Deep Democracy: How to Manage Conflicts Building a Strong Classroom Culture

Programme de la formation Version PDF

Rapidly changing life conditions and the polarization of society are raising the complexity of today’s life, from childhood to adulthood, and bringing more chaos and conflict to it. Students also suffer from increased complexity and conflictual situations, and bring their suffering to school. As teachers, if we want to be able to manage the classroom and help our students, we need to master effective methods to give voice to the different needs present within each of us, as well as within the classroom, to moderate their contrast, and finally go through them to resolve their conflict. The course will propose the Lewis Method to Deep Democracy as an effective technique to moderate and resolve conflict, thereby helping students understand each other, have a respectful attitude, show empathy towards others, and build positive relations. While conflict is often perceived as a negative process, the Lewis Method proposes to mine the wisdom that lies below it. The real issue is not about how to avoid conflict, but actually about how to manage it properly. In order to do that, the method emphasizes the importance of recognizing the need to go into conflict before resolving it as a necessary step. Properly managing conflict requires creating appropriate safety rules. The first rule of the Method acknowledges that everyone has their own unique lens on the world. Thus, everyone is right but no one has a monopoly on the truth! The second rule encourages participants to express all their frustration in the conflict, while the third encourages them to look for the “gift” of the conflict, that is, a minimal truth in what the other said that contains a possibility for personal and relational growth. As a participant in the course, you will learn the Lewis Method to Deep Democracy to manage conflicts with the classroom, as well as all kinds of groups, building and strengthening the classroom culture, creating a peaceful learning environment where every individual is deeply heard and feels truly free to express his/her feelings on the basis of mutual respect. Throughout the course, you will also take part in a series of practical activities that can be implemented in different parts of your lessons. For instance, there will be effective icebreakers, team-building exercises, classroom management tools, and group-dynamic games. By the end of this course, you will be more confident in intervening in conflicts and manipulating them to unleash the potential in the classrooms. Furthermore, you will be able to easily deal with the resistance to decision-making by ensuring non-violent communication.