Social-based learning and leadership in school: conflict management training for holistic, relational conflict resolution
Abstract
Navigating conflicts is crucial for promoting positive relationships between
pupils, teachers, and parents. The objective of this paper is to present Social-
Based Learning and Leadership (SBL), an innovative approach to group dynamics
and conflict resolution within the school setting, aiming to foster meaningful
relationships and personal and social growth. The methods of SBL focus on
group evolution by navigating conflicts rooted in higher needs while balancing
the interplay of separation and connection. It proactively embeds prosocial
values and conduct into the school culture, with teachers prioritizing the
wellbeing of others, fostering shared problem-solving, and positive feedback
amid conflicts. Teachers acquire tools to transform the classroom into a “social
laboratory” and constructmeaningful partnerships with parents. Practical conflict
management within the SBL framework involves dynamic group discussions,
shifting fromother blaming to accountability, and reflective group introspection.
Experiential learning through crafted case studies and role-plays enhances
students’ conflict management skills by fostering perspective-taking and
inclusiveness.We conducted a qualitative case study in an SBL training in a school
from 2020 to 2023. These conflict management processes allow the school
community to reimagine conflict as an invaluable educational opportunity,
equipping pupils with essential soft skills for navigating the challenges of the
21st century.
Communicating for workplace connection: A longitudinal study of the outcomes of listening training on teachers' autonomy, psychological safety, and relational climate
Guy Itzchakov, Netta Weinstein, Eli Vinokur, Avinoam Yomtovian
Listening
Training teachers to listen may enable them to experience increasingly attentive and open peer relationships at work. In the present research, we examined the outcomes of a year-long listening training on school teachers' listening abilities and its downstream consequences on their relational climate, autonomy, and psychological safety. Teachers in two elementary schools engaged in a similar listening training program throughout the entire school year. The measures included indicators of a supportive relational climate that are known to be important to teacher well-being, namely, autonomy, psychological safety, and relational energy. Results of growth curve modeling showed linear increases in all three outcomes, such that more listening training corresponded to a more positive relational climate. Specifically, the teachers reported increasingly higher quality listening from their group member teachers, felt more autonomy satisfied, psychologically safe, and relationally energetic. Furthermore, latent growth curve modeling indicated that the teachers' listening perception was positively and significantly associated with all three outcomes. We concluded that listening training is associated with teachers perceiving higher quality listening from their peers and, therefore, feeling more autonomy-satisfied, psychologically safe, and relationally energetic and discussing theoretical and practical implications.
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Learning to listen: Downstream effects of listening training on employees' relatedness, burnout, and turnover intentions
Guy Itzchakov, Netta Weinstein, Arik Cheshin
Listening
The present work focuses on listening training as an example of a relational human resource practice that can improve human resource outcomes: Relatedness to colleagues, burnout, and turnover intentions. In two quasi-field experiments, employees were assigned to either a group listening training or a control condition. Both immediately after training and 3 weeks later, receiving listening training was shown to be linked to higher feelings of relatedness with colleagues, lower burnout, and lower turnover intentions. These findings suggest that listening training can be harnessed as a powerful human resource management tool to cultivate stronger relationships at work. The implications of Relational Coordination Theory, High-Quality Connections Theory, and Self-Determination Theory are discussed.
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