CONFLICT MEDIATION IN SCHOOL CONTEXT Renata Fernandes Cunha Velloso

Abstract

Nowadays, some topics have become increasingly recurrent when we refer to the school environment. Issues related to coexistence, bullying, indiscipline, violence and conflict are increasingly present in the daily lives of those involved in the school context and have given rise to heated discussions and analyses. When we enter this reality, we sometimes realize that the experience of inadequacy becomes very frequent, where the space, both physical and symbolic, seems to present a profile affected by internal and external factors that clearly and directly influence learning and performance. Schools are experiencing times of difficulty in adapting to models as individualized and heterogeneous as those that are emerging in society. Or, in short, we can say that schools are not managing to adapt to the new times. Times of “easy information” and the acquisition of new knowledge through networks, for example, present a huge challenge to the traditional educational model. In the last years of the last century, complaints related to indiscipline, aggression, revolt, and inappropriate behavior were already being observed, and at the same time, society reported the occurrence of a higher unemployment rate, an increase in poverty, and a reduction in the coexistence between parents and children. In general, it is clear that the social structure presents radical structural changes that have had repercussions in various spaces, including the school environment. Symptoms such as: aggression, resentment, disinterest, boldness, and defiance of the teacher are some of the experiences reported by students and teachers in the school system. Episodes of bullying (practice of intentional and repeated violent acts against a defenseless person, which can cause physical and psychological harm to the victims) have been increasingly frequent. These feelings of aggression arise and develop in various ways and it is up to the school to develop the necessary strategies to deal with the demands of today. It is necessary to seek mechanisms of action in order to enable teachers to work on all these feelings that emerge in the school environment in a positive way. Therefore, it is important to recognize the causes that lead to school indiscipline and the ways to deal with the difficulties arising from this indiscipline, which has, among many other negative consequences, impaired learning and academic failure, causing the feeling that school is a space that excludes the individual, instead of being a space for welcoming, strengthening bonds and, ultimately, for acquiring multiple and comprehensive knowledge. It is therefore necessary to think about developing strategies that facilitate teacher-student communication and, certainly, the teaching-learning process, as well as answering questions such as: How can/should teachers act in situations of conflict and attitudes considered antisocial? And how to create strategies to develop skills that aim to develop an intervention plan that promotes the understanding of the concept of “pacification of the school space”, understanding that pacifism has nothing to do with being passive in the face of situations of injustice, carelessness for others and lack of humanity. Finally, we need to consider: what is the role of schools in the face of the new challenges presented by today's society? Given that schools not only have the role of teaching, but also of educating for social coexistence and the formation of the individual in its integral form, it is essential that they be able to promote discussions about the topics referenced in this article, as well as that teachers have skills that go beyond those that enable them to transmit pedagogical, systematized and scientific content. It is also necessary to provide time and a safe space for managers, teachers and students to deal with and manage the conflicts that emerge within the classroom and that, when not handled properly, cause a lot of emotional stress and loss of useful time. In this context, this article, in summary form, seeks to bring to the discussion topics that will be divided into three subchapters. The first will present a focus on coexistence relationships, conflicts experienced in the school environment, their causes and motives and the concept of education for peace and the peaceful culture of coexistence. The second will describe the mediation process characterized by a set of knowledge, behaviors, skills, techniques, tools and procedures that aim to strengthen a Culture of Peace, preventing violence in the school context and promoting the peaceful management of school conflicts, in order to create a safe, welcoming and conducive pedagogical environment for the intellectual, human and social growth of all actors involved in the educational process.Finally, initiatives developed in the school space will be presented with the aim of reducing violence, positively managing conflicts and achieving social pacification.