflect their own behaviour on the internet. They offer workshops on the topic of ‘social media’ in the 5th grades. Results / Potential longer term benefits: The training and work of the mediators is a prolonged process. The aim is to establish permanent training and work for mediators in schools. During the course of the project, content, methods and English vocabulary are collected in a digital manual, which will be available to future generations of mediators. Project language: English
Peer mediation at school Context / background / objectives of the project: Conflicts are part of everyday school life: As in all interpersonal relationships, conflicts between pupils occur every day. Cyberbullying in particular is widespread. However, if these conflicts put such a strain on the students involved* that they impair school success, there is a need for action. It is therefore important to create favorable conditions for the resolution or settlement of conflicts. The acceptance of solutions is promoted by the fact that the disputes are resolved by the pupils themselves without the intervention of a teacher. The project "Peer mediation at school" teaches students the skills they need to solve conflicts independently. At the same time, the pupils improve their linguistic skills, as they learn to express themselves in English in conflict situations. The exchange between the partner schools strengthens understanding and empathy at the European level. The experience that conflicts can be solved by facing communication is an essential part of the project idea. Number and profile of participants: The directly participating pupils, between 10 and 36 per participating school from Italy, Slovakia, and Germany, were 13-15 years old at the beginning of the project (in Lower Saxony grade 8). They have completed the arbitrator training, which lasted one school year. In grade 9, these pupils regularly offered consultation hours for younger classes to counteract conflicts such as exclusion, bullying, and fear of school failure. In the second half of grade 9, the dispute mediators completed a media coach training course in which they were sensitized to bullying situations on the net (cyberbullying). Following the project, they will offer short workshops as media coaches in the lower grades to train them in dealing with social networks. Activities carried out: The project was divided into 4 phases: Phase 1) Students have looked at different definitions of the term "conflict". The students have learned to analyze conflicts using different theoretical models ("spider web analysis", iceberg model). Perpetrator-victim constellations as well as different causes of conflict were examined. The students have learned to express their own feelings, they have trained the ability to listen actively, and have practiced representing their own interests appropriately. Phase 2) The students have learned the principles of dispute resolution such as impartiality, confidentiality, and appreciation. They have acquired the standardized procedure of a mediation discussion, including the appropriate language repertoire, and have mediated typical school conflict situations in role-plays. The students also experienced the limits of mediation and were sensitized to the fact that there are situations in which external help must be sought. Phase 3) The peer mediators presented their work in the new 5th grade (or first year of secondary school). In addition to regular consultation hours, they have also offered dispute mediation in cases of acute need. The arbitrators were further supported in their work by their trainers. Phase 4) The peer meditators were trained as media coaches. They were sensitized to different mobbing structures with a focus on cyberbullying and developed positive action patterns for behavior in social networks. Here they have gained expertise on new information technologies and legal principles. The pupils reflect on their own behavior on the net. In the future, they will offer workshops on the topic of "social media" in the 5th grade. Results / Longer-term benefits: The training and work of peer mediators is a long-lasting process. The participating schools have or want to establish the training and work of the arbitrators in the schools on a permanent basis. During the project work, contents, methods, and English vocabulary have been collected in a digital handbook, which will be available to future generations of peer mediators. Project language: English