Teaching Sequence

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

15 minutes

Tune In: De-escalation techniques

20 minutes

Find Out: Overriding fight or flight

25 minutes

Take Action: Practising de-escalation

10 minutes

Reflection

Tune In: De-escalation techniques

Step 1

Invite students to imagine the following:

You are in the schoolyard with your friends. You notice one of your classmates (that you get along well with) is in an argument with someone from another year level. You notice your classmate is getting really angry. They are gripping their fists, going tense and staring really hard at the other person. You’ve seen this before. Last time they punched their hand through a window. What can you do to try to talk them down so that no one gets hurt?

Invite students to share their ideas.

Optional: You might like to do a short drama role-play where students can try to de-escalate someone feeling angry. See if they can succeed!

Step 2

Play this video:

How to de-escalate someone (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qsfBCatgX8&feature=youtu.be)

Note: There are some spelling issues in this video.

Invite students to reflect on the three tips provided in the video:

Validate them
Help them figure out other options
Respect their free will.

Step 3

Invite students to read through these strategies provided by the NSW Department of Health:

When there are signs of anger or verbal aggression it is important to remember that:
Use the strategies below to de-escalate a situation (LOWLINE):
- Listen to what the issue is and the person's concerns.
- Offer reflective comments to show that you have heard what their concerns are.
- Wait until the person has released their frustration and explained how they are feeling.
- Look and maintain appropriate eye contact to connect with the person.
- Incline your head slightly, to show you are listening and give you a non-threatening posture.
- Nod to confirm that you are listening and have understood.
- Express empathy to show you have understood.

Have students work with a partner to determine how the advice from the video and the advice from the NSW Government is similar or different.

Find Out: Overriding fight or flight

Step 1

Display and read out this quote from the video:

“The goal of de-escalation is to get around a person’s fight or flight response.” (from 5:50)

Invite students to share what they think this means.

Learning support: students may require some additional background on fight or flight. You could play this video or complete Coward Punch: Anger Management 101 - HPE - Years 9 & 10 prior to this lesson.

Step 2. Play this video:

Calming & De-escalation Strategies (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2PSExM-NhU)

Display the following to assist students in the following task:

“It takes 20-30 minutes to come back down to baseline after a perceived or real threat.”

Low and slow
Name it to tame it
Regulate over educate
Validation and empathy

Extension opportunity: Students could complete this table to more deeply explore the de-escalation behaviours outlined in the video:

De-escalation strategy	What do you do?	Why is this needed?	Further information

Step 3

Invite students to close their eyes and reflect on a time when they felt threatened and their body went into fight or flight mode (and other people were around).

Once they have a strong visual in their heads, invite them to write privately about how those around them responded. Questions to consider:

Did they use any of the strategies discussed so far to help de-escalate them?
What impact did the behaviours of these people have on them?
How long did it take them to calm you down? What helped?

Step 4

Lead the group in discussing which strategies they feel would be most effective in de-escalating an enraged person and create your own class list of de-escalation strategies.

You might find it helpful to create a shared online document that all students can access, or nominate a scribe to take down ideas presented during a discussion.

Take Action: Practising de-escalation

Step 1

For each of the below scenarios invite students to prepare a short skit/role-play that demonstrates how using de-escalation techniques could help prevent a violent outcome:

You are at a party with about 20 people around a bonfire. A friend, James, has been laughing and having a good time but he has had quite a bit of alcohol. He has been keeping an eye on his ex-girlfriend, hoping to get back with her, but she indicated she had no interest. Later, James notices her kissing a guy he dislikes. You see James throw his drink away and make his way towards them in a rage. What do you do to de-escalate James?
You are in the PE change rooms with your class and are getting changed with a few good mates. Sadly, your mortal enemy has been teasing you all lesson. This person starts to flick your leg with a towel which is pretty usual, but this time it is vicious and really painful. You have already asked them to stop and rage is building up inside you. This time they aim at your head and it flicks your ear. The searing pain tears down the right side of your face. You spin to face them with your fist clenched. What does your friend do to calm you down?

Invite students to present the role-plays to the class or another group.

Step 2

Lead a class discussion on how they might keep themselves safe when trying to de-escalate a potentially violent situation. In what situations should they ‘stay out of it’ and ‘call for help’ (e.g. when someone has a weapon or has lost touch with reality, such as in situations of psychosis)?

Reiterate that the best way to remain safe during a heightened event is to remain calm. Panic, shouting or accusations will only escalate a situation, making things worse and turning yourself into a perceived threat.

Note: It is advisable that those who try to de-escalate an angry person or situation should have an existing relationship of respect with the heightened individual/s.

Reflection

Invite students to respond to these questions in writing or using video/audio recording:

Have you ever helped de-escalate a situation? What did you do that worked?
Are you usually confident or nervous about stepping in to help someone in distress?
How confident would you feel now in de-escalating someone who feels angry or upset?
What might you change or add to your class de-escalation list?
What do you still want to learn more about?

Coward Punch - De-escalation Strategies

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