EDLD 5345 - Mediation

·         Describe the mediation process. How did the process work?   The mediation process is a way to resolve disputes between two parties.  We sat down, and the mediator layed out the ground rules.  We agreed to the rules, and followed the prescribed format.  Each person told his/her side of the story which was then paraphrased by the mediator.  Everyone understood the conflict, and each others’ points of view.  We proceeded to imagining and role play, after which, we talked about possible solutions to the problem.   However, it was difficult for me to pretend about this whole scenario since I am not an actor.  I would have done better with a real problem, so I applied something real to the pretend problem.  In the end the process worked well and we reached an agreement.   ·         Did the parties reach a mutual agreement to resolve the conflict? If not, what barriers prevented the resolution of the conflict?   We based our scenario on an adopted dog.  The conflict was that I wanted the dog but did not do my share caring for it.  My husband did not want the dog at first but grew to love it and was stuck with all of the responsibilities of caring for the dog.  We reached a compromise because it made good sense that the dog cannot be neglected and I was the one who wanted to adopt it in the first place.  I admit that I am not the best when it comes to following through on household duties because my mind is so full of other things, especially school and work.    However, there was the barrier of me having to pay into the dog fund.  At first it seemed a bit excessive but I can agree that I need some extra motivation for these kinds of chores.   I also thought that he should be more sympathetic to my excessive thinking about work and school.  But he countered with the fact that he does most of the chores around the house as well as working a physically challenging construction job full time and then comes home to additional house work.  Who can argue with that?   ·         How might you be able to use this skill as a leader?   I can adapt this to my work environment now by suggesting that we use this as a way of resolving conflicts among team members.  Our department chairperson can incorporate this into our meeting norms in the event a conflict might arise.   In the future, as a leader of a school, this mediation template can be taught to guidance counselors and interventionists to mediate between students and I can use it to mediate between staff members, staff members and parents, students and teachers.  The applications of this process does not have limits when it comes to problem solving disputes between two people or groups.  As with all things, the key is in communication.