Latest Journal Article

With this post I want to share with you the latest journal article to be published about the work I am currently engaged in.

This article was co-authored with my colleagues Dr Patricia Vigil and Star Garcia. I am grateful for the opportunity to work with them. The reference for the article is:


Mestas Vigil, P., Cavanagh, T., & Garcia, E. (2013). Developing peacemakers in the classroom: An alternative discourse in a culture of war and violence. Peace Studies Journal, 6(1), 79-91

As the reference indicates, the article was part of a special issue of the Peace Studies Journal dedicated to this theme:

The Architecture of War: Framing an Anti-hegemonic Peace Education

Here is the link to the article:

http://peaceconsortium.org/peace-studies-journal/archives/psj-vol-6-issue-1-2013

I would appreciate any feedback you have to offer about the article. This article outlines the current work we are involved in. So we are interested in your ideas for where should our work go next. What do you suggest should be the next steps in this work?

Tom

Inviting Your Participation

With this posting I want to change the tone of this blog. I want to invite your participation in the work I am engaged in. In the past I have posted information without inviting your conversation. Now I want to invite you to join in the conversation about the work I am doing so that together we can co-construct this important work.
I realize that you as followers of this blog are a rich resource of passion for the work, expertise, skills, and experience. By bringing your background to the conversation together we can improve the work I am engaged in and together create the research. I am talking about the whole aspect of the work, starting with what to study, how to study the issue, who to do the study with, how to collect data and analyze it, and how to interpret the data and write those date up. By engaging in the work in this way, we can make a richer contribution to the current conversation about how to bring restorative justice principles into schools.
So what do you think about this idea?
Tom

New York Times article

Restorative justice is being discussed in the popular press. The article found at this link appeared in the January 14, 2013 issue of the New York Times.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/121498040/RJ-article-in-NYT

Being "Happy" in school

The movie Happy is receiving acclaim. After watching the movie I was reminded about the article I had published title Schooling for Happiness.
Cavanagh, T. (2008). Schooling for happiness: Rethinking the aims of education. Kairaranga, 9(1). 20-23.
If you would like to read this article, please email me at cavanagh.tom@gmail.com,

One response to the tragedy of last Friday is for educators to make certain every student has at least one adult in the school they would come to with a personal problem. First, I ask school leaders to make up a list of students and to circulate that list to every adult in the school, asking them to put a check mark next to the name of any student with whom they have a personal relationship such that the student would come to them with a personal problem. Then I ask school leaders to make up a list of all adults working in the school and pass it among the students, asking them to place a check mark next to the name of those people who they consider they have a relationship with such that they would come to them with a personal problem. Any students who do not have a check mark next to their name on the first list or who do not check in names on the second list I ask educators to pair them up with a volunteer adult in the school who will meet with them one on one once a week.

Revamped website up and running

Please find my newly revamped website at this address: www.restorativejustice.com

Increased interest since Friday's events

Interest in the work of restorative justice in schools has increased since the events of last Friday. Here is an outline of what I offer schools. Restorative Justice in Schools Educators and policymakers’ interest in Restorative Justice is growing as they learn that the results of zero tolerance policies are not working. In fact, the capacity of students and teachers to respond to wrongdoing and conflict in a nonviolent way is lacking. As a result, some schools have adopted restorative justice practices. However, these practices are generally used outside of the classroom. This training is unique in that it focuses on building the capacity of teachers and students to respond in a caring and peaceful way to wrongdoing and conflict in the classroom. Objective The objective of the restorative practices training being proposed is for the participants in the training to leave with the skills, experience, and resources required to both facilitate and train others in the restorative practices of restorative conferencing, talking circles, and restorative conversations. Goals The goals for this training are to share with participants the basic principles of restorative justice as they apply in an educational setting and how those principles can be put into practice to create a new school culture, particularly with regard to how the school responds to wrongdoing and conflict. Plan The proposed training will be held over four days, which need not be consecutive. The four days would be divided as follows: Day 1: Introduction to restorative justice principles, particularly as applied to educational settings, including a discussion about how these principles are already in place in educational settings. Further discussion about how these principles might be the basis for building the capacity of teachers and students to respond to wrongdoing and conflict nonviolently. Day 2: Restorative conference training, including a discussion of underlying principles and role playing the various roles in this restorative practice. Further discussion about how this practice might be used in educational settings. Day 3: Talking circles/restorative conversations training, including a discussion of underlying principles and role playing the various roles in these restorative practices. Further discussion about how these practices might be used jointly and separately in educational settings. Day 4: Action planning, including a discussion about how the participants will implement what they have learned as facilitators and as trainers in their school and in other educational settings. Further discussion about what resources and support the participants need in order to accomplish their new mission. If you are interested please contact me at 970-672-0213 or email me at cavanagh.tom@gmail.com.