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The Traditional Approach
to School Discipline
The traditional approach to school discipline asks
three questions in response to wrongdoing:
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What happened?
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Who’s to
blame? and
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What do they deserve?
This traditional
approach, borrowed largely from the criminal justice system, leaves
those who have been most affected by the wrongful behaviour without a
voice, and without their needs being addressed as part of the
‘solution.’ It also doesn't effectively challenge the wrongdoer to be
accountable to those he has harmed.
The Restorative Approach
to School Discipline
The Restorative approach, on the other hand, starts from a different set
of questions:
 In this approach to
dealing with wrongdoing, then, the focus is on the harm that has
been done and the obligation this brings on the part of those
responsible to ‘right the wrong’ as much as possible. It’s an approach
that seeks to develop in the wrongdoer an understanding of the breadth
and depth of the harm their behaviour has caused to others so that they
can best try to make amends to those most affected. In this way, it’s an
educative approach.
It also ensures that those who have been most affected by the wrongdoing
have the opportunity to be involved in working out what has to happen in
order to move forward.
Put simply, Restorative Practices
(RP) is a way of viewing relationship-building and behaviour management
in schools that works to strengthen community among students and between
students, teachers and parents, through educative processes.
In the RP philosophy, conflict or
wrongdoing is seen as causing harm to people and relationships, and
there is an obligation first to repair this harm in order for the people
involved to move forward. It is a way of educating students towards
self-regulated right behaviour that is respectful of all concerned. In
particular, it puts the onus back on the wrongdoer to be truly
accountable for their behaviour and to repair any harm caused to others.
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What's RP?