Rufus Lott III Offers Three Workshops on Differentiated Discipline in Florida
Common discipline problems in schools, such as bullying, misbehaving in class, and conflict, represent at their core a fracturing of relationships. Restorative practices/RP (also known as restorative justice) is a differentiated, whole-school approach that focuses on building positive relationships and healing the relationships when harm is done, rather than resorting to punishment and exclusion. It consists of 3-phases—the connect, correct, and consequence phases—and relies on proactive relationship-building circles to build community, along with restorative circles to correct and resolve situations when harm is done. Through participating in circles, students learn valuable social and emotional skills such as patience, empathy, active listening, accountability, and impulse control.
Restorative practices is an increasingly popular alternative approach to managing student behavior that is more effective and equitable than traditional exclusionary discipline. As a school administrator, Rufus Lott III helped implement restorative practices in Edward H. White Middle School in San Antonio, TX. Driven by a passion for social justice, Mr. Lott now teaches restorative practices to teachers and administrators as an alternative method to exclusion, and as a means to build positive relationships and strong communities through dialogue using the circle process. His focus is on teaching educators real-life, applicable strategies that are essential to utilize when working with both students and teachers.
In order to reach more educators, Mr. Lott authored a quick-reference laminated guide on restorative practices, which is also used to supplement his trainings. He also offered an hour-long free webinar on the nuts of bolts of restorative practices, which can be viewed in full on the NPR, Inc. our YouTube channel. You can also view the webinar below.
Now, Rufus Lott III is presenting three full day training workshops in various Florida locations (Jacksonville, Orlando, and Miami Gardens) in October (October 7, 9, and 11, respectively), offered though Comprehensive School Solutions, the training division of NPR, Inc. To learn more about this differentiated discipline workshop and register, visit http://css.nprinc.com/event/differentiated-discipline-workshops/. If you are outside the Florida area and interested in bringing Rufus to your school, please contact [email protected].
If you are interested in learning more about restorative justice/restorative practices in schools, this edutopia post on restorative justice, offers terrific resources.
