Lesson Plan

Sponge activity: For my sponge activity I plan to ask the students what they know about peer mediation. I am going to ask them what they think mediation is. I'm also going to ask them what they know about the I-poly peer mediation program.

Introduction:
My essential question is "what is most important to creating a successful peer mediation program?" Important meaning essential, creating meaning implementing, and successful meaning being able to maintain the program, compliment student body, and reach solutions in mediation. I chose peer mediation as my senior topic because I wanted to choose a topic that would benefit myself and other people as well. In choosing peer mediation as my topic I would be able to work with the peer mediation program and help them in whichever way I can. I also would be able to expand my knowledge and skills as a peer mediator. I have specifically made my lesson plan to educate students what is most important to creating a successful peer mediation program. I plan to educate them on why I chose my answers through my activities and what I will be saying.

Foundation:
Peer Mediation is a program that is a new approach to solve conflict. It is primarily implemented in schools. Students are taught a process that helps resolve conflict, but they must undergo some training before they can actually mediate two disputants. It is important to take the mediation seriously so that the mediation remains neutral and confidential. Once students receive the appropriate training then they will be able to officially mediate. That’s why it is important to have a diverse group students, so that the disputants can feel comfortable getting mediated. If the disputants don’t feel comfortable then it might negatively affect the mediation. The disputants might not want to tell their side of their study or simply cooperate in the mediation. It is also important to have administrative support because the peer mediation program can’t maintain itself; there is too much work required for an instructor alone.

 Body:
Answer 1: Diversity
Activity 1: For my first activity I plan on creating a list of fifteen students with descriptions of each. The students will all be different and obtain different qualities and characteristics. I will ask the students to choose the perfect peer mediation team, but they are only allowed to choose eight students. Based on what I teach them on diversity they will have to choose a team that would be ideal. Each group will get to choose their ideal team, and after 10-15 minutes, I will ask each group to explain why they chose the team they did. This will help them understand why peer mediation needs a diverse group of students.

Answer 2: Administrative Support 
Activity 2: I am not doing an activity for this answer.

Answer 3: Training
Activity 3: For this activity I plan on giving each group a mock mediation scenario from my independent task #1. I will hand each group a scenario and I will tell them to read through it and make sure that the group elects two students to represent the disputants in the scenario. The first group will go in front of the class and act out the conflict. Once they are finished the, I will ask the class what was the source of the conflict and each of the disputants needs. They will be able to depict these things because I will have explained this beforehand. Each group will do this and the class will do the same for every group. By the end of this they should be able to understand conflict and its sources.

Conclusion:
My best answer is diversity. Diversity is my best answer because through research and experience I have learned that in order for a peer mediation program to be successful it must compliment the student body. The students in the peer mediation program must appeal to the entire school in order for people to feel comfortable being mediated. The program can’t thrive when it has a single type of person. Different qualities and characteristics are essential for the program’s growth and enrichment.

My three most important sources is service learning with Mrs. Ortega, Recommended Standards for School-Based Peer Mediation Programs produced by The Association for Conflict Resolution, and my third interview with Monya Kian. They are my most important sources because they were the most helpful towards helping me answer my essential question. They were all insightful and really have helped me elaborate on my answers.

My product is being able to have given the peer mediation program at I-poly more visibility from the students. In order for a peer mediation to grow is must be known to the student body what peer mediation is and that there is a program available at their school. I helped the I-poly program achieve that through an event named Don’t Be A Stranger Day, visiting the sophomore and freshman classes, and hopefully through my media kit. I think just doing my senior presentation has also helped give it visibility, because students that know me, know what I am doing my project on which at one point they probably didn’t know that there is a peer mediation program at our school.