The education sector is
evolving in many ways. There are exciting new changes that are allowing schools
to be a more productive, beneficial, and healthy environment for students.
Restorative justice is one such practice that is beginning to gain traction in
many schools in the west. It has the potential to improve the schooling system in Pakistan as well if implemented correctly.
But what exactly is
restorative justice and what does it include? Moreover, how is it beneficial
for students, teachers, and the school in its entirety? Here is everything you
need to know, as a teacher, about restorative justice.
The Traditional
Discipline System
Traditionally, schools
would follow a “zero-tolerance” disciplinary system. A zero-tolerance
disciplinary system meant that students would be directly punished for any
misdemeanor or mistake that they made. For example, fines for late-coming,
detention for not completing homework, and suspension for fighting with
peers.
The rationale behind
this discipline system was that the punishment would “scare” the student into
behaving, and would teach them a lesson if they did not.
Many schools in Pakistan
still follow this zero-tolerance policy. However, the truth is that while it
may succeed in causing students to fear suspension, it does not actually help
change the mindset of the child, and does not allow them to understand the
consequences of their actions, take responsibility, and change their
behavior.
Restorative Justice
On the other hand,
restorative justice is a disciplinary system that focuses on cooperation,
responsibility, and mediation, rather than punishment. With restorative
justice, students are made to understand their responsibilities in terms of
their personal behavior as well as their behavior with others. When conflict or
misdemeanor arises, then the affected parties are counseled, the root of the
issue is identified, and solutions are found.
The heart of restorative
justice is to heal the damage that is caused by any sort of misbehavior or
conflict. There are three major components that make up restorative justice,
also known as the three tiers.
Tiers of Restorative
Justice
First Tier: Community
Building
This focuses on the
prevention of any conflicts through community building. It allows all the
students in the classroom to develop their social-emotional skills so that they
can understand each other better. This way, they are better able to understand
the effect of their behavior on others. In this stage, teachers can focus on
community building by holding meaningful discussions with their students, and
creating “community guidelines” for their classroom.
This is a huge step away
from the traditional Pakistani schooling system that focuses on classroom
lectures, exam preparation, and strict rules. This no-frills approach creates
alienation between the school and the students and does not facilitate personal
growth or grooming for the students.
Second Tier: Restorative
Practices
This stage takes place
whenever an incident arises. It focuses on mediation as a form of intervention,
rather than punishment. So, for example, if a student does not complete their
homework or gets into a fight with a classmate, then rather than being given
detention for it, they are given the opportunity to accept responsibility for
their mistake and are provided counseling and mediation, usually by the
teacher.
During this time, the
teacher can ask non-judgemental questions such as “what happened?” and “how can
we make it better?” This allows the student to work together with the teacher,
and sometimes parents if a meeting is called, in order to find the root of the
problem and take actions to correct it.
Third Tier:
Re-Integration
This stage occurs in the
case that a student does face suspension or detention, whether voluntarily or
involuntarily, and is to return to the classroom. This can be a stressful time
for the student to get back into the classroom community. This stage of restorative
justice allows the class to support and re-welcome the student and take actions
to ensure that the student does not fall out of the loop again.
How To Integrate
Restorative Justice With Learning
As a teacher, you may be
wondering, “how can I spend so much time and effort focusing on restorative
justice while also teaching in the limited time I have?” While it is true that
restorative justice is a lengthy and time-consuming process, it is possible to
fully integrate it with your teaching methods.
Restorative justice does
not need to be a hugely promoted ideology in your classroom. But subtly
implementing restorative justice methods can make all the difference in making
your students more comfortable and well-behaved in class. So, you do not need
to forgo your course curriculum, exam preparation, and past papers practice in
order to successfully implement restorative justice.
Simply asking a student
to take responsibility in a non-judgemental manner, rather than doling out
punishment right away, will create a more comfortable classroom environment,
while also making students develop a sense of self-awareness. As a result, they
can become more well-rounded individuals.
Seeing as though a large
majority of students and teachers daily lives are spent in a classroom, it
should be a healthy environment that focuses on fostering personal relations
and developing problem-solving skills, as well as providing students with
information and exam preparation in order to perform well on their final exams.
Thus, including a restorative justice disciplinary system will surely help
improve the overall classroom climate and environment.
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