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Introduction
In response to the urgent need young people have for
dealing more effectively with their differences, Professor
Roger Fisher, author of Getting to Yes and Douglas
Stone, author of Difficult Conversations, developed
a curriculum and materials for teaching negotiation
skills to high school students. This curriculum can
be readily implemented, and is intended to have an immediate,
real-world impact on the way young people handle conflict.
Through this curriculum, students will also gain a better
understanding social and international conflict, and
will be better prepared assist in the peaceful resolution
of those conflicts in their lifetimes.
Because negotiation and non-quantitative problem solving
are not standard courses in high school curricula, this
curriculum was developed to serve as a five to ten hour
unit which can be inserted into other courses such as
social studies, life skills, business or current events.
The curriculum is based on a few core principles:
Negotiation skills can be learned. Through
case simulations, readings, exercises and class discussion,
students learn and experiment with a set of essential
problem-solving tools that will help them to deal with
conflict. The case simulations provide a powerful method
of engaging non-traditional learners, as well as providing
a break from the daily routine for others. Through this
curriculum students learn to:
- focus on underlying interests and not on positions
or demands;
- invent solutions that are good for both sides;
- use legitimacy and persuasion rather than force,
will or violence;
- develop empathy, to see the problem from the other's
perspective;
- to listen; and
- to become aware of the role emotions play in negotiations
and conflict.
Negotiation skills are a source of empowerment.
Teenagers often believe and act as if they have
little or no control over events that affect their lives.
When confronted by difficult issues, a sense of hopelessness
can set in. How do I let my boyfriend know the boundaries
of our romantic involvement? How do I discuss the racial
stereotyping I feel from a classmate? How do I let my
employer know that I no longer think my salary is fair?
How do I discuss my disappointing grades with my parents?
Students who master the tools of problem solving learn
that even these difficult problems can be successfully
handled. They learn that they have choices other than
aggression and violence on the one hand, and passive
acceptance on the other.
Students can facilitate their own learning. One
of the most exciting innovations of the curriculum is
that it can be student-facilitated. So, for example,
in one pilot program at Westwood High School near Boston,
twelve juniors and seniors were pre-trained in negotiation
and facilitation skills (for a total of eight hours).
These twelve students were able to train the entire
sophomore class. Having student facilitators has many
advantages. First, it provides leadership training for
the students who facilitate. They have the rare experience
of standing up in front of their peers and leading discussion,
and helping people to learn from each other. Second,
student-led classrooms provide all students involved
a greater sense of ownership over the experience than
if they were teacher-led. It is often easier for a student
to hear new ways, for example, to relate to ones parents
when the suggestions are coming come from other students.
Students at the Westwood pilot were nearly unanimous
in their endorsement of this delivery method.
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