Restorative Responses to Challenging Students

Zelina M. Pames, Ed.D.

Email: drzpames@gmail.com

Phone: 216-220-9903

 

Course Description:

This professional development course helps K-12 educators respond to challenging student behavior using

restorative practices that maintain accountability, strengthen relationships, and repair harm. Using Better

Than Carrots or Sticks: Restorative Practices for Positive Classroom Management as the anchor text,

participants will explore relationships, expectations, informal and formal restorative responses, and

strategies for building a restorative classroom culture. Instructor-developed resources will extend the text

through the RESTORE Framework: Recognize the Behavior and Its Impact; Examine Context, Needs, and

Relationships; Stabilize the Situation; Talk With, Not At; Own the Harm and Responsibility; Repair

Relationships and Community; and Evaluate, Reconnect, and Reintegrate.

 

Learning Outcomes:

●

Understand foundational principles of restorative practices and distinguish restorative responses from

punitive, permissive, and exclusionary approaches to behavior.

●

Analyze challenging student behavior by considering impact, context, relationships, needs,

accountability, and harm.

●

Apply affective statements, restorative questions, and informal restorative conversations to common

K-12 behavioral situations.

●

Develop proactive strategies that strengthen classroom relationships, belonging, student voice,

procedures, and shared expectations.

●

Select and design appropriate restorative responses to conflict, harm, and behavioral incidents using

informal and formal restorative practices.

●

Develop a practical Restorative Response Action Plan using the RESTORE Framework that can be

implemented in a K-12 educational setting.

 

Required Text: Must Purchase

Better Than Carrots or Sticks: Restorative Practices for Positive Classroom Management

ISBN: 978-1-4166-2062-4 By: Dominique Smith, Douglas Fisher, and Nancy Frey

Publisher: ASCD Page Count: 160

 

Additional Course Materials:

Instructor-developed readings, case studies, videos, reflection activities, tools, templates, and application

resources will be provided throughout the course. These materials will extend the required text and support

application of the RESTORE Framework across K-12 educational settings. Assignment #8 includes the

professional article “Using Restorative Practices Proactively” by Megan Mary Conklin (Edutopia, March 10,

2026).

 

Assignment #1: Introduction & Reasons for Taking the Course

 

Introduce yourself, where you teach or work, your role, how long you have worked in education, and

the demographics of the students you serve.

 

Share something about your family, pets, hobbies, or interests that would help the instructor and

classmates know you better.

 

Talk about the things you value most about working with students.

 

Discuss one challenge you are currently facing related to student behavior, conflict, discipline, or

classroom relationships.

 

Share your background knowledge or experience with restorative practices.

 

What are three things you hope to learn from this class?

1-page double spaced: Google Doc provided

Points: 10

 

Assignment #2: Punitive or Restorative: Looking Beyond the Behavior

Read Chapter 1: Punitive or Restorative: The Choice Is Yours

 

Explain in your own words what restorative practice means in a K-12 setting.

 

Describe the difference between punishment, consequences, and restorative accountability.

 

Identify three ways traditional discipline responses may unintentionally affect relationships, belonging,

or future behavior.

 

Reflect on a behavioral incident you have experienced or observed. Do not include personally

identifiable student information.

 

Using the RESTORE Framework, complete the first two steps: Recognize the Behavior and Its Impact

and Examine Context, Needs, and Relationships.

 

Complete the statement: “When challenging behavior occurs, my first responsibility as an educator is

to…” Explain your response.

 

2-3 page reflection double spaced: Google Doc provided

Points: 20

 

Assignment #3: Relationships Before Responses

Read Chapter 2: Relationships and Meaningful Instruction

 

Identify three practices that currently help students feel known, respected, and connected in your

educational setting.

 

Identify two areas where relationships or belonging could be strengthened.

 

Explain how meaningful instruction and teacher-student relationships can influence behavior and

engagement.

 

Describe one challenging behavior that may be intensified when a student feels disconnected,

unsuccessful, or misunderstood.

 

Develop three relationship-centered strategies that could strengthen connection while maintaining

expectations.

 

Connect your strategies to Examine Context, Needs, and Relationships from the RESTORE

Framework.

 

2-3 page reflection/action plan double spaced: Google Doc provided

Points: 20

 

Assignment #4: Procedures, Expectations, and Prevention

Read Chapter 3: Classroom Procedures and Expectations

 

Identify three classroom procedures or expectations that are essential to a productive learning

environment.

 

Examine one procedure or expectation that students frequently struggle to meet.

 

Describe how the expectation is currently taught, reinforced, and revisited.

 

Identify how inconsistency, lack of clarity, or adult response may contribute to repeated behavior.

 

Develop a restorative approach for reteaching the expectation while maintaining accountability.

 

Create or revise three classroom/community agreements using clear, respectful, restorative language.

 

Connect the plan to Stabilize the Situation from the RESTORE Framework.

2-3 page requirement double spaced using Google Doc provided

Points: 25

 

Assignment #5: Peace Building: Everyday Restorative Responses

Read Chapter 4: Peace Building: Using Informal Restorative Practices Every Day

 

Identify three adult statements or responses that may escalate, shame, or shut down a student during conflict.

 

Rewrite each statement as an affective or restorative response.

 

Develop three affective statements that communicate impact without attacking the student’s character.

 

Develop five restorative questions appropriate for a common K-12 behavioral situation.

 

Create a brief informal restorative conversation for a student who refuses a direction, disrupts learning,

arrives repeatedly late, or speaks disrespectfully.

 

Explain how the response maintains accountability while protecting the relationship.

 

Apply Talk With, Not At and Own the Harm and Responsibility from the RESTORE Framework.

3-5 page requirement double spaced using Google Doc provided

Points: 25

 

Assignment #6: Peacemaking: Repairing Harm

Read Chapter 5: Peacemaking: Strategic Implementation of Formal Restorative Practices

 

Choose one realistic K-12 scenario involving significant conflict, repeated behavior, or harm.

 

Describe the observable behavior and its impact without labeling the student.

 

Identify who was affected and what may need to be repaired.

 

Determine whether an informal response is sufficient or a more formal restorative process is

appropriate. Explain your decision.

 

Identify who should participate and what preparation may be needed.

 

Develop restorative questions that address impact, accountability, needs, and repair.

 

Describe how the student or participants could make things right.

 

Connect the response to Own the Harm and Responsibility and Repair Relationships and Community

from the RESTORE Framework.

2-3 page requirement double spaced using Google Doc provided

Points: 25

 

Assignment #7: Creating a Restorative Mindset and Supporting Re-Entry

Read Chapter 6: Creating the Mindset for Restorative Practices

 

Describe three characteristics of a restorative educator or restorative classroom culture.

 

Identify one current practice or adult response that you may need to reconsider or adjust.

 

Select a realistic scenario involving a student returning after suspension, removal, conflict, or another

significant behavioral incident.

 

Develop a re-entry conversation that communicates belonging, accountability, expectations, and

support.

 

Identify one strategy for rebuilding trust and one strategy for preventing recurrence.

 

Explain how progress will be monitored without repeatedly defining the student by the past incident.

 

Connect the plan to Evaluate, Reconnect, and Reintegrate from the RESTORE Framework.

2-3 page requirement double spaced using Google Doc provided

Points: 30

 

Assignment #8: Restorative Response Strategy Toolkit

Read “Using Restorative Practices Proactively” by Megan Mary Conklin (Edutopia, March 10, 2026); revisit

Chapters 1-6 of Better Than Carrots or Sticks as needed.

 

After reading the article, identify which strategies are primarily proactive and which are primarily

responsive.

 

Explain why an effective restorative classroom needs both.

 

Create a practical restorative response toolkit that could be used in your classroom, school, or

program.

 

Include at least five proactive/universal restorative strategies.

 

Include at least three informal responsive strategies for lower-level behavior or conflict.

 

Include at least two structured strategies for more significant harm or repeated conflict.

 

Include an affective statement guide, restorative question set, informal conversation protocol, formal

response planning tool, and re-entry strategy.

 

For each strategy, explain when it should be used and what evidence would indicate that it is helping.

 

Organize the toolkit around the RESTORE Framework so it can be used as a practical educator

resource.

 

Use the Google Doc provided or submit an instructor-approved digital format

Points: 35

 

Assignment #9 Final Product: Restorative Response Action Plan

Synthesize Better Than Carrots or Sticks and all instructor-developed RESTORE resources

 

Submit a Restorative Response Action Plan that you could use in your work environment.

 

Select an individual student profile, group, classroom, recurring behavior pattern, or school-based

scenario. Do not include personally identifiable student information.

 

Recognize the behavior and describe its impact using relevant baseline information.

 

Examine context, needs, relationships, strengths, and possible contributing factors.

 

Describe how the situation will be stabilized before attempting repair.

 

Identify the affective statements, restorative questions, or conversation strategies that will be used.

 

Describe how the student will be supported in owning responsibility without shame.

 

Identify what harm or relationship needs to be repaired and how repair will occur.

 

Develop 2-3 measurable goals for behavior, relationships, participation, or successful reintegration.

 

Describe who will be involved, how progress will be monitored, and when the plan will be reviewed.

 

Explain how the educator will reconnect after setbacks and how successful progress will be

acknowledged.

 

Reflection Questions: What have you learned about responding to challenging behavior? Which

restorative strategy is most likely to change your practice? What challenges do you anticipate? What

will you do differently as a result of this course?

 

3-5 pages using the Google Doc provided, double spaced

Points: 50

 

Total Course Points: 240