Conflict and Win-Win Situations Advisory Lesson Westport Middle School

Icebreaker- Macaroni and Cheese Students form groups of three. Each group chooses a pair of things that go together. Macaroni and cheese, salt and pepper, chips and salsa, dogs and bones, ducks and water, shoes and socks, left and right Two out of three students from each group find spots around the room and close their eyes. The third person in the group guides the two together, helping them navigate around the other people in the room. One student says one part of the pair, and the other student says the other part of the pair.

Learning Target and Agenda I can learn how to resolve conflicts appropriately. Agenda: Review and discuss conflict. Game Reflect Exit Slip

Review Conflict What is Conflict? What do you normally do when you have a conflict with someone? A friend? A classmate? An adult? Do what you do (and how you react) usually help or hurt your situation?

What Are Some Ways to Avoid or Resolve Conflict? Smooth it over. Let it go. Drop it. Exit the situation. Postpone, pause and reflect, return to the problem later. Seek out a trusted adult, a level-headed friend, or a mediator to help. Problem solve.

Negotiating Today we are focusing on a type of problem solving called negotiating. What is negotiating? Talking out a problem and finding a solution that works for everyone.

Arm Wrestling You will be paired with a partner. The object of the game is to get as many points as possible. Every time the back of one person’s hand touches the table, the other person earns a point. Must use standard arm wresting etiquette – elbows stay on table, use only one hand, etc. You will have 60 seconds to arm wrestle each round. Keep track of your points as an individual and combined.

Let’s Discuss! Did you think there had to be a winner and a loser? Was this game a competition? Did you think there had to be a winner and a loser? Did you think it was a competition between partners? Which partners won? What was their strategy? Did you change what you did each round? How can competition help or hurt a situation?

So what are we getting at? Conflict often escalates when each person feels the need to WIN. It turns into a competition, where you want to WIN, and you want the other person to LOSE. Negotiating is finding a solution so that BOTH people WIN.

How to Negotiate In order to negotiate, you will have to CALMLY talk to the person you are having a conflict with! You can also ask a trusted adult to help you talk. Share and listen to each other’s point of view. Take turns! Don’t interrupt! Think and suggest ways that BOTH of you get at least something you want.

Let’s Recap the Game How could you and your partner negotiate to get more points combined? Let’s try one more round!

Exit Slip How was the arm wrestling activity like negotiating? How can negotiating lead to a win-win?