Session 3: De-escalation

Session Three lets students examine the idea of De-escalators; things which diffuse a conflict and bring it to an amicable resolution.

I. OPENER: CIRCULAR BALL TOSS.

Students gather in a circle. One student takes a ball and throws it to another student, calling out his or her name. This continues until everyone has had the ball once. A second, and third balls are added to get students to work cooperatively at tossing the balls so that everyone receives each ball at least once.

II. REVIEW OF LAST WEEK

The basic concepts of conflict escalation and descalation are reviewed for the students.

III. BRAINSTORMING DE-ESCALATORS

Students share the deescalators that they came up with while doing their take home activity from last week.

IV. CHOOSE YOUR OWN DE-ESCALATOR

Essentially the same game from Session Two, except that the students brainstorm Descalators instead of escalators.

V. DISCUSSION

The Students discuss the effects of certain escalators and descalators on conflict: how they can make conflicts worse, better, provide a lasting solution or lead to permanent embitterment.

VI. BREAD AND BOMBS

Students play a game about international conflict using food and nuclear weapons.

VII. CLOSING ACTIVITY

Students play Synectics, a game of associations. Each student must think up a series of words and use them as a springboard to describe conflict.

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