Constructive Conflict in the Schools

All children, adolescents, and young adults need to learn how to manage conflicts constructively. There are three steps in doing so. The first is establishing a cooperative context, primarily through the use of cooperative learning. The second is to create intellectual conflicts through the use of structured academic controversies. Controversy results in increased student achievement, critical thinking, higher level reasoning, intrinsic motivation to learn, and a number of other important educational outcomes. The third is to establish a peer mediation program in which students try to negotiate integrative agreements to their conflicts of interests and, if negotiations fail, to seek the help of a peer mediator. All students should be taught how to negotiate and how to mediate and the role of mediator should be rotated throughout the classroom and school so that all students gain mediating experience. The theory and research underlying these steps is reviewed.