
Problem Solving Support
Teachers at Play Mountain Place practice of peaceful problem solving and conflict resolution with support, reflective listening and neutrality.

All Yard Meeting
Conflict resolution sometimes involves the entire group gathering to discuss an issue. All voices are heard and acknowledged and decisions made by consensus.

Discussion
By learning to "work it out" in conflict resolution, children develop personal responsibility as well as respect for others. Many visitors to the school comment on the apparent “maturity” of the children, the confident ease with which they interact with each other and adults.
Teachers use non-authoritarian methods for assisting children in the conflict resolution process and in helping them come to their own solutions to problems. Teachers act as moderators in a discussion between children, asking questions, staying neutral, and reflecting what they hear. By giving children the cognitive space and time they need to work out what happened in a problem, children learn to articulate what was happening for them, and through the communication process learn to work out the problem with each other. In this setting of unconditional regard, children do not have to fear judgment and are able to see the problem externally, rather than being bound up in the problem themselves. Attention to one’s own feelings, learning to accept others feelings and limits, and learning to tolerate differences and resolve conflicts in a way in which everyone is heard and comes to agreement, are the keys to this dimension of education at Play Mountain Place.
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