Case Study
Promoting Relational Practices for Grade 9 Students
A local Secondary School approached Just Outcomes requesting assistance with a Grade 9 class that was struggling with building up a respectful environment. Though no acute incident had happened, classroom teachers wanted the opportunity to increase the skills in the classroom towards better listening, communication, and compassionate relationships. The school requested a workshop tailored mainly for the students, including a follow-up workshop for their teachers.
As the project lead, Just Outcomes Director Catherine Bargen drew upon her years of teaching mediation and restorative dialogue to secondary school students to design a training that was highly interactive and youth-focused. The students were invited into understanding their own styles within conflict, and how these styles can affect everyday interactions. They also explored the impact of using “I-statements” vs “you-statements” and the importance of behavioral observation and curiosity as compared with jumping to assumptions. The students particularly enjoyed engaging in some debate activities focused on topics such as pet preferences, seasonal activities, and Taylor Swift—and then learning how to shift debate into relational dialogue and deeper listening.
Weeks later, teachers were led through similar exercises in their context, and given the opportunity to reflect together on the impacts of the workshop and consider how to best support these skills within their classrooms.
In written evaluations, students expressed: “I understand myself and others better” and “I wish it could have been a bit longer so we could have gone through everything more in depth”. One student generously described workshop as “not as boring as I thought!” Teachers observed positive shifts in the classroom and reflected that their own insights during their workshops would equip them with refreshed skills in managing conflict and maintaining a positive and respectful classroom culture.