Kelso’s Choice Conflict Management for Children is a powerful
and timely tool to build a vital life skill for the young people in
today’s world. The program philosophy is simple: each child is
smart enough and strong enough to resolve conflict.
Unlike some programs which tout peer mediators who are
trained to intervene as conflict managers, Kelso’s Choice
assumes that all young people are capable of becoming
peacemakers. Developed in 1992 and revised in 2007, the
program reflects a proven way to:
and timely tool to build a vital life skill for the young people in
today’s world. The program philosophy is simple: each child is
smart enough and strong enough to resolve conflict.
Unlike some programs which tout peer mediators who are
trained to intervene as conflict managers, Kelso’s Choice
assumes that all young people are capable of becoming
peacemakers. Developed in 1992 and revised in 2007, the
program reflects a proven way to:
Most schools implement "Kelso's Choice" on a
school-wide basis including teachers, classroom
assistants, administrative staff, custodians, and
cooks in the process. When all of the adults in a
school ask students to follow the guidelines of the
program, clear, consistent and firm expectations
result. In addition to being used in school-wide
programs, "Kelso's Choice" is often presented to
small groups of students or used during
individual counseling either to reinforce the
lessons taught in the classroom or to provide
problem-solving techniques. The material has
been successfully adapted for use with diverse
student groups, including students experiencing
physical, behavioral, learning, emotional or
psychological challenges. The program has also
been proven effective when teaching anger
management skills and impulsivity control.
The basic program consists of 11 lessons, with 7
additional extended activities for review and
reinforcement. Classroom teachers or guidance
counselors present the material. Within the core
program, students are first taught to discriminate
between "big" problems that must be shared with
an adult, and "small" problems that they can
resolve.
After mastering this distinction, each of the nine
skills are taught to the students. For example,
specific strategies for "MAKE A DEAL" are taught
and practiced, including how to flip a coin, how to
pick a number from one to ten, how to
compromise and make a trade-off, etc.
The program encourages students to try two
choices from the “wheel." If the "small" problem
persists, they are told that adult intervention is
warranted. Because terms such as "Ignore" are
linguistic in nature, each skill is reduced to
distinct operational skills, so young learners
understand the meaning and function of each
behavior.
The sequence of the lessons is flexible, and allows
for the age and experience of the students.
Activities include having younger students
illustrate huge colored chalk circles of Kelso's
“wheel" on the playground and having them
create clay dioramas of animals who are solving
their conflicts using the nine skills.
In other lessons, older students are role models
who act out viable solutions to conflict situations
suggested by younger students, or they create
individualized conflict management "wheels" in
which they identify actual situations in their lives
that require conflict management skills.
Auditory, visual and kinesthetic learning activities
are provided, as are all levels of learning mastery,
from simple identification through synthesis.
Throughout the lesson, two important messages
are presented: every student can make good
choices (not just student mediators) and every
student can make the choice that fits them best.
Because of cultural or personality differences, it is
not mandated that specific “small" problems must
be handled in exactly the same way by all
students. Instead, students are allowed to make
individual choices ... some students might use a
more assertive approach (TELL THEM TO STOP),
while others may select a less assertive choice
(IGNORE).
school-wide basis including teachers, classroom
assistants, administrative staff, custodians, and
cooks in the process. When all of the adults in a
school ask students to follow the guidelines of the
program, clear, consistent and firm expectations
result. In addition to being used in school-wide
programs, "Kelso's Choice" is often presented to
small groups of students or used during
individual counseling either to reinforce the
lessons taught in the classroom or to provide
problem-solving techniques. The material has
been successfully adapted for use with diverse
student groups, including students experiencing
physical, behavioral, learning, emotional or
psychological challenges. The program has also
been proven effective when teaching anger
management skills and impulsivity control.
The basic program consists of 11 lessons, with 7
additional extended activities for review and
reinforcement. Classroom teachers or guidance
counselors present the material. Within the core
program, students are first taught to discriminate
between "big" problems that must be shared with
an adult, and "small" problems that they can
resolve.
After mastering this distinction, each of the nine
skills are taught to the students. For example,
specific strategies for "MAKE A DEAL" are taught
and practiced, including how to flip a coin, how to
pick a number from one to ten, how to
compromise and make a trade-off, etc.
The program encourages students to try two
choices from the “wheel." If the "small" problem
persists, they are told that adult intervention is
warranted. Because terms such as "Ignore" are
linguistic in nature, each skill is reduced to
distinct operational skills, so young learners
understand the meaning and function of each
behavior.
The sequence of the lessons is flexible, and allows
for the age and experience of the students.
Activities include having younger students
illustrate huge colored chalk circles of Kelso's
“wheel" on the playground and having them
create clay dioramas of animals who are solving
their conflicts using the nine skills.
In other lessons, older students are role models
who act out viable solutions to conflict situations
suggested by younger students, or they create
individualized conflict management "wheels" in
which they identify actual situations in their lives
that require conflict management skills.
Auditory, visual and kinesthetic learning activities
are provided, as are all levels of learning mastery,
from simple identification through synthesis.
Throughout the lesson, two important messages
are presented: every student can make good
choices (not just student mediators) and every
student can make the choice that fits them best.
Because of cultural or personality differences, it is
not mandated that specific “small" problems must
be handled in exactly the same way by all
students. Instead, students are allowed to make
individual choices ... some students might use a
more assertive approach (TELL THEM TO STOP),
while others may select a less assertive choice
(IGNORE).
| What is Kelso's Choice? |
| How is Kelso's Choice Implemented? |
 | Empower young people with the ability | |
| to determine their own behavior, encouraging an internal locus of control and appropriate problem ownership. Statements such as “He made me do it!” and “She did it first!” become obsolete as students become accountable for their own choices. |
| Reduce tattling through a proactive, | |
| preventative approach that keeps small problems form escalating and prevents negative attention-getting mechanisms from occurring. |
| Systematize expectations of student | |
| behavior and provides consistency in rules and discipline on a school- wide basis. |
| Provide a cognitive structure for | |
| discriminating between “small” problems young people can resolve and “big” problems that require adult intervention. |
| Increase feelings of personal competence | |
| as young people successfully resolve conflicts, both within the structured lessons and in their own lives. |
| Develop an important linkage between | |
| home and school as the Kelso’s Choice program is shared with parents. |
| Give young people an important conflict | |
| resolution tool they can use when adults are not available or readily accessible. These situations might include riding bikes around the neighborhood, waiting at the bus stop or playing games in the far corner of school grounds. |
| Kelso's Choice Conflict Management for Children "It's your choice" A program to empower K-5 Students |
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