Instructional Playbook

Critical Actions for Educators Restorative Practices

The underlying premise of restorative practices focuses on the belief that people will make positive changes when those in positions of authority do things with them rather than to them or for them. A restorative approach balances high levels of control or limit setting with high levels of support, encouragement, and nurture (Costello et al., 2019). classroom communities. It includes interventions when harm has occurred, as well as pro-active practices that help to prevent harm and conflict by building a sense of belonging, safety, and shared social responsibility throughout school and classroom communities. “Restorative practices are ways of pro-actively developing relationships and community, as well as repairing community when harm is done. After conflict or harm, restorative practices provide a way of thinking about, talking about, and responding to issues and problems.” (Chicago Public Schools, 2022). Restorative practices are a focus of Canyons School District, which will allow “all schools...to ensure that every student feels connected, safe, and empowered to solve problems within a school community.” (Canyons Board of Education, 2019). Restorative practices, when consistently implemented, promote and strengthen positive school culture and enhance pro-social relationships within the school and individual

Build Community: use circle discussions to share experiences and build trust; implement regular check-ins with your class(es) to address any concerns proactively Establish Shared Classroom Culture: collaborate with students to create shared classroom agreements emphasizing respect, empathy, and accountability Practice Active Listening: encourage open dialogue between students and students and staff and validate students' feelings; use reflective listening to ensure understanding Address Conflict Restoratively: not every conflict requires a restorative approach; many conflicts can be solved with simple strategies like Ro-Sham Bo and prompting students to ask each other “What do you need to feel better?”

High Support + High Control

TO

WITH

Restorative

Punitive

High Control Low Control

High Support

Low Support

NOT

FOR

Neglectful

Permissive