The classroom is a place to teach basic skills such as reading, writing and arithmetic. In a fast-paced and demanding world, teaching life skills is equally important. Conflict resolution is an important skill that can benefit students throughout their lives. There are numerous activities that teachers can use to help students deal with conflict and determine the best ways to resolve it.

Be Strong, Be Mean, Give In

This classroom activity teaches students about the choices they can make when faced with conflict. Provide students with examples of conflict such as being taunted by a fellow student, arguing with someone whose opinion differs from their own, or joining others in an act that would hurt someone else. Explain three possible choices they can make. Being strong allows the student to respect the other person's opinion, yet stand up for their own, differing opinion. Being mean would incur fighting back or doing something to hurt the other person. Giving in would mean going along with the other person even though they don't agree. Discuss each example by asking students which choice they would make, and why. Encourage students to defend their choice and then come to a consensus of what might be the best choice in each situation.

Conflict Versus Violence

Give students time to research the definitions of both conflict and violence and have them list two or three examples of each. Discuss the definitions and examples. Explain how conflict can be positive when it encourages healthy arguments, persuades someone to see another side of an issue, and how resolution can bring us closer to our opponent. Pair off students and ask them to tell their partner about a recent conflict they experienced, how it made them feel, how they handled it, and the final outcome. Have students report these situations to the rest of the class and encourage them to suggest alternative resolutions.

Brainstorming Resolutions

Present a conflict scenario to the class. Then ask students to suggest ways to resolve the conflict and list them on a board or flip chart. No answer is wrong or right as the object is to get many different ideas listed for discussion. Take each idea and discuss whether it is a viable solution, and why. Check-mark those that are determined to be a possibility and cross off those that the group decides would not work. At the end of the discussions, have students vote on which of the remaining solutions is the best way to resolve the conflict. When voting is complete, explain to students the negotiating tools they just used to resolve a conflict and how they can be applied to other situations.

Different and Same

Have students write down 10 qualities about themselves on a sheet of paper. Encourage students to have a mix of physical characteristics as well as personality traits. Call on students and ask them to name one of their characteristics and list it on a board. Once you have a solid list, choose the items one by one and ask students to raise their hands if they share that quality. Write the number of responses next to the trait. At the end, discuss with students ways we are different and ways we are alike. Ask students to state ways those similarities and differences cause conflict and how we can overcome them.