Restorative Practices…

…for shaping self-discipline.

Hello all. Welcome to the 143rd edition of TEPS Weekly!

In one of the previous editions of our newsletter, we discussed an interventionist or reactive approach to managing student behaviour. This approach is about having clear consequences (reinforcement and punishment). However, even if punishments are appropriate and given with a positive attitude, this approach may not work for building character. 

Character-building means good behaviour needs to be intrinsic and not born out of a fear of consequences. So, a proactive approach in which teachers act before any misbehaviour to build a positive classroom environment would make more sense. But in practice, a reactive approach is also required as teachers often feel that completely doing away with consequences makes students complacent. So, we see merit in combining reactive and proactive strategies. This article focuses on one such method that has both proactive and reactive components – Restorative Practices.

What are Restorative Practices?

Restorative Practices are a way of classroom management with 3 key features:

• Building healthy classroom relationships

• Placing responsibility on students for their own behaviour

• Encouraging students to repair the harm and learn from undesired actions 

This approach differs from conventional consequences – while giving punishments, we ask, “Which rule was broken?”; while for Restorative Practices, we ask, “How can we make things right and prevent a repeat?” Over time, these practices help reduce repeat incidents, develop a sense of belonging and grow self-discipline in students.

Although a wide spectrum of actions come under Restorative Practices, there are two core tools: Classroom Circles and Restorative Language. 

Classroom Circles 

At the heart of Restorative Practices is having structured, face-to-face meetings where students and teachers sit in a circle to speak and listen in turn. These meetings are termed as Community-Building Circles, Restorative Circles and so on, depending on the purpose. In this article, they are referred to as Classroom Circles.

How to conduct Classroom Circles

Students discuss while sitting in a circle. Everyone, including the teacher, sits at the same level in a visible circle; there is no “front” or “back”. Everyone gets a chance to speak (or pass), and everyone addresses the same question. The plan, agreement or discussion outcome is co-created. All this results in equal power sharing in Classroom Circles. 

Naturally, many teachers would dread the chaos that can occur as well as the loss of control. The trick is to add structure to the discussion. The teacher should act as a facilitator and guide students to express their views in an orderly manner. 

Here are some tips:

• Opening the discussion

  • Clearly state the purpose.

  • Have simple shared agreements like ‘do not interrupt’, ‘speak respectfully’, and ‘keep it private’.

• Conducting the discussion

  • Use a talking piece to manage turns; only the person holding the piece talks.

  • Model as well as encourage students to listen carefully.

  • Go clockwise or anticlockwise so that everyone gets a turn.

  • Use prompts to encourage reluctant students.

  • Allow students to use their mother tongue if needed. 

• Closing the Discussion

  • Keep it time-bounded (depending on the purpose).

  • Summarise the main agreements in simple words.

In a typical Indian classroom, considering the number of students and lack of space, it might not be possible to have everyone sit in a circle. Teachers can try out alternatives like students standing against the walls of the class for a quick discussion, taking students outdoors for a longer discussion (if the weather permits), or starting with a smaller group of students while others listen (the listeners can join the circle if they have any new points to add). 

Using Classroom Circles

Ms. Preeti is the class teacher of 5B. On the first Monday of term, she had the class sit in a circle and pass a soft ball around as a talking piece; each student shared their name and their favourite music band. Ms. Preeti trained them to wait, listen and pass. They agreed on “no speeches, no pressure” as a rule for their circles. This circle was a successful ice-breaker as many students connected over their favourite band.  

A week later, she used the same circle to set norms about bullying: the class named what bullying is (repeated harm, power imbalance) and gave real examples from school corridors. Students added what they could do to help, such as include the left-out student and tell an adult. They ended with a summary by the teacher. 

This is a preventive or proactive step. 

A month later, a bullying incident surfaced. Ms. Preeti called a smaller circle with those involved and a few neutral peers. One by one, they said what happened, how they were affected and what they needed now. Neutral students as well as other listeners added some points on how to repair the harm. The class decided that the student who had bullied another student would apologise and replace a torn notebook with completed notes. The teacher suggested moving the affected student’s seat for some time. 

This circle serves the purpose of solving a problem and is a reactive step.

As this example shows, Classroom Circles are a democratic way for building a sense of community, setting norms and resolving conflict. They can also be used for smoother instructions in the class, such as for setting learning goals or discussing a topic. 

Restorative Language 

Restorative Language is aimed at helping students take responsibility without shame. It is calm and specific. Here are some ways: 

• Ask open questions: “What happened?”, “Who has been affected?”, “What do you need now?”, “What will you do to put it right?”

• Name the behaviour or consequence, not the child: “You called out while I was explaining, others could not hear” and not “You are rude”.

• Connect impact to actions: Use affective statements like “I felt disappointed when I saw you copying in the exam.”

Having a restorative chat

This is a one-to-one chat between Mr. Yash, the Grade 6 teacher, and Arjun. 

Arjun pushed a classmate on the stairs; the classmate dropped books and was upset.

Mr. Yash: Thanks for meeting me, Arjun. I want to understand what happened on the stairs. What did you see?

Arjun: I was in a hurry. Ritesh wouldn’t move, so I pushed past.

Mr. Yash: What were you hoping would happen when you pushed?

Arjun: That he’d make space.

Mr. Yash: What actually happened, and who was affected?

Arjun: He slipped, books fell. He was angry.

Mr. Yash: Our corridor rule is “walk, leave space, hands to self”. Did you follow it?

Arjun: I didn’t.

Mr. Yash: What needs to happen now to put this right?

Arjun: I’ll apologise. I’ll help him check if any of his books are damaged.

Mr. Yash: Good. What will you do next time you feel rushed on the stairs?

Arjun: Say “excuse me”, or take the other side.

Such open-ended questions can be given on a written sheet as well. 

Both these examples show two important points. The first is that Restorative Practices, such as Classroom Circles and Restorative Language, encourage reflection in students so that responsibility grows from the inside. Second, Restorative Practices can be very intuitive for a mindful teacher. They can shape how teachers set routines, give feedback or even conduct lessons. Used alongside clear rules, they can make classroom management more empathetic and hopefully help students develop self-discipline. 

For teachers and school leaders keen on building happy and engaging classrooms, we recommend completing the whole circle. Take the TEPS Classroom Management course. It covers management of instruction, student behaviour and classroom relationships in great detail. Just as important, it stresses on teacher attitudes that make it work. You are sure to find it insightful as well as discover ways to integrate Restorative Practices in everyday classroom life! For instance, our course stresses the importance of rules being “arrived at by” (and not imposed on) students, and what better way to do so than through Classroom Circles? And we view restorative chats as a great way to prime students to honestly perform self-analyses, which is crucial for getting them on the path of self-discipline.

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