What is Conflict

What we will be doing today: Recognizing conflict situations in everyday life: family, neighbourhood, school, club. Comparing personal (internal) experience of conflict and outward observ-ing and conflict analysis. We will focus on VIOLENT and NON-VIOLENT reactions to conflict.

	A song. The pupils sing a song which they choose and which everybody knows. Every time a word beginning with a letter that appears most often in the first few words of the song at the beginning, the pupils stand up, or they sit down if they were standing.
	Knife and fork. Between knife and fork, which is more useful? The children discuss in pairs: one takes the role of fork, the other the role of knife. Then they change roles. Round table discussion: How did the debate about which was more useful finish up? Whose argument carried more weight? Does there exist a "joint" resolution ?
	Brother and Sister. Brother and sister are watching TV. He would like to watch the sports match on one channel, while she wants to see the docu-mentary film on another. Children in pairs (in 2 concentric circles one opposite the other) play the role of the brother (outside circle), or the role of the sister (inner circle). They can decide about the resolving or non re-solving this conflict situation. Then they switch the roles. Round table discussion: What happened between the brother and the sister? How do you feel when you disagree with someone? What would you have most readily done in this conflict? Did you find some resolution good for both sides?
	Journalist's notebook. The pupils imagine they are journalists reporting for a local or school newspaper. In their journalist's notebook they have to describe one conflict (real or imagined) from their surroundings. from the neighbourhood, from the school, from the family, from the market place, from the train...The description of the conflict must be written in such a way so that the following questions can be answered in this order: WHERE did it happen'? WHO participated? WHAT was the problem? HOW did the people in the conflict behave? After they finish, the pupils read several examples. Then everyone in the circle reads an answer to the same question - How did the people in the conflict behave (what gestures, words, actions were described?) We save the examples by depositing them in the "Post Box" because we will need them in one of the next sessions.
	How do we behave in conflict. On the board under the headings VIOLENT REACTIONS and NON-VIOLENT REACTIONS TO CON-FLICT we write down everything the pupils say, reminding them about what they noticed during conflicts in the school.
	Tenderness. Imagine a tender gesture which you would like to be given from someone of your age. If it's your turn - show it on the pupil next to you. This is a farewell greeting. Task for the next meeting: Fill in the worksheet about CONFLICT. You try to observe conflicts in your environment over the course of the next several days.

Instructions: 1. Make notes about conflicts that you winess in the next three days. 2. Be as precise as you can in your written notes. 3. Note down only what you see and hear.   CONFLICT 1 CONFLICT 2 CONFLICT 3 WHO WAS INVOLVED       WHERE? (Classroom, playground, house)       WHAT WAS DONE OR SAID? (Acts, words)       HOW WAS THE CONFLICT RESOLVED? (satisfactorily, badly)       YOUR TASK: Select one of the examples of conflict and suggest another manner in which it could have been resolved.   Cooperation is better than conflict