Restorative PracticesRestorative Practices (RP) is an approach that helps people strengthen relationships, build community, and prevent conflict. It is proactive in making, developing, and maintaining relationships. It is responsive in repairing harm caused by challenging behavior or conflict. It does not necessarily take the place of disciplinary action in schools.
Responsive & InteractiveBuilding relationships is the most important factor in using RP effectively. One way enCompass builds relationships is through Circles.
Circles engage students and staff in discussions using trained facilitators to proactively develop relationships and build community. Circles give everyone an opportunity to speak and listen to each other in a place of organized decorum, safety, and equality. The circle offers the ability for everyone to tell their stories and offer their perspective on a variety of topics that develop in complexity as the community grows its strength.
enCompass uses Circles to scaffold social and emotional learning with questions tailored to develop self awareness, self management, responsible decision making, relationship skills, and social awareness. Questions evolve in complexity as trust within the group grows. |
The Restorative Practice Continuum:
RP leans heavily upon proactive relationship building at enCompass. Teachers use the Behavior Management Cycle (BMC) to clearly define classroom and community expectations and affective language to express how classroom expectations and student behavior impact the learning environment both positively and negatively. Affective statements allow stakeholders to express their feelings while removing the “doer from the deed”. An example, “I am frustrated by the noise of the pencil sharpener when you use it while I am delivering instruction.”
Affective statements are the first and least restrictive layer of RP. Restorative chats are the next layer and are used when a staff member needs to discuss a matter with a student to aide in restoring relationships.
The most restrictive RP is reserved for repairing harm with the most destructive behaviors in the community. This practice is never intended to take the place of disciplinary action but rather is intended to restore relationships of those affected.
RP Questions:
Affective statements are the first and least restrictive layer of RP. Restorative chats are the next layer and are used when a staff member needs to discuss a matter with a student to aide in restoring relationships.
The most restrictive RP is reserved for repairing harm with the most destructive behaviors in the community. This practice is never intended to take the place of disciplinary action but rather is intended to restore relationships of those affected.
RP Questions:
- What happened?
- What were you thinking of at the time?
- What have you thought about since?
- Who has been affected? In what way?
- What do you think needs to be done to make things right?
- What did you think when you realized what happened?
- What impact has the incident had on you and others?
- What has been the hardest thing for you?
