Non-violent communication in schools

‘Non-Violent Communication in Schools’ by Gottfried Orth and Hilde Fritz is a learning and practice book for everyone who lives and works in schools. It’s about valuing yourself as a teacher, asserting yourself confidently, setting your own boundaries and protecting them non-violently, whilst at the same time treating pupils and colleagues with respect. In short: to stay true to why you chose this profession in the first place – teaching.

The question the book poses is: Can this really be achieved within the ‘coercive context of school’? Orth and Fritz highlight ways in which teachers can clearly recognise and express their own needs, how to engage in empathetic dialogue with pupils, and how conflicts – as natural and everyday aspects of living together – can be resolved non-violently.

Non-violent communication aims to foster respectful interaction, which gives equal space to autonomy and connection, personal growth and a sense of belonging. When relationships at school are built in this way, teaching and learning become easier and everyday school life more pleasant.

Published by Junfermann Verlag, 256 pages.

For classroom use, Gottfried Orth has also produced the workbook ‘Talking to one another – understanding one another’, which contains ready-made worksheets for lower and upper secondary levels.