Attachment_1-Sample_CONFLICT_MANAGEMENT_SYLLABUS.docx

DoDEA CEDR CONFLICT MANAGEMENT COURSE Sample Course Syllabus Summer 2018

Course Overview and Goals

We are excited to be working with you on this Conflict Management Distance Learning course for DoDEA educators.

The DODEA Conflict Management course is designed for educators to help them develop skills for conflict management and to help build constructive conflict cultures in their schools. This course will help educators handle conflict constructively with students, peers, parents, and administration. And, as an added bonus, the course will provide suggestions for how teachers can integrate conflict skills in their classroom and school practices through the use of research-proven conflict resolution education and social and emotional learning.

The course content will cover 14 topic areas organized into five basic sections: (1) Overview and Basic Communication Skills in Conflict, (2) Drivers of Conflict (Identity, Emotion and Power), (3) Conflict Management Approaches and Skills, (4) Diversity and Culture in Conflict, and (5) Effective Use of Technology for Constructive Conflict.

As instructors of this course we hope to create a learning experience that helps you transfer knowledge into immediate application in your work as an educator. We hope to help you understand your strengths and weaknesses as conflict managers and to provide you with strategic and tactical ways to improve and transfer your enhanced conflict management skills to your classrooms and schools.

This course will be delivered over the June 21through July 20, 2018 period and is 15 contact hours in length, with an expected out of class workload ratio of two hours per each contact hour. There will be required readings and assignments, graded on a conventional basis. All assignments are designed to help you apply the content of the course to your immediate work situation.

Course Schedule (Days and Times)

The Course is offered from June 21st to July 20st, 2018, with a final writing project due on July 23rd. It is delivered in seven two-hour interactive webinars and 1 one-hour webinar. There are two cohorts for this course. Cohort 1 will serve the educators in all DoDEA locations. Cohort 2 will serve the educators in the Pacific and in the U.S. (the Americas and HQ).

7-8 am Thurs, June 21 1-2 pm Thurs., June 21 8-10 pm Thurs, June 21 6-7 pm Tues, June 22 7-8 am

7-9 am Mon June 25 1-3 pm Mon., June 25 8-10 pm Mon, June 25 6-8 pm Tues, June 26 7-9 am

7-9 am Thurs, June 28 1-3 pm Thurs., June 28 8-10 pm Thurs, June 28 6-8 pm Fri, June 29 7-9 am

7-9 am Mon, July 2 1-3 pm Mon, July 2 8-10 pm Mon, July 2 6-8 pm Tues, July 3 7-9 am

7-9 am Mon, July 9 1-3 pm Mon, July 9 8-10 pm Mon, July 9 6-8 pm Tues, July 10 7-9 am

7-9 am Thurs, July 12 1-3 pm Thurs, July 12 8-10 pm Thurs, July 12 6-8 pm Fri, July 13 7-9 am

7-9 am Mon, July 16 1-3 pm Mon, July 16 8-10 pm Mon, July 16 6-9 pm Tues, July 17 7-9 am

7-9 am Thurs, July 19 1-3 pm Thurs, July 19 8-10 pm Thurs, July 19 6-8 pm Fri, July 20 7-9 am

Course Schedule:

Overview of Modules, Course Schedules and Assignments:

The course content will cover 14 topic areas organized into five basic sections: Overview, Basic Communication Skills in Conflict, Drivers of Conflict (Identity, Emotion and Power), Conflict Management Approaches and Skills, Diversity and Culture in Conflict, and Effective Use of Technology for Constructive Conflict.

June 21/22, 2018 – Webinar #1 (Thursday/Friday) 1-hour module

CONTENT SECTION: OVERVIEW OF CONFLICT

1. Understanding Conflict

· Define conflict

· Sources of conflict

· Basic needs and conflict; appropriate and inappropriate methods for meeting needs

· Conflicts Among Us – a conflict audit of your schools

· Functional and dysfunctional conflict

· Introduction to conflict resolution education

June 25/26, 2018 – Webinar #2 (Monday/Tuesday) 2-hour module

CONTENT SECTION: BASIC COMMUNICATION SKILLS IN CONFLICT

2. Listening: The Most Essential Skill in Conflict

· Focus on good listening skills

· Formal listening assessments

· Understand link between listening and perception

3. Perceptions: Bias, Perspective-Taking, and Perception Checking

· The perception process

· Perceptual bias in conflict

· Perception-Checking: A technique to test assumptions and remain constructive

4. Constructive Feedback – Giving and Receiving

· Giving constructive feedback

· Responding to feedback

· How to respond when the other resists feedback

June 28/29, 2018 – Webinar #3 (Thursday/Friday)

CONTENT SECTION: DRIVERS OF CONFLICT: EMOTION, IDENTITY AND POWER

5. Emotions and Conflict: Conflict Escalation and De-escalation:

· Emotional competence and conflict

· Introduce the Goleman and Boyatzis ESCI model of Social and emotional competence/Emotional Intelligence

· Emotional triggers

· How emotions escalate conflict

· Emotional flooding

· Emotional contagion

· Dealing with defensiveness

· Strategies to counteract defensive communication

· Overview of Social and Emotional Learning Programs and Research

July 2/3, 2018 – Webinar #4 (Monday/Tuesday)

CONTENT SECTION: DRIVERS OF CONFLICT: EMOTION, IDENTITY AND POWER

6. Identity and Communicating Respectfully in Conflict

· Respecting others – honoring identity as key to respect

· Types of respectful communication – how to show respect

· Types of disrespectful communication – what not to do and why

7. Power and Conflict:

· Nature of power

· Power resources

· Goals and power

· Bullying as the dark side of power: Adult bullying in K-12

· Bullying Programs K-12

July 9/10, 2018 – Webinar #5 (Monday/Tuesday)

CONTENT SECTION: COLLABORATION AND CONFLICT COMPETENCE

8. Conflict Styles: Best Choices

· Introduce conflict styles using the Thomas-Kilmann Model

· Appreciate advantages and disadvantages of each style and when each style best fits the situation

9. Interest-Based Negotiation

· Introduce the collaborative, interest-based model of negotiation

· Explore the varieties of interests that can influence negotiation

July 12/13, 2018 – Webinar #6 (Thursday/Friday) 2-hour module

CONTENT SECTION: COLLABORATION AND CONFLICT COMPETENCE

10. Helping Others with Conflict The focus of this session is how to use skills as a third party informally helping someone else in conflict.

· Peer Coaching Others in Conflict

· Peer Conflict Coaching in Special Education

· Peer Conflict Coaching for Teachers and Students

· Mediation

· Informal Mediation for Teachers and Staff

· Peer Mediation for Students

· Facilitating Dialogue

· Restorative Practices Programs for Schools

July 16/17, 2018 – Webinar #7 (Monday/Tuesday) 2-hour module

11. Appreciating Cultures and Diversity in Your Schools

· Recognizing cultures in practice – including your own

· Being aware of rules of communication being used – verbal and nonverbal

· Direct and indirect language in conflict

· Nonverbal adjustments in conflict

12. Cultural Differences in Conflict Attitudes and Behaviors

· Accommodating cultural difference in conflict

· Nadler and Nadler model of conflict and culture

· Reaching across Social Boundaries – A Dialogue Model for Diversity

July 19/20, 2018 – Webinar #8 (Thursday/Friday) 2 hour Module

CONTENT SECTION: TECHNOLOGY AND CONFLICT: MAKING SURE TECHNOLOGY DOES NOT CREATE DYSFUNCTIONAL CONFLICT

13. Using Communication Technology Effectively

· Situations best suited to CT rather than face-to-face

14. Effective Team Work: Working in Face-to-face and Virtual teams

· Virtual teams

· How leaders can set the agenda for effective virtual teaming

· The critical issue of building trust in virtual teams