Restorative Practices (RP)
Restorative Practices is a fairly new approach to dealing with behavioural issues in schools, and has been borrowed from the principles of restorative justice used in the criminal system. Restorative Practices are gaining momentum and credence in school environments. At the core of this approach is a desire to look after and nurture relationships and to give all parties involved in a disciplinary issue a 'voice'.
Villanova College in Brisbane is currently using the Restorative Practices approach to discipline – with some apparent success. Their website explains that the traditional approach to school discipline asks three questions in response to wrongdoing:
· What happened?
· Who’s to blame? and
· What do they deserve?
This traditional approach leaves those who have been most affected by the wrongful behaviour without a voice, and without their needs being addressed as part of the ‘solution.’ It also doesn't effectively challenge the wrongdoer to be accountable to those he has harmed.
The Restorative approach, on the other hand, starts from a different set of questions:
· What happened?
· Who’s been harmed? and
· What needs to happen to repair some of that harm?
In this approach to dealing with wrongdoing the focus is on the harm that has been done and the obligation this brings on the part of those responsible to ‘right the wrong’ as much as possible. It’s an approach that seeks to develop in the wrongdoer an understanding of the breadth and depth of the harm their behaviour has caused to others so that they can best try to make amends to those most affected. In this way, it’s an educative approach and may be of particular relevance in the reduction of school bullying.
Effective use of ‘Restorative Practices’ really requires a whole school approach, however elements and ideas can be implemented in your classroom. In fact, Rogers' (2006) 'classroom meeting' ideas contain elements of restorative practices, as do his ideas that relationships between student and teacher should be repaired at the end of the day so each day finishes as positively as possible.
The following video (courtesy of YouTube) provides an introduction to the use of Restorative Practices in Education.
Villanova College in Brisbane is currently using the Restorative Practices approach to discipline – with some apparent success. Their website explains that the traditional approach to school discipline asks three questions in response to wrongdoing:
· What happened?
· Who’s to blame? and
· What do they deserve?
This traditional approach leaves those who have been most affected by the wrongful behaviour without a voice, and without their needs being addressed as part of the ‘solution.’ It also doesn't effectively challenge the wrongdoer to be accountable to those he has harmed.
The Restorative approach, on the other hand, starts from a different set of questions:
· What happened?
· Who’s been harmed? and
· What needs to happen to repair some of that harm?
In this approach to dealing with wrongdoing the focus is on the harm that has been done and the obligation this brings on the part of those responsible to ‘right the wrong’ as much as possible. It’s an approach that seeks to develop in the wrongdoer an understanding of the breadth and depth of the harm their behaviour has caused to others so that they can best try to make amends to those most affected. In this way, it’s an educative approach and may be of particular relevance in the reduction of school bullying.
Effective use of ‘Restorative Practices’ really requires a whole school approach, however elements and ideas can be implemented in your classroom. In fact, Rogers' (2006) 'classroom meeting' ideas contain elements of restorative practices, as do his ideas that relationships between student and teacher should be repaired at the end of the day so each day finishes as positively as possible.
The following video (courtesy of YouTube) provides an introduction to the use of Restorative Practices in Education.
