What's RP?
The Traditional Approach to School Discipline
The traditional approach to school discipline asks three questions in response to wrongdoing:
- What happened?
- Who’s to blame? and
- What do they deserve?
The Restorative Approach to School Discipline
The Restorative approach, on the other hand, starts from a different set of questions:
It also ensures that those who have been most affected by the wrongdoing have the opportunity to be involved in working out what has to happen in order to move forward.
The Restorative approach, on the other hand, starts from a different set of questions:
- What happened?
- Who’s been harmed? and
- What needs to happen to repair some of that harm?
It also ensures that those who have been most affected by the wrongdoing have the opportunity to be involved in working out what has to happen in order to move forward.
Put simply, Restorative Practices (RP) is a way of viewing relationship-building and behaviour management in schools that works to strengthen community among students and between students, teachers and parents, through educative processes.
In the RP philosophy, conflict or wrongdoing is seen as causing harm to people and relationships, and there is an obligation first to repair this harm in order for the people involved to move forward. It is a way of educating students towards self-regulated right behaviour that is respectful of all concerned. In particular, it puts the onus back on the wrongdoer to be truly accountable for their behaviour and to repair any harm caused to others.
In the RP philosophy, conflict or wrongdoing is seen as causing harm to people and relationships, and there is an obligation first to repair this harm in order for the people involved to move forward. It is a way of educating students towards self-regulated right behaviour that is respectful of all concerned. In particular, it puts the onus back on the wrongdoer to be truly accountable for their behaviour and to repair any harm caused to others.
If you are completely new to the RP field - "Restorative Practices 101" would probably be the following article:
Wachtel, T., & McCold, P. (2001). [pdf] Restorative justice in everyday life: Beyond the formal ritual. In H. Strang & J. Braithwaite (Eds.), Restorative justice and civil society. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Available in pdf version here.
The following books are great introductions to the field of Restorative Practices in Schools:
Implementing Restorative Practices in Schools: A Practical Guide to Transforming School Communities. Marg Thorsborne & Peta Blood, 2013 via the Book Depository
Working Restoratively in Schools: A Guidebook for Developing Safe & Connected Learning Communities. Hansberry, B. Inyahead Press
Wachtel, T., & McCold, P. (2001). [pdf] Restorative justice in everyday life: Beyond the formal ritual. In H. Strang & J. Braithwaite (Eds.), Restorative justice and civil society. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Available in pdf version here.
The following books are great introductions to the field of Restorative Practices in Schools:
Implementing Restorative Practices in Schools: A Practical Guide to Transforming School Communities. Marg Thorsborne & Peta Blood, 2013 via the Book Depository
Working Restoratively in Schools: A Guidebook for Developing Safe & Connected Learning Communities. Hansberry, B. Inyahead Press