We found 51 results that contain "conflict"
Posted on: PREP Matrix
Conflict Resolution
This playlist begins with conflict resolution strategies aimed at academic situations, moves into more general conflict-resolution advice that is widely applicable, and ends with MSU policies and resources in case grad students have to bring in more formal conflict resolution.
NAVIGATING CONTEXT
Posted on: #iteachmsu
A calming influence: Managing conflict and difficult conversations in the university classroom
At CTLI, we've compiled resources for educators to review when preparing for potentially contentious classroom discussions Domestic and global conflicts and controversies often impact our students in diverse and uniquely personal ways. Some MSU educators mentioned increased tension and potential for disruptions in your classroom. Students are coming to learn with a diverse array of perspectives, experiences, and identities that shape how they experience the world. Navigating classroom discussions on charged societal issues or current events can be extremely challenging.
The resources curated here offer guidance on fostering civil discourse and managing disruptive behavior in the classroom. We hope these resources equip you with strategies and best practices for maintaining a respectful learning environment where all students feel safe and heard. This collection includes guidelines on setting expectations for dialogue, maintaining calm, tips for redirecting off-topic or uncivil comments, sample facilitation methods for controversial discussions, and ways to de-escalate a hot-moment.
As educators, we all share the responsibility of creating classrooms where learning can thrive. In times of tension, our first priority should be to seek to understand. The role of the teacher in conflict situations is to be the agent of calm, to seek to diffuse tension, and to foster an environment where learning can happen whenever possible. With compassion and care, we can model civil engagement across differences, while also drawing reasonable boundaries around conduct. Our hope is that these resources will help equip you to handle tense situations with wisdom, patience and cultural sensitivity. (please note this collection is in progress)
The resources curated here offer guidance on fostering civil discourse and managing disruptive behavior in the classroom. We hope these resources equip you with strategies and best practices for maintaining a respectful learning environment where all students feel safe and heard. This collection includes guidelines on setting expectations for dialogue, maintaining calm, tips for redirecting off-topic or uncivil comments, sample facilitation methods for controversial discussions, and ways to de-escalate a hot-moment.
As educators, we all share the responsibility of creating classrooms where learning can thrive. In times of tension, our first priority should be to seek to understand. The role of the teacher in conflict situations is to be the agent of calm, to seek to diffuse tension, and to foster an environment where learning can happen whenever possible. With compassion and care, we can model civil engagement across differences, while also drawing reasonable boundaries around conduct. Our hope is that these resources will help equip you to handle tense situations with wisdom, patience and cultural sensitivity. (please note this collection is in progress)
PEDAGOGICAL DESIGN
Posted on: PREP Matrix
Conflict Resolution - Next Steps
What's next to learn? If you're interested in learning more about dealing with conflict and transition, try the "Managing Professional Transitions" playlist.
If you're interested in more resources about wellness and supporting your mental/emotional (and physical) health in grad school, try the "Managing Stress" playlist or the "Sustaining Support Systems" playlist.
If you want to consider a totally different facet of grad life, try the "Preparing for Your Job Search and Postdoc" playlist or the "Using Your Teaching Skills" playlist.
If you're interested in more resources about wellness and supporting your mental/emotional (and physical) health in grad school, try the "Managing Stress" playlist or the "Sustaining Support Systems" playlist.
If you want to consider a totally different facet of grad life, try the "Preparing for Your Job Search and Postdoc" playlist or the "Using Your Teaching Skills" playlist.
Authored by: Jessica Kane
Navigating Context
Posted on: #iteachmsu
The SOAR technique for classroom conflict management
Cornell University's "Getting Started with Managing Classroom Conflict" guide is a rich resource detailing how to navigate contentious situations in a classroom. One tip on that guide is to practice SOAR: Stop, Observe, Assess, and React. That guide does not elaborate on what implementing the SOAR technique look like in a classroom; here are my thoughts on what an educator might to do practice SOAR during a contentious classroom moment at MSU.Stop - Before speaking, pause to consider your physical, emotional, and intellectual position in the classroom. Consider the diversity of viewpoints among the students. Rarely will any classroom situation require immediate action. Taking even a brief moment to slow down helps to convey a sense of calm and purpose in any actions you do take.Observe - Take in the entirety of the classroom environment, including the posture and attentiveness of all the students. Make a mental note of the physical environment, should you need to usher students aside or guide students out of the space. Quickly determine where the agitation is in the room; sometimes students not directly involved in a conflict might react in unexpected ways. Use this moment of observation to evaluate what students you need to address directly.Assess - Determine if a response is merited in the immediate classroom setting. If possible diffuse the situation and address it with individuals outside of the classroom at a later time. Your goal in moments of conflict should not be to win an argument. Seek to understand and to be calm, modeling for students what civil discourse looks like. React - If immediate action is needed, state clearly that threats, violence, and harmful actions will not be tolerated.
Contact MSU DPPS if there are signs of imminent harm, violent threats, or weapons, or ask a responsible bystander to do so:
Emergencies: Call or Text 9-1-1
Non-Emergencies: Call 517-355-2221
If students are in a physical altercation with each other, use a strong, loud voice to say STOP. Often that verbal cue can be enough to cause beligerents to realise they need to redirect their emotions. Do not enter into an altercation yourself. Work to keep the situation from escalating. Calm heated emotions with a respectful tone.
Consider these sentence starters from "The Art of Coaching Teams: Building Resilient Communities that Transform Schools."
Ideally you will reach a point of control and calm when you can indicate that opinions around contentious topics matter, but that the class also must go on.
Consider giving students an opportunity to write about their opinions or feelings about a conflict. If you are comforatble doing so, provide students a platform to share with the class the contents of that writing, encouraging them to seek to understand each other without expecting that everyone will agree.
Also if you are comfortable doing so, offer your office hours as a time where civil conversation about the matter can continue later on.
Contact MSU DPPS if there are signs of imminent harm, violent threats, or weapons, or ask a responsible bystander to do so:
Emergencies: Call or Text 9-1-1
Non-Emergencies: Call 517-355-2221
If students are in a physical altercation with each other, use a strong, loud voice to say STOP. Often that verbal cue can be enough to cause beligerents to realise they need to redirect their emotions. Do not enter into an altercation yourself. Work to keep the situation from escalating. Calm heated emotions with a respectful tone.
Consider these sentence starters from "The Art of Coaching Teams: Building Resilient Communities that Transform Schools."
Ideally you will reach a point of control and calm when you can indicate that opinions around contentious topics matter, but that the class also must go on.
Consider giving students an opportunity to write about their opinions or feelings about a conflict. If you are comforatble doing so, provide students a platform to share with the class the contents of that writing, encouraging them to seek to understand each other without expecting that everyone will agree.
Also if you are comfortable doing so, offer your office hours as a time where civil conversation about the matter can continue later on.
Authored by: Jeremy Van Hof
Pedagogical Design
Posted on: PREP Matrix
Conflict Management Skills
This website allows free downloading of Mediation and Conflict Management Book by Gregorio Billikopf, which explores conflict management and mediation between peers and supervisors/subordinates.
Posted by: Admin
Navigating Context
Posted on: PREP Matrix
How to Resolve Conflict with Your Supervisor
Discusses the importance of focusing on solutions over emotions in a conflict and suggests strategies to do so.
Posted by: Admin
Navigating Context
Posted on: PREP Matrix
A Manager's Guide for Managing Conflict at Work
Strategies for managers dealing with conflict within their teams, with an emphasis on compromise and focusing on solutions. While aimed at managers in industry, its conclusions are applicable to any conflict situation.
Posted by: Admin
Navigating Context
Posted on: PREP Matrix
Conflict of Interest at MSU
This site allows MSU faculty and academic staff to submit the required annual disclosure of all significant financial interests related to their MSU responsibilities, as well as utilize Conflict of Interest training (a requirement for PHS-funded projects).
Posted by: Admin
Navigating Context
Posted on: #iteachmsu
Responding to conflict or a heated moment? Begin response statements with some combination of your levels of understanding and agreement:
I understand what you’re saying but I disagree with…
I don’t understand this element of your statement…
I agree with you on some of the things you’ve said, but in this way I disagree…
Help me to understand…
Check out the attached file for additional conflict resolution sentence starters "for Healthy Conflict" from Elena Aguilar's (2016) "The Art of Coaching Teams: Building Resilient Communities that Transform Schools" (published by Jossey-Bass).
I understand what you’re saying but I disagree with…
I don’t understand this element of your statement…
I agree with you on some of the things you’ve said, but in this way I disagree…
Help me to understand…
Check out the attached file for additional conflict resolution sentence starters "for Healthy Conflict" from Elena Aguilar's (2016) "The Art of Coaching Teams: Building Resilient Communities that Transform Schools" (published by Jossey-Bass).
Posted by: Makena Neal
Pedagogical Design
Posted on: #iteachmsu
No matter what subject matter we are teaching, the size of our class, or the time we devoted to creating an inclusive classroom, conflict is part of the learning process. Conflict may erupt due to any number of things, including problematic humor, language that is viewed by some as oppressive, stereotypes, or microaggressions.
Regardless of your content, class size, or teaching methodology, you can access some suggestions about how to handle those hot moments when they arise by clicking the attachment below.
SOURCE: MSU Office for Inclusion and Intercultural Initiatives
Regardless of your content, class size, or teaching methodology, you can access some suggestions about how to handle those hot moments when they arise by clicking the attachment below.
SOURCE: MSU Office for Inclusion and Intercultural Initiatives
Posted by: Makena Neal
Navigating Context
Posted on: #iteachmsu
Walden University has shared...
"There are many different scenarios for classroom conflicts, and not all can be resolved in the same manner; however, there are five key conflict resolution strategies that should be understood. Often a topic among teachers in online master’s degree programs, these strategies, when implemented appropriately, can help create a classroom that is more conducive to learning. They also help teach students valuable lessons for conflict resolution that can last a lifetime."
To learn more about the five conflict resolution strategies (Problem-solving negotiations, Smoothing, Forcing or win-lose negotiations, Compromising, Withdrawing) visit: https://www.waldenu.edu/online-masters-programs/master-of-arts-in-teaching/resource/five-strategies-for-managing-conflict-in-the-classroom link
"There are many different scenarios for classroom conflicts, and not all can be resolved in the same manner; however, there are five key conflict resolution strategies that should be understood. Often a topic among teachers in online master’s degree programs, these strategies, when implemented appropriately, can help create a classroom that is more conducive to learning. They also help teach students valuable lessons for conflict resolution that can last a lifetime."
To learn more about the five conflict resolution strategies (Problem-solving negotiations, Smoothing, Forcing or win-lose negotiations, Compromising, Withdrawing) visit: https://www.waldenu.edu/online-masters-programs/master-of-arts-in-teaching/resource/five-strategies-for-managing-conflict-in-the-classroom link
Posted by: Makena Neal
Pedagogical Design
Posted on: #iteachmsu
Religious Observance at MSU
All members of the MSU community, including educators and students, are eligible to observe their religious beliefs. Designing your course schedule to avoid conflicts with major days of religious observance will reduce the need to resolve individual conflicts and will better reflect and serve MSU's diverse and multicultural community.
The Office of the Provost website maintains a religious observance calendar and FAQ page (https://provost.msu.edu/academic-resources/religious-observance-calendar with dates through 2026) for educators and students. Educators are encouraged to consult this calendar before scheduling exams, tests, and major assignments.
The full policy on religious observance, including instructors' responsibilities to accommodate students' religious observance as well as students' responsibility to inform instructors about potential conflicts, can be found https://reg.msu.edu/roinfo/notices/religiouspolicy.aspx here.
All members of the MSU community, including educators and students, are eligible to observe their religious beliefs. Designing your course schedule to avoid conflicts with major days of religious observance will reduce the need to resolve individual conflicts and will better reflect and serve MSU's diverse and multicultural community.
The Office of the Provost website maintains a religious observance calendar and FAQ page (https://provost.msu.edu/academic-resources/religious-observance-calendar with dates through 2026) for educators and students. Educators are encouraged to consult this calendar before scheduling exams, tests, and major assignments.
The full policy on religious observance, including instructors' responsibilities to accommodate students' religious observance as well as students' responsibility to inform instructors about potential conflicts, can be found https://reg.msu.edu/roinfo/notices/religiouspolicy.aspx here.
Posted by: Ellie Louson
Navigating Context
Posted on: #iteachmsu
Research shows that diversity makes us smarter. Designing an inclusive classroom that allows students to share differing opinions in a brave space where people are treated with dignity can result in good learning outcomes for all. Conflict is a natural part of learning, and differences of opinion expressed in appropriate ways allow everyone to grow. An inclusive classroom allows the instructor to manage conflict in a way that harnesses differences so that they serve as learning opportunities for all.
Click the attachment below for some key elements to consider when designing an inclusive classroom.
SOURCE: MSU Office for Inclusion and Intercultural Initiatives
Click the attachment below for some key elements to consider when designing an inclusive classroom.
SOURCE: MSU Office for Inclusion and Intercultural Initiatives
Posted by: Makena Neal
Pedagogical Design
Posted on: #iteachmsu
Final exam info for courses offering an exam
You may offer a final exam in your course during the semester's exam period, which is held following the last week of classes. Final exams are typically scheduled for the same day, time period, and room as the scheduled course, if possible. According to the MSU Code of Teaching Responsibility, course instructors must include the date and location of any final examination in the syllabus.
You can locate your course's final exam details on the MSU Office of the Registrar website https://reg.msu.edu, either under "Final Exams" within the Instructor Systems menu of the Faculty & Staff section or in the Schedule of Classes entry under the Enrollment & Registration section. Once logged in to Instructor Systems, you can select the semester and course to see your final exam details, as well as a link to correct any errors.
The Instructor Systems will also show you the names of any students with an exam conflict and/or who have three or more exams on the same day. You can encourage students in either situation to contact the Academic Student Affairs Office in their college for help managing conflicts or arranging for an alternate time; the MSU exam policy states that a student can't be required to take more than two exams in one day.
The full MSU final exam policy can be found here, with further details for scheduling exams in classes with different modalities, requesting a different room, the expectation that instructors will be accessible to students via office hours, and other aspects of exam week.
https://reg.msu.edu/roinfo/calendar/finalexam.aspx
You may offer a final exam in your course during the semester's exam period, which is held following the last week of classes. Final exams are typically scheduled for the same day, time period, and room as the scheduled course, if possible. According to the MSU Code of Teaching Responsibility, course instructors must include the date and location of any final examination in the syllabus.
You can locate your course's final exam details on the MSU Office of the Registrar website https://reg.msu.edu, either under "Final Exams" within the Instructor Systems menu of the Faculty & Staff section or in the Schedule of Classes entry under the Enrollment & Registration section. Once logged in to Instructor Systems, you can select the semester and course to see your final exam details, as well as a link to correct any errors.
The Instructor Systems will also show you the names of any students with an exam conflict and/or who have three or more exams on the same day. You can encourage students in either situation to contact the Academic Student Affairs Office in their college for help managing conflicts or arranging for an alternate time; the MSU exam policy states that a student can't be required to take more than two exams in one day.
The full MSU final exam policy can be found here, with further details for scheduling exams in classes with different modalities, requesting a different room, the expectation that instructors will be accessible to students via office hours, and other aspects of exam week.
https://reg.msu.edu/roinfo/calendar/finalexam.aspx
Posted by: Ellie Louson
Navigating Context
Posted on: #iteachmsu
If ever you have utilized a collaborative approach in your courses, you might be familiar with the following. Sometime just after the middle of the semester, a student contacts you complaining about various problems and/or people within their team during the first nine or ten weeks of the term. Typically, it is clear from the language of such emails that these young adults want someone else to step in and address the litany of issues described. Yet a large part of student-centered learning is providing young minds with the tools necessary to help them navigate our courses with a reasonable amount of success as well as the skills necessary for our students to address any related interpersonal challenges. For many undergraduates in 2022, learning to manage the latter, in particular, is one area where guidance is often necessary. Here is the language I now use to provide helpful suggestions that keep students in the driver's seat without helicoptering in to the rescue myself:
Thank you for your email X. Your frustration is certainly understandable. The issue(s) you describe are something that the entire team should address together in order to determine a concrete and efficient way forward. Communication, problem solving, conflict resolution, and revision of team work habits or processes are all part of effective collaboration.
With that in mind, take a proactive approach to the points outlined in your email. That means ALL of you should collaborate to identify the exact problems hindering the team. A passive ‘wait and see’ approach will not change the situation. Neither will a round of strident text messages or email back and forth between team members. What will help is for all team members to prioritize a meeting in real time plus their direct involvement in making concrete decisions to improve the dynamic and move ahead in the most efficient way possible.
Whether your team meets online or face to face, have an honest yet civil discussion to determine and implement the changes team members deem necessary. This is not easy, but it is vital for improving the situation. Positive change in a team setting comes through strategic, organized, and well-executed plans with specific goals identified and carried out in an orderly manner.
Beginning this sort of conversation might feel uncomfortable, but it is necessary. Contact your other team members right away. Arrange a meeting in real time to pinpoint and address the ongoing issues within the team. Brief explainer videos, part of each course module, provide tips for effective collaboration, but here are three for review that are most relevant:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDX61xCHN74&t=58s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BghSivQlhVY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIuTi83L0vE
It is also beneficial for the entire team to revisit its list of values developed early in the semester plus the specific member roles determined at that point. These tasks were part of Week Three team activities when weekly collaboration began. Likewise, have a look again at your collective responses to questions on the team assessment worksheets, part of the collaborative work for Week Six and Week 11. On those, your team took stock of its processes and work habits followng completion of Project #1 and Project #2. Your team also identified collective steps it could take to improve collaboration as part of that work.
Keep in mind that active collaboration to address team issues is solid practice for life in the globalized digital economy of the 21st century where 'teams' are the norm. In most fields now, no single person is responsible for project research, development, and completion. Cohesive teamwork is the name of the game.
Careful attention to the guidance above will help your team have a productive discussion, pull together, and move forward more effectively in the time remaining this semester. Your student learning team is in the driver’s seat and has the power to do this.
Kind Regards,
Prof. Y
Keep in mind that the intent is to guide and empower young adults in navigating their own lives. The language offered above might be too forthright for some, but it gets to the heart of the matter and communicates to students that their interpersonal issues are something they must learn to handle now if they have not already done so. After all, the adult world following graduation is not that far off, and we do our students no favors by taking care of their problems for them.
The language presented works for individual queries but can also be sent to the entire student learning team as a reminder with appropriate changes made. If this idea sounds like something you might like to try yourself, feel free to tailor the reply above to your own needs.
Thank you for your email X. Your frustration is certainly understandable. The issue(s) you describe are something that the entire team should address together in order to determine a concrete and efficient way forward. Communication, problem solving, conflict resolution, and revision of team work habits or processes are all part of effective collaboration.
With that in mind, take a proactive approach to the points outlined in your email. That means ALL of you should collaborate to identify the exact problems hindering the team. A passive ‘wait and see’ approach will not change the situation. Neither will a round of strident text messages or email back and forth between team members. What will help is for all team members to prioritize a meeting in real time plus their direct involvement in making concrete decisions to improve the dynamic and move ahead in the most efficient way possible.
Whether your team meets online or face to face, have an honest yet civil discussion to determine and implement the changes team members deem necessary. This is not easy, but it is vital for improving the situation. Positive change in a team setting comes through strategic, organized, and well-executed plans with specific goals identified and carried out in an orderly manner.
Beginning this sort of conversation might feel uncomfortable, but it is necessary. Contact your other team members right away. Arrange a meeting in real time to pinpoint and address the ongoing issues within the team. Brief explainer videos, part of each course module, provide tips for effective collaboration, but here are three for review that are most relevant:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDX61xCHN74&t=58s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BghSivQlhVY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIuTi83L0vE
It is also beneficial for the entire team to revisit its list of values developed early in the semester plus the specific member roles determined at that point. These tasks were part of Week Three team activities when weekly collaboration began. Likewise, have a look again at your collective responses to questions on the team assessment worksheets, part of the collaborative work for Week Six and Week 11. On those, your team took stock of its processes and work habits followng completion of Project #1 and Project #2. Your team also identified collective steps it could take to improve collaboration as part of that work.
Keep in mind that active collaboration to address team issues is solid practice for life in the globalized digital economy of the 21st century where 'teams' are the norm. In most fields now, no single person is responsible for project research, development, and completion. Cohesive teamwork is the name of the game.
Careful attention to the guidance above will help your team have a productive discussion, pull together, and move forward more effectively in the time remaining this semester. Your student learning team is in the driver’s seat and has the power to do this.
Kind Regards,
Prof. Y
Keep in mind that the intent is to guide and empower young adults in navigating their own lives. The language offered above might be too forthright for some, but it gets to the heart of the matter and communicates to students that their interpersonal issues are something they must learn to handle now if they have not already done so. After all, the adult world following graduation is not that far off, and we do our students no favors by taking care of their problems for them.
The language presented works for individual queries but can also be sent to the entire student learning team as a reminder with appropriate changes made. If this idea sounds like something you might like to try yourself, feel free to tailor the reply above to your own needs.
Posted by: Stokes Schwartz
Pedagogical Design