Through my project I have discovered that my ideal form of learning is through experience. My project is very much based in experience. I find that when I read excerpts from books like “How to Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk” I don’t fully understand how to apply the strategies they provide until I am in that specific situation with my siblings. It is only then that I can fully understand why that strategy is or isn’t effective. Figuring out “the most effective methods of conflict resolution” requires a lot of trial and error. I learn what strategies aren’t effective by seeing how and why they fail to mend the conflict.

Originally, my essential question was “What are the most effective methods of for young kids in lower school”, my revised question is much more general: “What are the most effective methods of for young kids”. With my original question I was looking at specific situations of how lower school teachers dealt with a kid that was being disruptive, kids fighting, a kid being uncooperative, and how the kids responded to their methods of conflict resolution. Answering my original question seemed a lot more reasonable. Now, however, my question deals with just the very general term of  “conflict” that can arise with kids/siblings in everyday life. Handling conflict with your own siblings/children is a very different experience that handling conflict with other people’s kids. When I worked at the LREI summer camp, I found it a lot easier to apply different strategies and I was much more patient with the kids since they weren’t my own siblings and I didn’t have to live with them.

I’ve learned that there isn’t one right or most effective method of conflict resolution, different strategies work/don’t work with different kids. It’s all about knowing the kids you are working with and what works for them. I do know, however, that there are strategies that aren’t effective.