Introduction
It is impossible not to pay attention to the fact that there are disagreements in the school team. Otherwise, the confrontation can continue and become a common problem, and even interfere with fulfilling the primary goal of learning – acquiring knowledge. Therefore, simple steps should be followed to manage the conflict.
Conflict Management Steps
Establish and Reinforce Expectations
If pupils are unaware of the rules, they will find it difficult to follow them, even if they are generally well-behaved. Set explicit expectations for pupils’ behavior and repercussions for breaking the rules (Valente et al., 2020). Most crucial, demonstrate to students that teachers are serious about expectations by carrying out those penalties.
Pay Attention to Challenging Students
The harshest critics should be seated close to the teacher. Students are under more pressure to behave while teachers are close by, and they may quickly intervene if necessary. Preventing disputes from arising in the first place is one of the excellent methods to handle them in the classroom (Valente et al., 2020).
Possess a Cool-Down Strategy
Have a strategy ready to use if it is noticed that student rage is about to explode (Mahvar et al., 2018). It can be as easy as setting up a quiet area or cool-down period in the classroom for younger pupils. For senior pupils, it could entail formulating plans as a group.
Develop a Deeper Understanding of Students
Understanding the reason behind the actions is crucial when handling conflict in the classroom. Is something happening at home? Is the learner having trouble understanding the material? Spend time getting to know the students—their wants, needs, and interests—and what motivates them. By laying the groundwork now, conflict resolution techniques in the classroom will be more successful in the future (Mahvar et al., 2018).
Allow Students to Assist One Another
Consider searching outside the group of students that typically turn to for assistance with assignments or acting as peer mentors (Valente et al., 2020). Challenging students might be performing well in a specific topic. Let them assist their struggling classmates and observe if that reduces their harmful conduct.
Create a Peaceful Environment in the Classroom
In the classroom, emphasize the promotion of peace. Create a plan to tackle problems together and teach pupils how their actions affect others (Mahvar et al., 2018). It will motivate them to choose compassion and empathy for others and avoid conflict in the first place if the teacher gives their students some responsibility for making the classroom enjoyable and peaceful.
Request Assistance When it is Needed
It is not simple to handle conflict in the classroom. When a teacher needs help, they should rely on administrators and fellow teachers (Mahvar et al., 2018). Find out what worked—and what did not—by speaking with teachers who have already worked with a challenging pupil.
However, before deciding how to manage the conflicts inside the class, the main channels of the conflict occurrence should be identified. The most common types of such disagreements are the following: between students, between students and teachers, and between parents and teachers (Isabu, 2017). Conflict at school between children can have different causes. Resentment, rivalry, underachievement or academic excellence, unrequited heartfelt sympathies, and social inequality can become grounds for disagreement (Valente et al., 2020). In the conflict between student and teacher, the interests of an adult and a young representative of the school team collide. Teachers’ and students’ disagreements can have personal and academic overtones (Valente & Lourenco, 2020).
Conclusion
In conclusion, personal dislike arises if the student does not like some traits of the teacher’s character or appearance, and vice versa – the teacher, does not like the child because of his behavior or other features. These situations could lead to the following type of conflict between parents and teachers. Parents are included in the dialogue when their child constantly complains about a biased attitude towards him (Valente et al., 2020). They make claims first to a particular teacher, then to the entire team and the administration.
References
Isabu, M. O. (2017). Causes and management of school related conflict. African Educational Research Journal, 5(2), 148-151.
Mahvar, T., Ashghali Farahani, M., & Aryankhesal, A. (2018). Conflict management strategies in coping with students’ disruptive behaviors in the classroom: Systematized review. Journal of Advances in Medical Education & Professionalism, 6(3), 102–114.
Valente, S., Lourenço, A. A., & Németh, Z. (2020). School conflicts: Causes and management strategies in classroom relationships. In (Ed.), Interpersonal relationships. IntechOpen.
Valente, S., & Lourenço, A. A. (2020). Conflict in the classroom: How teachers’ emotional intelligence influences conflict management. Frontiers in Education, 5.