Invitational Education

Managing Conflict :

Rule of the Five C’s by W Purkey & J Novak

(Inviting School Success, p. 92 to 96)

Educators face vexing conflicts and pressurized situations the same as everyone else in society. Practitioners of invitational education seek to handle these challenges in the most decent, respectful and caring ways possible.

This section on managing conflict explains how to resolve concerns in a principled, effective manner. These concerns may be as minor as a student chewing gum in class or as major as stealing, lying, or confronting the teacher or physically abusing other students. Will the invitational approach work in all situations? Of course not. However, it will give the educator a position from which to operate and a valuable guide addressing difficult situations.

Whether minor or major, personal or professional, invitation provides a practical way to resolve the concern at the lowest possible level, with the least amount of time and energy, with the minimal possible costs, and most important, in the most humane and respectful manner possible. To do this, the “rule of the five C’s" is used. The rule is to employ the lowest C first and to move upward through necessary. The five C’s are concern, confer, consult, confront, and combat.

Anyone can escalate a conflict or aggravate a problem. It takes trust, respect, optimism, and intentionality to resolve the conflict at lowest possible C, beginning with concern.

Concern (關注)

In any situation that involves real or potential conflict, the educator who employs invitational education first asks himself or herself such as these:

-          Is this situation really a matter of concern?

-          Can it be safely and wisely overlooked without undue personal stress?

-          Will this resolve itself without my intervention?

-          Does this involve a matter of ethics, morality, or legality?

-          Is this the best time for me to be concerned about this?

-          Are sufficient resources available for me to address this?

-          Can this be reconceptualized as a “situation'" or, better yet, as an opportunity”?

-          Am I concerned because of my own prejudices, biases, or need to impress people?

-          Have I conducted a perception check with a trusted colleague to validate my own interpretation of a situation?

-          Is this just one of the inevitable tensions and opportunities involved in living in a contemporary, pluralistic democracy?

Real or imagined concerns in school can often be handled at this lowest level by asking and answering the above questions. The potential conflict may quickly resolve itself.

There are times, of course, when a concern is sufficiently troublesome that it requires action. Then it is time to confer.

Confer (商議)

To confer is to initiate an informal and private conversation with another person. The individual who embraces invitational education begins by signaling the desire for a positive and nonthreatening interaction (using the person's name, friendly eye contract, non-aggressive posture, smile, handshake, and so forth). Then the individual briefly explains, in an intentionally nonconfrontive and respectful way, what the concern is, why it is a concern, and what is proposed to resolve it. For example: “Bill, when you come late to class, I spend extra time looking at your admission slip. Please come on time tomorrow. Would you do this for me?” Asking for what is wanted is vital . Although the reader may think that the student should do it for himself or herself, it is the teacher's concern that is being addressed. The purpose of the 5-C is to help manage the teacher's concern .This tardiness is bugging me!" Obtaining commitment from the student by asking, Will you do this for me is very important and connects with what follows.

 At the conferring level, consider these questions:

- After expressing my concern, have I carefully listened to encourage honest communication?

- Is there a clear understanding by both parties regarding the nature of the concern?

- Do both parties know why the situation is a concern?

- Is there room for compromise or reconceptualization? (Perhaps the student is late for class because the bus is running late. This may require action regarding bus schedules.)

- Have I clearly asked for what I want? (Will you do this for me?")

Again, it is important to obtain commitment.

-          Is my concern important enough to move to a higher level?

-          In most situations, a one-on-one, respectful, and informal conference ,always in private, will resolve the concern. However, it is useful to record and document the concern for possible future use. In cases where conferring does not solve the problem, consulting is appropriate.

-           

Consult (商討)

Consultation is more formal than conferring. Consultation involves clear and direct about a concern that has already been discussed and not yet resolved. For example, Bill, last week you told me that you would get to school on time, but this morning you were late again. I expect you to keep your word ". Questions to be considered at the consultation stage include these:

-  Again, is it clear to both parties what is expected?

-  Are there ways that I can assist the student in abiding by previous decisions? (A morning wake-up call for a few days or the loan of an alarm clock might work miracles.)

-  Have the consequences of not resolving the situation at this early stage been considered? (Don't wait too long to express valid concerns.)

Will confrontation resolve the situation? (Is it worth the effort?)

Should consultation, after repeated attempts, not work, then it is time for confrontation.

Confront (通碟)

Confrontation is a no-nonsense effort to resolve the concern. At this time it is important again to explain in detail why the situation is a concern. Now is the time to be direct and frank and to explain why situation continues to be a concern. Point out that this situation has been addressed previously and repeatedly, and that progress has been insufficient.

It is appropriate and caring at this level to speak of consequences. For example, “Bill,if you continue to come late to class, I will put you on report. Now is the time to move to logical consequences of behavior. Questions to ask at this serious level include these:

- Have I made a sincere effort to manage this concern at each of the lower levels?

- Do I have documented evidence that I have made efforts to resolve the conflict at lower levels?

- Do I have sufficient authority, power, and will to go through with stated consequences?

When the first four levels have been applied in turn, each party is likely to know that the stated consequences are fair and impartial. Should the conflict persist in spite of the first four C, then the final C level is appropriate.

Combat (克服)

At this ultimate level, the word “combat"is used as a verb rather than a noun. The purpose is to combat the situation, not the person. The word “combat" stresses the seriousness of the concern. It also indicates that because the concern has not been resolved at lower levels, this is the time to move to consequences. This requires direct, immediate, and firm action. Sometimes educators are forced to bypass lower levels and go directly to combat - for example, when one student is physically abusing another. But even here, invitational education warns against unnecessary force, insults, or abuse. A valuable resource for educators is to become acquainted with crisis situations and how to respond to them. Many schools provide this training for faculty and staff.

 For obvious reasons, combat situations are to be avoided whenever and wherever possible.  At the combat level, stakes are high, and there are likely to be winners and losers. Who wins and who loses is unpredictable. Moreover, having combat situations requires a great deal of energy that could be better spent in teaching and learning, when lower C ‘s have not resolved the concern, it is time to enter area. Wherever possible try to take the hill without covering fire” :try to ensure that previous steps have been taken. In preparing for the combat level, consider the following:

- Do I have clear documentation that other avenues were sought?

- Even at this late date, is there away to and avenues of compromise?

- Are there sufficient support and resources to successfully combat the situation?

Regardless of the level at which the concern is resolved, the educator who employs invitational education consistently maintains respect, rust, optimism, and intentionality throughout the entire process.

By handling concerns at the lowest possible level, educators who employ invitational education save energy, reduce hostility, and avoid acrimony. By applying the five C’s, it is possible, even in the most difficult situations , to manage conflicts. This is a major strength of invitational education: Invitational education can be used to understand and develop strategies for dealing with concerns, up to and including violence in schools.

Newman Catholic College 天主教新民書院

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