During the first preparation phase of Restorative Practices for Educators, before we start our first live Zoom session, there are several key concepts below for your review. Think of this as a flipped-classroom model where you will spend about 2 hours learning new information before we meet in our live sessions to process that information and engage in activities together.
Please watch the videos below, read the excerpts provided from Restorative Justice Conferencing, and use the questions to guide your learning. These questions are included simply to help you know where to focus your attention. Answers will not be collected.
Social Discipline Window and Restorative Continuum Review
Watch Social Discipline Window and Continuum Review (5:38) and read this excerpt from Restorative Justice Conferencing.
As you are watching and reading, consider the following:
- In which box of the Social Discipline Window do you spend most of your time?
- Are the current policies of your school/organization to, for, not, or with?
- Will the current policies support conferences?
- Contrast punitive and restorative responses to wrongdoing.
Conference Applications
Please watch these videos:
- Varied Uses of Conferencing in Schools (6:34)
- Restorative Justice in Schools (6:35)
- RJ Practices: A Conference Story and Reflection (9:32)
As you are watching, consider the following questions:
- How do you envision conferencing being used in your setting?
- How do restorative conferences provide a structured opportunity to repair interpersonal harm?
- How do restorative conferences encourage individuals to take responsibility for their actions?
- What are the benefits and challenges of a restorative conference?
The Conference Process
Watch How to Facilitate a Conference (37:23) and read this excerpt from Restorative Justice Conferencing, as well as the Conference Facilitator's Script.
As you are watching and reading, consider the following questions:
- What skills do you need to facilitate a conference?
- How do restorative conferences give voice to and empower direct stakeholders in the wake of an incident?
- What is the experience for participants (those harmed, those who harmed, and supporters) in a restorative conference?
- What key areas do you need to work on to become a competent facilitator?
- What does it mean to be a neutral facilitator? Is neutrality realistic?
- As a facilitator, how can you be cognizant of power imbalance due to race, class, gender, sexual identity, disability, etc.?
- As a facilitator, what supports are in place to help you process your experience?
Shame and Affect Theory
Watch Shame and Affect Theory (16:10) and read this excerpt from Restorative Justice Conferencing. As you are watching and reading, consider the following questions:
- How does your school currently respond to wrongdoing? Is it effective?
- How do you reintegrate students back to the school community?
- Which shame responses might you see in participants (those harmed, those who harmed, and supporters) during a restorative conference?
- How does the conference process support Don Nathanson's definition of community?