| Curriculum | Transforming Conflict, page 102 |
| Lesson Name | Understanding Body Language and Personal Space |
| Grade Band |
Middle School (6-8) High School (9-12) |
| Required Material/s |
Supplies:
Preparation:
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| Standards / Competencies |
CASEL Core Competencies:
Common Core ELA-Literacy Standards:
NCSS Social Studies Themes:
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| Recommended Time | 50 minutes |
| Essential Question | How can body language and physical space shape conflict? |
| Learning Objectives |
Students will:
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| Activating Prior Knowledge | Ask two student volunteers to come up to the front of the room. Quietly, so the class cannot hear your directions, tell the two volunteers you want them to stand facing one another in a pose, using their bodies to show that they are angry and do not want to talk to each other. Clarify that they can only use their bodies to communicate how they feel and must get into position and hold it without saying a word. Answer any questions the two students may have, then ask the students to pose in front of the class. |
| Core Instruction |
Ask: How do these two people feel about each other? Since they haven’t said a single word and haven’t moved, how do you know this is how they feel? Record responses. Ask: How many of us have had someone say that they’re fine, but you can tell from their body language that they’re upset or mad? What nonverbal indicators communicate their emotion? Record responses. Distribute Handout 1. Ask: Which of these non-verbal behaviors makes you react the most? Record multiple responses. Why do they provoke a strong reaction? What does that tell us about how some of the behaviors listed can escalate a conflict? Which of the behaviors listed are ones you would use to de-escalate a conflict? Why? Record responses. Ask two students to come to the front of the room and instruct them in the following activity. Ask the first student to stand at the far side of the room, and the other to stand at the opposite wall. Ask the second student to walk toward the first student. When the first student does not want the second student to come any closer, the first student should raise their hand and say, “Stop.” Note the distance between the two students at that point and ask the two students to hold their positions while other students have a chance to try the exercise. Repeat this exercise with two or three pairs of student volunteers. Ask the stationary student in each pair: Why did you say “stop” when you did? Ask the approaching student in each pair: How did you feel as you approached the other student? Did you wish the stationary student had said “stop” sooner? Ask any student who answers “Yes” to this question to step back until they are more comfortable. Make sure the class notices the variations in comfort zone for each of the pairs. Tell students the approximate space most people are comfortable with when they say “stop” is somewhere between 18 inches and 36 inches, which is called personal space. Ask: Who do we allow into our personal space? Ask the approaching students to take a small step closer to the stationary students. Ask the class: If you were the stationary student in each pair, how would you feel now? Ask the stationary students if that is how they feel, and why. Write on the board: “Space between one person and another produces an emotional effect.” Tell the class that we call the area around a person from zero inches to 18 inches intimate space. Say: Intimate space is reserved for those we feel emotionally close to. Who are some of the people you might feel comfortable with in intimate space? Social space is used for those we don’t know as well, and it’s usually about three to 12 feet from oneself. Which people are you comfortable having in your social space? How do you feel if you are talking to someone with whom you are comfortable in one space, and that person moves into another space? Farther away? Closer to you? Give the class an example to consider, such as being approached by a stranger in a parking lot with no one else around. Elicit that movement between one zone or another affects an individual’s perception of comfort, security, and the emotional content of the encounter. Ask: What other factors may impact someone’s personal space preferences? If appliable, bring up how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted physical spaces and the needs for physical distance. Ask: When people are in a conflict, how do you think their space needs change? Why do you think that is? Distribute Handout 2. Give students an opportunity to brainstorm body language strategies that each of the conflict styles could use for transforming conflict. Ask them to particularly focus on strategies for their own conflict style. When students have finished, ask them to share their answers with the class. |
| Wrap-up | Ask: Why is it important for us to examine the impact of space and body language on conflict? How can this be applied in conflicts and in our everyday life? |
Download this lesson to access handouts.