Tapping into Experiential Knowledge in Whole-School Communities

This paper will introduce a whole‐school approach to regulating safe school communities, based on principles of restorative justice. The idea is to move beyond regulatory formalism to a stance of response regulation, whereby the needs of the school community can be better met. The approach will incorporate a continuum of practices across three levels of regulation. The primary level of intervention targets all students, with an aim to develop students’ social and emotional competencies, particularly in the area of conflict resolution. This first stage aims to enable students to resolve their differences in caring and respectful ways. The secondary level of practices involves a larger number of participants in the resolution of the conflict or concern, as the problem has become protracted or has involved (and affected) a larger number of people. The tertiary level of intervention involves the participation of an even wider cross‐section of the school community, including parents, guardians, social workers, and others who have been affected. This intervention is typically used for serious incidents within the school, such as acts of serious violence. At each level, the processes involved are based on principles of restorative justice, such as inclusive and respectful dialogue. The aim is to build safe school communities through being more responsive and more restorative.

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A Restorative Trail: Restorative Practice - opening up new capacities of hearts and minds in school communities

Journal of Mediation & Applied Conflict Analysis ◽

10.33232/jmaca.3.1.7032 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 3 (1) ◽

pp. 368-381

Keyword(s):

Learning Community ◽

Professional Learning ◽

School Change ◽

Best Practice ◽

Positive Impact ◽

Well Being ◽

Literacy Skills ◽

School Communities ◽

Whole School ◽

The Impact

The aim of the action project outlined in this article was to set up a Professional Learning Community (PLC) in a school with teachers who were interested in inculcating the practices and principles of Restorative Practice in their classrooms. My intention in forming such a PLC was to establish, explore, evaluate and maximise the use of Restorative Practice in participants’ classrooms. I wanted to investigate the impact of such engagement on relationships, teaching practices and approaches, and how it could offer a stimulus for whole school change. Our investigation found that the implementation of Restorative Practice did improve relationships. It promoted empathy and encouraged teachers and students to work together. It developed emotional literacy skills among the participants. Participants gained a sense of ownership over behaviour. There was a change in approach to misbehaviour that had a positive effect on learning and on teachers’ feeling of well-being. The evidence shows that improved relationships often had a positive impact on the work ethic within the classroom. Teachers enjoyed working as a solution focused community of teachers, it helped to reinvent and enhance their best practice through the sharing of ideas. The evidence also showed that the implementation and positive impact of Restorative Practice is a process. It is something that requires repeated, structured and reflective engagement, such as that offered by our PLC.

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Investigating EFL Teachers' Emotional Regulation Strategies in Second Language Classroom Contexts

ELT Worldwide: Journal of English Language Teaching ◽

10.26858/eltww.v8i1.18032 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 (1) ◽

pp. 97

Author(s):

Kristian Florensio Wijaya

Keyword(s):

Second Language ◽

Language Learning ◽

Emotional Regulation ◽

Research Problem ◽

Emotional States ◽

School Communities ◽

Whole School ◽

Efl Teachers ◽

Regulation Strategies ◽

Teaching Learning

ABSTRACT It is of clear importance for EFL teachers to better regulate their emotions while facing multivariate classroom vicinities offering undeniable uniqueness possessed by each learner. As a contradictory, EFL teachers frequently undergo emotional impairs during engaging in their vocation as burnout, emotional exhaustion, boredom, frustration, and reluctance. Responding to this serious teaching issue, emotional regulation strategies should be introduced earlier for EFL teachers in order to bring about positive teaching-learning influences for the whole school communities in terms of enjoyable learning activities, spirited learners, committed educators, and a solid rapport established among educational boards. This current study attempted to probe more profoundly on tangible emotional regulation strategies implemented by EFL teachers teaching in distinctive school institutions. One research problem was formulated in this study namely, what are the specific strategies EFL Teachers apply to regulate their emotions in second language learning contexts? This qualitative study utilized narrative inquiry to better obtain more obvious portrayals out of the teachers’ real-time experiences of managing their emotional states for particular teaching periods. The findings of this study displayed that the diminution of EFL teachers’ negative emotions will enable learners to achieve their gratifying learning outcomes and retain teachers to survive longer in their current vocation.

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School Interventions for Bullying–Cyberbullying Prevention in Adolescents: Insights from the UPRIGHT and CREEP Projects

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph182111697 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (21) ◽

pp. 11697

Author(s):

Silvia Gabrielli ◽

Silvia Rizzi ◽

Sara Carbone ◽

Enrico Maria Piras

Keyword(s):

Protective Factor ◽

Early Adolescents ◽

Well Being ◽

Cyber Bullying ◽

School Intervention ◽

Future Research ◽

Negative Consequences ◽

School Communities ◽

Whole School ◽

Mental Well Being

Background: Several challenges and emotional demands characterize adolescence, affecting the mental well-being of youths. Among these, bullying and cyberbullying are recognized nowadays as a major social problem, affecting more than one-third of adolescents, with extensive negative consequences for the victims involved, such as lower self-esteem, increased loneliness, depression, and anxiety. School programs and interventions that foster resilience, coping, and well-being are particularly important during adolescence as protective and preventive factors against the consequences of (cyber)bullying. The paper presents two recent co-designed interventions for (cyber)bullying prevention deployed in Europe, targeting early adolescents and their school communities. Methods: The UPRIGHT project developed an evidence-based, whole-school intervention to train resilience as a protective factor to promote mental well-being in adolescents, in a cross-national perspective. The CREEP project designed and implemented digital interventions to support schools in (i) early detection of cyberbullying events on social media and (ii) coaching adolescents (victims, bullies, bystanders) on how to cope with (cyber)bullying behaviors. Results: The main challenges and insights collected during the design and implementation of both interventions are discussed to inform future research and practice. Conclusion: The feasibility and acceptance of prevention programs are key to the reducing risk of (cyber)bullying and improving the psychological well-being of early adolescents.

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The Intentional Compassion Framework for school communities

Health Education Journal ◽

10.1177/00178969211006746 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 001789692110067

Author(s):

Carla J Kennedy ◽

Fiona Gardner ◽

Anne Southall

Keyword(s):

Social Constructionist ◽

Constructivist Grounded Theory ◽

Cultural Perceptions ◽

Cultural Shift ◽

School Communities ◽

Whole School ◽

Goal Framing ◽

Health Promoting ◽

Strategies For Change ◽

Study Participants

Objective: This article offers a framework to guide schools in developing a compassionate culture. Using a social constructionist/critical perspective, five spheres of work are identified to help schools achieve this goal. Framing death, dying and bereavement from a health promoting perspective, they involve challenging current cultural perceptions, creating a culture of support, creating a grief-informed culture, establishing a culture of reflection and reflexivity, and developing a whole school plan. Setting: Eight rural primary school communities in central Victoria, Australia. Method: Constructivist grounded theory with interviews and analysis occurring concurrently, allowing categories to develop alongside new questions to explore participants’ thinking and priorities. Results: Participants’ insights, knowledge and priorities fostered understanding and led to the five strategies for change that underpin this framework. Conclusion: Study participants’ desire for a societal, cultural shift in how to understand death, dying and bereavement issues in school communities serves as an important foundation for change.

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Promoting Learning for Sustainability: Principals' Perceptions of the Role of Outdoor and Environmental Education Centres

Australian Journal of Environmental Education ◽

10.1017/s0814062600001622 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 22 (1) ◽

pp. 15-29 ◽

Cited By ~ 17

Author(s):

Roy Ballantyne ◽

Jan Packer

Keyword(s):

Environmental Education ◽

Vital Role ◽

School Communities ◽

Whole School ◽

Partnership Model ◽

Point Of Entry ◽

Sustainable Schools ◽

Principals Perceptions

AbstractOutdoor and Environmental Education Centres provide programs that are designed to address a range of environmental education aims, and contribute broadly to student learning for sustainability. This paper examines the roles such Centres can play, and how they might contribute to the Australian Government's initiative in relation to sustainable schools. Interviews with the principals of 23 such Centres in Queensland revealed three roles or models under which they operate: the destination model; the expert/advisor model; and the partnership model. Principals' understandings of these roles are discussed and the factors that support or hinder their implementation are identified. It is concluded that while the provision of programs in the environment is still a vital role of outdoor and environmental education centres, these can also be seen as a point of entry to long-term partnerships with whole school communities.

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