Presenting the Consortium (part 2 of 10)
by Ana Stoica
Saint Sava National College focuses on the academic education of its students according to the vision of the school, a tradition of centuries, a future made to measure.
Although the level of performance of the students is very high, there is a gap between the high level of cognitive acquisition and the low emotional literacy and conflict management.
In the Romanian educational system, the teacher plays a central role when it comes to solving conflicts between students and even bullying cases. The teacher tries to identify the culprit and takes the necessary steps in accordance to the school rules and regulations. This procedure has no positive outcome for the student, it solves neither the cause, nor the effects of the conflict.
By taking part in the “Arguing at School Project”, we have acknowledged that there are different methods that can help children argue productively, with benefits not only for the students and teachers, but also for the parents and even the whole community.
The usage of any method creates a safe environment for students to manage or deal with conflicts, to express their points of view and to listen to the others points of view and also to express their emotions without the fear of having done something wrong and being judged. It also helps to identify their emotions. Eventually, it will lead to the development of the transversal competences: communicative skills, emotional literacy, collaborative skills, conflict resolution skills, active listening, reflective thinking, reasoned decision-making, initiative, sociability, which in turn will lead to civic behaviour.
By being involved in Arguing at School project, Saint Sava National College will disseminate and implement the project results with a view to validating these results related to conflict management in schools and will promote the need to prioritise the issue of conflict management so that all actors involved in the educational system will have the necessary tools to address this issue appropriately.
