Independent Thinking on Restorative Practice: Building relationships, improving behaviour and creating stronger communities (Independent Thinking On ... series)

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Schools that explicitly put a greater focus on proactively building and maintaining relationships will find that there will be fewer occasions when relationships break down and, therefore, less need for them to be repaired. Just as importantly he then uses clear examples from his own restorative story to offer approaches to implementing and embedding restorative practice. If you mix up student names, forget a name, or mispronounce a name, just offer a quick but sincere apology and move on. If you’re looking for a challenging and entertaining speaker who can take everyone’s brain for a walk in way that genuinely transforms all aspects of school life, then Mark Finnis is the perfect fit. But he is also down to earth, human and full of humour and sensitivity in the way he explains to us how we can help people to resolve conflict, listen, understand and empathise.

This includes writing and delivering restorative practice training that is bespoke for different settings across the authority.But I suggest that neither the quality of the teaching nor of the learning can exceed the quality of the relationship between the teacher and the learner. In 2012 Alastair became an independent trainer and has continued to work with both Primary and Secondary schools across Yorkshire and Lancashire. While the content is primarily focused through an education/school lens, the theory and practice described in the book is equally applicable across all disciplines.

This all sounds like it might take a lot of time, however a simple sentence might be ‘when you disrupt my lesson by talking, I feel a little frustrated because I want to teach you, so what I need is for you to listen when I’m talking just as I want to listen to you if I pick you to speak in lessons.His writing is quite simply a groundbreaking dive into the importance of social capital, relationships, humanity and compassion – in fact all the things that we know bring out the best in a whole community.

To the power of doing things ‘with’ (and not ‘to’ or ‘for’) children and young people and adults, to moving your values off lanyards and posters and into the lived experience of every member of your school or organisation , readers will discover how restorative and relational practice – when done well – can be transformative. Your commitment to building and maintaining healthy connections is commendable Mark, keep up the great work! Mark’s empathy with, and understanding of, the education system means this book is grounded in the real-life experiences in classrooms, corridors, playgrounds and the family home. Deb also managed a unique, multiagency funded Restorative Justice team supporting victims of serious crime through restorative processes. Greet students with a smile and, having learned their names, use their names, make every student feel that they belong in your class, you want them there and you are pleased to see them.In Independent Thinking on Restorative Practice Mark sets out key principles and their application, as well as the opportunities and challenges around their use, in this accessible, easy-to-read book. Mark’s warmth, humour and non-judgemental manner is palpable throughout, and his writing serves up a ‘chicken soup for the soul’. Thank you to, Parkside School in Cullingworth, where I first met Mark Finnis on a training day as they made the excellent decision to start using restorative practice.