According to the whole-school approach to restorative justice in schools, faculty can bring the principles into classrooms as both a pedagogical approach and also as a response to harm, conflict or other areas of tension.
Here’s a list of practical and meaningful ways university faculty can bring restorative justice into their classrooms — whether they teach criminology, health, business, design, or any discipline. These approaches foster respect, accountability, and relational learning aligned with restorative values.
1. Co-Create Community Agreements
At the start of the semester, invite students to help shape shared classroom values (e.g., respect, listening, confidentiality). Once the values have been determined, discuss how to collectively promote accountability to them. Explore the question - how can safer learning spaces be co-created without adherence to rules and punishments meted out but the instructor? Revisit these agreements throughout the semester to ensure they remain meaningful and lived.
Sample prompts for this discussion:
- What does respect look like in our classroom?
- What can you offer to co-create a safer and respectful learning space? What do you need to feel supported and respected in our classroom?
- When you make a mistake in learning, what helps you recover and keep going?
- How can we support each other’s success this semester?
For group work, invite each group to create a list of agreements / team charter along with a statement to uphold academic integrity. Ask them to be specific about what happens if the agreements are not upheld – what are the options or steps for resolution?
2. Begin and End with Circles
Use short talking circles to open or close class sessions. Circles encourage reflection, relationship-building, and mutual understanding. Simple prompts like “What is one word that describes how you’re arriving today?” can build connection. See an example circle here and access the guide to facilitating a circle here.
“In a circle, there is no beginning and no end; every person is equal, each voice is listened to, and the aim is not to punish but to restore balance and harmony among people and with the world around us.” - Chief Justice Emeritus Robert Yazzie (Navajo)
3. Use Restorative Communication
Model curiosity and care when addressing tension or misconduct. Ask restorative questions:
- What happened?
- Who was affected and how?
- What can we do to make things right?
This approach emphasizes learning and repair over punishment.
4. Embed Reflection and Empathy in Assignments
Incorporate reflective writing, peer feedback, or group debriefs that explore accountability, harm, and repair. Encourage students to consider how their actions impact others in collaborative projects.
5. Integrate Restorative Justice into Your Curriculum
Include readings, case studies, or experiential exercises related to restorative justice. Connect restorative justice to themes of equity, community, and justice in your discipline. Invite Indigenous Elders or community practitioners to share perspectives.
6. Address Conflict Restoratively
When harm or conflict arises, consider holding a restorative conversation or facilitated circle. Encourage honesty, empathy, and accountability, and focus on rebuilding relationships rather than assigning blame.
7. Adopt Restorative Assessment Practices
Use feedback as dialogue — invite students to reflect on their learning and growth. Allow opportunities for revision and self-assessment to reinforce accountability and improvement.
8. Partner with Campus Initiatives
Collaborate with the Indigenization and Decolonization Committee, Student Rights and Responsibilities Office, Academic Integrity Unit or Teaching & Learning Commons to access restorative justice resources, training, and facilitation support.
9. Model Accountability and Care
When misunderstandings occur, acknowledge them openly. Modeling vulnerability, humility, and repair demonstrates restorative principles in action and fosters a culture of trust.
10. Continue Learning and Sharing
Participate in restorative justice training, communities of practice, or circles offered at KPU. Support student-led RJ initiatives and share what you learn with colleagues to help build a restorative academic community.
Restorative justice is not just a process — it’s a way of being.
By embedding restorative values in everyday teaching, faculty contribute to a more connected, compassionate, and just learning environment at KPU.
For more information about restorative justice the post-secondary level, you can visit the RJ-PSEC WordPress site, visit KPU's Restorative Justice and Academic Integrity SharePoint site or take the self-paced Moodle Course: Restorative Approaches to Academic Integrity Breaches specific to academic integrity and restorative justice. Keep watch on the Today @ Announcements for upcoming training and workshops on restorative justice and trauma informed approaches. You can find past Today@ blog posts on the right side bar of the Restorative Justice and Academic Integrity SharePoint page.
Upcoming Trainings
- For Restorative Justice and Academic Integrity events and trainings, visit the Academic Integrity Events page (under the Faculty & Staff section)
- Email alana.abramson@kpu.ca if you'd like to discuss training for your group
Past Trainings
- Restorative Justice and Academic Integrity Lunch and Learn (1 hour)
- Introduction to Restorative Justice and Academic Integrity Workshop (1/2 day)
- Interactive Restorative Justice and Academic Integrity Workshop (1 day)
Recording: Restorative Justice in the University Classroom presented by Alana Abramson - KPU Lunch and Learn on Restorative Justice for KPU faculty and staff
“Transformative, restorative justice focuses on a given point in time and on the specific people who are involved with one another at that time, as well as directing attention to both the preconditions and antecedents of that particular moment, which generally implicate factors and forces that go beyond the individuals most directly affected. " - Harris, 2004, p. 139