Why Peer Mediation is Needed?

Now that you know what peer mediation is, here are a few interesting facts regarding the need for Peer Mediation in the middle school setting.

Violent Deaths at School

• From July 1, 2009 through June 30, 2010, there were 33 school-associated violent deaths in elementary and secondary schools in the United States.

Nonfatal Student Victimization-Student Reports

• The victimization rates for students in 2010 varied according to student characteristics. No measurable differences were found by age group (i.e., students ages 12-14 vs. students ages 15-18) in the rates of total victimization, theft, and serious violent victimization at school. However, the rates of violent victimization at school were higher for younger students (ages 12-14) than for older students (ages 15-18).

Violence and Crime at School-Principal Reports

• During the 2009-2010 school year, 85% of public schools recorded that one or more of these incidents of violence, theft, or other crimes had taken place, amounting to an estimated 1.9 million crimes. This figure translates to a rate of approximately 40 crimes per 1,000 students enrolled in 2009-2010. During the same year, 60% of schools reported one of the specified crimes to the police, amounting to about 689,000 crimes-or 15 crimes per 1,000 students enrolled.

Perceptions of Personal Safety at School and Away from School

• In 2009, a higher percentage of students ages 12-18 reported that they were afraid of attack or harm at school than away from school during the school year. Between 1995-2009, the percentage of student who reported being afraid of attack or harm at school decreased from 12 to 4 percent.

Bullying at School and Cyber-Bullying

• In 2009, about 28% of students ages 12-18 reported being bullied at school during the school year. Student's reports of being bullied at school varied by student and school characteristics. In 2009, a high percentage of females (20%) than males (13%) ages 12-18 reported being the subject of rumors, while a lower percentage of females (8%) and Males (10%) reported being pushed, shoved, tripped, or spit on. In addition a higher percentage of females (6%) than males (4%) also reported being excluded from activities on purpose. In 2009, approximately 6% of students ages 12-18 reported being cyber-bullied anywhere during the school year. Among those students who were bullied at school or cyber-bullied anywhere, there generally were no measurable differences between males and females in the frequency in which they were bullied.

Peer Mediation Process Example

This video is a great example of what the peer mediation process can look like.  

Peer Mediation Theoretical Assumptions

Adolescence is one of the most intricate and complex transitions for an individual during their life span. During this time relationships with peers and family members develop into new roles. Middle school students often have to deal with peer pressure, new social and gender rules, increases pressure on academics, self identity, and more independence. Group counseling with this age group can help improve academic success, self-esteem, awareness, and social skills.

This specific middle school peer mediation  program is based of a children helping children model and there is an abundance of literature supporting this model. Advantages of this type of program include that peer mediators have greater credibility regarding social interactions. Peers serve as role models, demonstrate positive behaviors, and promote solutions. This type of program promotes student involvement and student management.

In the creation of this program, the peer mediators will work through a group counseling process similar to that of a psycho-educational group. Throughout the peer mediation process, mediators will continue to meet in a group setting to process various situations and to practice mediation skills on the smaller systemic level. Group counseling in schools can be a very powerful and important experience for children. Groups allow adolescents to develop social skills and practice behaviors with peers. These increases in social skills and effective coping skills increase academic success in the classroom.

This program also has roots systemically, because of all of the various systems involved in the process. The process incorporates the use of staff, administrators, parents and students and the program works best when all of those various levels work together for a common cause.

Grant, H. (2001). Group counseling in schools: Effective or not?. International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, 21. 12.

Lane, P. S. (1992). A peer mediaton model: Conflict resolution for elementary and middle school children. Elementary School Guidance & Counseling. 27, 1-2.

Peer Mediator Group #4

Stage #1 Introduction & Ground Rules

• Introductions
• Get VERBAL yes/no to ground rules:
• Remain seated
• No interruptions
• Respect each other - no put downs
• Confidentiality and Neutrality explained
• Explain 6 phases
• Notes may be taken and time out discussed
• Questions

Stage #2 Telling the Story

• Introduce stage two
• Mediators ask one disputant to: "Please tell your side of the story." Mediators use active listening skills, good eye contact, acknowledge, open ended questions, and paraphrasing. 
• Mediator summarizes first disputant's story and thanks
• Mediator asks the disputant,"How do you feel about the problem?"
• Mediator reflects on first disputant's feelings & thanks
• Mediator repeats this process for second disputant 

Stage #3 Understanding the Problem

• Introduce stage three
• Mediators direct participants to talk to each other (keep disputants focused and within the ground rules.)
• Ask the first disputant: "What does _____ say the problem is?"
• Ask the second disputant: "Is this correct?"
• Repeat this process with the second disputant
• Ask the first disputant: "How do you think ____ feels?"
• Repeat this process with the second disputant.
• Ask "Do each of you understand how the other feels?" If either says NO, repeat stages two and three.

Stage #4 Identifying Solutions

• Introduce stage four
• Explain that each person will come up with solutions to solve the problem.
• Alternate asking each person for solutions.
• Write down ALL solutions
• If disputant gets "stuck" ask, "What do you need to solve the problem?" or "What can YOU do to help solve the problem?"
• Read back solutions, one by one. Ask each person if they agree after you read each.
• Ask "Are there any more solutions to be added?"

Stage #5 Resolution

• Introduce stage five
• Re-read the agreement
• Write down all solutions agreed upon on contract
• Have both parties sign the contract
• Both mediators sign the contract
• Explain that the contract will be available for review later. 

Stage #6 Departure & Follow-up

• Thank parties for choosing mediation
• Tell participants "We will follow up with you in a few days to see how your solutions are working."
• Remind students about confidentiality
• Mention re-mediation option
• Ask for final questions.
• Depart mediaton in an approved safe way
• Give contract to advisor and receive pass to class

Peer Mediator Group #3

Communication Leads:

• "What I hear you saying..."
• "You believe..."
• "As you see it..."
• "It seems to you..."
• "From your point of view..."
• "You feel..."
• "I'm picking up that you..."
• "You're... (identify the feeling: angry, sad, overjoyed, etc.)
• "From where you stand..."

Having trouble perceiving clearly? Try one of these phrases:

• "Could it be that..."
• I'm not sure if I'm with you, but..."
• "I wonder if..."
• "Let me see if I understand you, but..."
• This is what i think I hear you saying..."
• "Correct me if I'm wrong, but..."
• "What I guess I am hearing..."

Signs of Increasing Anxiety - Non Directed:

• Toe Tapping
• Finger Tapping
• Hair Pulling or Twirling
• Leg Jiggling
• Clenching Fists
• Clenching Jaw
• Curling or Moving Lips
• Squirming in Seat

Signs of Increasing Anxiety - Directed:

• Sarcasm
• Refusal
• Posturing with arms and legs in threatening pose
• Tone of voice changes
• Name calling
• Questioning
• Speed of talking changes
• Standing instead of sitting

Mediator Responses:

• Provide support through listening.
• Conduct a visual check of safety risks.
• Model coping strategies.
• Use tone control.
• Continue to provide support when appropriate.
• Adjust chair at slight angle to disputants
• Provide appropriate supportive limit setting
• if rule violations continue or if a mediator feels uncomfortable, then call a time out. Exit the room separately using furniture and walls for safe barriers. 

Signs of Verbal Acting out include name calling, intimidating, threatening, demanding.

Signs of Physical Acing out include hitting, kicking, pulling, clawing, biting, grabbing, throwing objects.

Mediator Responses: 

• Provide firm and immediate limit setting.
• When tensions are high or the risk of physical acting out is increased, you may call a time out.
• Do not attempt to pull disputants a part.
• Call for help or remove potentially dangerous objects in the room.
• Observe which disputant is "losing." When activity momentarily subsides, call "losing" disputant's name and give firm command to leave the room.

Peer Mediator Group #2

Communication is:

• What you say (15%)
• How you say it (85%)

Rules for being a good listener:

• Listen as if you were in the other person's place. This will help you better understand what the person is saying and how he/she feels.
• Show you understand and care with verbal and nonverbal behavior. 
• Tone of voice
• Facial Expressions
• Gestures
• Eye Contact
• Posture
• Restate the person's most important thoughts and feelings.
• Do not interrupt, offer advice or give suggestions. Do not begin to talk about problems you have or bring up similar experiences of your own.

Non-Verbal Listening Skills: ROLES

• R stands for "Ready" and "Relaxed". Good listeners clear their mind of almost everything except what the speaker is saying.
• O stands for "Open". An open stance means looking like you are open to hearing what is said.
• L stands for "Lean Forward". To show your interest in what another person is saying lean forward a little because it shows that you care.
• E stands for "Eye Contact". Eye contact shows a person that he or she is important.
• S stands for "Square". When sitting or standing to a person speaking with you, keep your shoulders and the rest of your body squarely facing the speaker. 

Active Listening Techniques:

STATEMENT   TYPES	PURPOSE	TO DO THIS	EXAMPLES
Encouraging	To convey interest To encourage the other person to keep talking.	-Don’t agree or disagree. -Use Neutral words. -Use varying voice intonations -	“Can you tell me more?” “I wonder if…” “Please continue…”
Clarifying	To help you clarify what is said. To get more information. To help speaker see other points of view.	-Ask questions -Restate wrong interpretation to encourage speaker to explain further. -	“When did this happen?” “What I hear you saying…” “What did the other person say?”

STATEMENT TYPE	PURPOSE	TO DO THIS	EXAMPLES
Restating	Shows you are listening and understanding. To check your meaning and interpretation	- Restate basic ideas, facts.	“So, you would like your parents to trust you more, Is that right?” “Could this be what’s going on, you…”
Reflecting	To show that you understand how the person feels. To help the person evaluate his/her own feelings after hearing them expressed by someone else.	- Reflect the speaker’s basic feelings.	“You seem very upset.” “Perhaps you’re feeling sad.” “You sound angry.”
Summarizing	Reviews Progress Pull together important ideas and facts To establish a basis for further discussion.	- Restate major ideas expressed including feelings	“Let me see if I understand you…” “These seem to be the key ideas you have expressed…”

Peer Mediator Group #1

What peer mediator can expect in training:

• To learn that each conflict offers a chance to learn and grown when a "win-win" resolution is found.
• To learn and practice the six stages of conflict mediation.
• Facilitators who give their best effort.

What facilitators expect from peer mediators:

• Willingness to learn and pay attention
• Agreement to practice non-violent conflict resolution in your own life
• Follow the model of conflict mediation presented

As a mediator you will:

• Help students peacefully find solutions to their conflict.
• Be a good citizen who can solve problems without violence.
• Be an honest, trustworthy, respectful and responsible person.
• Show fairness and caring in mediation by not taking sides and showing appreciation to others.
• Act responsible in mediation by working hard and listening well. 
• Maintain confidentiality about what happens in the mediation setting.

What mediators do NOT do:

• Mediators do not solve problems for other students. Students with problems are responsible for their own problems and solutions.
• Keep secret information about a person who intends to harm themselves or others.
• Mediators do not act as police officers. If a physical conflict occurs, mediator get involved ONLY by getting help from an adult and following safety procedures. 

Understanding Perception

Why Peer Mediation is Useful

Videos like this one seen above are not uncommon on the internet. With the increase of bullying and cyberbullying in schools, peer mediation programs serve as a way for students to learn how to resolve conflict in healthy ways. 

Publicizing your Peer Mediation Program

These are just a few ways that you can promote a peer mediation program in the middle school setting.

Create Peer Mediator T-shirts

Promote the school peer mediation program in the daily announcements!

Utilize as an alternative to discipline

Recognition for Peer Mediators

Sample Peer Mediation Program Documents

All of these documents are samples that could be used in a peer mediation program. They include documents for mediators, students participating in mediation, and for staff. Other documents that could be created may include a form to request mediation, a document that details appropriate conflicts for mediation, and a document that could be sent home to parents detailing the program.

This document serves as an agreement for mediators that they will follow specific guidelines and that they will respect confidentiality throughout the peer mediation process.

This document is an example of an agreement that participants in the mediation process would sign. This document can serve useful for confidentiality purposes or to guarantee that a student participates in the process, if disciplinary action is the other consequence.

This document is crucial for every peer mediation program because it documents what students received mediation. This can be useful for tracking, data collection, and attendance purposes.

This document is an excellent tool for mediators to utilize because it helps foster the mediation process by using these key phrases to begin and facilitate discussion.

This document is an example of some sample ground rules for the mediation process. It is important that students learn to respect these rules and they are explained clearly in each mediation process.

This letter is an example of a letter that can be sent to teachers and staff within the school to explain what the program is and many of the logistics of the program.

Implementing a Peer Mediation Program

Administrative Support

• Administration is responsible for school-wide discipline and are under increasing pressure to develop anti-violence and safety programs.
• Must be available to provide resources and support.
• Reward team members with staff.

Peer Mediation Team

• Formation of a team that consists of teachers from each grade level, as well as counselors and administrators involved in the program.
• Buy in!
• Decisions regarding curriculum delivery, peer mediator selection, and program logistics.
• Many of these important decisions are left up to staff because of their increased knowledge regarding schedules, needs, and student characteristics.
• Much of this process can be started by beginning with a presentation to all staff in the school. Then a level-of-interest questionnaire can be dispersed to define commitment. 

Peer Mediator Selection

• Students selected on a basis of grade level, gender, race, socioeconomic status, and placement in special programs.
• It is important to include students at risk for behavior problems so the entire student body is represented.
• Given effective instruction, students who have experiences high levels of conflict in school, may be the most insightful and skilled mediators.
• Mediators may be selected by students or chosen by teacher nomination.
• Most programs include mediators that are seen as "successful" or "leader-type" students.

Logistics

• How and by whom will students be referred? Students or teachers?
• What kind of conflicts are suitable for mediation?
• Where will mediation take place?
• Who will supervise the mediation?
• How will mediators be made available?
• How often will mediators miss class?
• Can teachers refuse to release a mediator or disputant from class?

Benefits of Peer Mediation

Peer mediation:

• Reduces administrators' and teacher's time in working with conflicts.
• Reduces the level of violence and crime in schools.
• Enhances the self-esteem, grades, and attendance of the students trained as mediators.
• Helps keep minor incidents in the school from escalating over time into more serious incidents.
• Teaches students an alternative set of skills that they can apply in conflict situations.
• Students learn that their are alternatives to violence for solving personal problems or resolving personal conflict.

According to Lane (1992) peer mediation programs help improved student behavior and school discipline. 

Teachers also report that at risk students and disputants tend to exhibit shifts in cooperation after experiencing peer mediation. In a study by Araki, Takesita, & Kadomoto, results indicated that peer mediation increased empowerment and volunteerism. 

Lane, P. S. (1992). A peer mediaton model: Conflict resolution for elementary and middle school children. Elementary School Guidance & Counseling. 27, 1-2.

What is Peer Mediation?

A peer mediation program is a program that:

• Mediation is a process of communication and problem solving that leads to resolutions acceptable to all parties involved (Benson & Benson, 1993).
• Trains and equips student mediators in negotiation skills and conflict resolution techniques (Guanci, 2002).
• Peer Mediation recognizes anger as a natural emotion but seeks to instruct students in positive ways to deal with those emotions (Benson & Benson, 1993).
• Students learn to deal with different opinions, to listen to, and understand another's point of view, and to maintain high respect for each other in conflict.
• Peer Mediation is a negotiation-based strategy that teaches students mediators alternative strategies to resolve conflicts among peers.
• Student conflict management that uses two trained mediators to work as a team to encourage problem solving between disputants. Used in conjunction with traditional discipline, such as suspension for serious acts, peer mediation provides a structured forum for resolution. 

Guanci, J. A. (2002). Peer Mediation: A winning solution to conflict resolution. Educational Digest, 67, 26-33.


Lane, P. S. (1992). A peer mediaton model: Conflict resolution for elementary and middle school children. Elementary School Guidance & Counseling. 27, 1-2.