Tricky kids, tricky classes
Tricky kids, tricky classes
Working Restoratively in Schools:
Level 1: Awareness of RP’s for all staff
​
Full day Workshop
​
To book this workshop please contact Bill Hansberry
​
​
Restorative Practices are an excellent vehicle for whole school improvement. A commitment to bringing staff behaviour into line with restorative values yields incredible results in student learning outcomes and school climate. Why? Because the emotional literacy of the entire school has been raised - and this transformation has been led by the adults.
This level 1 workshop builds an awareness of what it means to be a Restorative school and brings staff buy-in on an emotional level.
A strong focus is put on our values in the morning session as staff uncovers their deeply held beliefs about student conduct (and misconduct) and how this aligns with the principles of Restorative Justice. We explore the critical difference between desired outcomes and strategies in addressing wrongdoing or disruption and have conversations about what does and doesn't deliver us the outcomes we want.
​
What will crystallize for staff is that Restorative Practice is a pedagogy, not just a few bits and pieces to add to our behaviour management tool-bag.
In the middle session, we look at the effectiveness of punishment and its consequences regarding emotion and engagement. The first half of the restorative questions (the individual script) is introduced and explained in terms of their ability to:
​
-
Keep young people engaged and in a space where they can think of others, not only themselves.
-
Keep us on track in what we say to students so we don't get blown off course by secondary behaviour or a snooty attitude from the student.
We also explore how different 'types' of students need different levels of support to engage successfully in restorative conversations because no one size fits all!
Afternoon Skills Focus
The afternoon session sees participants focusing on a particular skill area from the restorative practices continuum: (a) Positive Correction strategies for restorative behaviour management in classrooms, (b) Individual Conferencing with students, or (c) observing a mock Formal Conference. Details below.
A) Positive Correction - In his new book 'A Practical Introduction to Restorative Practice in Schools' Bill has added positive correction to the beginning of the continuum of restorative responses to acknowledge a set of essential management strategies that effective teachers employ to keep initial behaviour correction low key and respectful (least intrusive).
Skills taught are tactical ignoring, use of proximity, non-verbal behaviour cues, quiet questioning, pause direction, rule reminders, take up time, acknowledging feeling and deflecting and choice direction. These approaches don't use the restorative questions as many have come to know them but are viewed as restorative because they are least intrusive, respectful and keep emotion in mind.
OR
B) Individual Scripted Restorative Questioning. As we move up the continuum of restorative responses, we use the individual script in one-to-one restorative conversations with students. These are the 1:1 chats that teachers might have with students when positive correction strategies haven't been effective. Participants will learn the individual script and its intent and then practice using it in various scenarios. This paired practice takes place under Bill's watchful eye!
OR
C) observing Bill modelling how to conduct a formal restorative conference* to address significant high-level incidents of misconduct, using group members as fictional characters.
NOTE: This option works best when the school provides Bill with a scenario. This may be an incident that has taken place in the school or a likely event in the school's context. After deciding on the specifics of the fictional incident with the school contact person, Bill prepares the staff who will play the characters before the afternoon session.
​
*Formal Restorative Conference Facilitator Training is a two-day training offered by Bill for those who've completed this level (level 1) and level 2.
​
Your staff will conclude this day in a reflective mindset, ready to further explore what a restorative approach means for their day-to-day work with young people.
Following this workshop, Bill (upon request) will work with leadership to convene an RP Implementation Team of passionate and committed staff members who will work strategically to lead the implementation of Restorative Pedagogy.
​
The suggested next step is Working Restoratively in Schools Level 2 (Small Group and Classroom Applications of RP's). Alternatively, the Implementation team may decide to develop Circle Time at this stage.
​
​
