When things get tense in class: Relational Peer Mediation

A remark that lands the wrong way, a discussion that gets out of hand, a silence that lingers. Many lecturers and students will recognise it: tensions in society find their way into the classroom. But how do you open up that discomfort for discussion, and how do you learn from it together? Within the Centre of Expertise Global and Inclusive Learning, the Multilevel Regulation research group set out to find the answer, together with the Inclusive Education & Global Citizenship research group. The result: Relational Peer Mediation (RPM).

An example from THUAS classrooms

In one year group, tensions between students had been building for some time. Mi Jung van der Velde, senior lecturer, teacher trainer and researcher, was asked to step in as part of a pilot.

She began with a plenary session on what discomfort does to us. “Controversial topics are entangled with identity, and therefore with emotions,” she explains. “I made a distinction between feeling uncomfortable and feeling unsafe. Discomfort actually creates room for learning, because it encourages you to question your own assumptions.”

This became tangible when she addressed microaggressions. Take a remark like “You speak Dutch so well”, made to a Dutch person with a migration background: it may be well intended, but the impact matters, regardless of the intention. Some students recognised this immediately; others felt that people are rather sensitive these days. “The training gave them words for the impact of comments and gestures.”

Next, the year group split into small groups to work with Story Sharing. Everyone had the chance to speak and to listen without being interrupted. “Some students realised they were not the only ones who sometimes felt a bit lost among the loudest voices. And that not knowing is okay too.”

According to students and lecturers, the group dynamics improved afterwards. Not everyone was convinced straight away: some students found sitting in a circle with a talking stick too “therapeutic”. The programme’s lecturers therefore developed their own alternatives. “It’s tailor-made, always developed in partnership with the programme.”

From pilot to curriculum

Jikke Verheij, programme manager, sees the impact too. The Public Administration and IPPL programmes have been working with RPM since last year. “Students were sceptical at first, but it turned out to be one of the most valuable modules of the year. They could also apply it in other modules and when working together.” In Public Administration, the method is now a permanent part of the second year, and it is already introduced in the first year. “The model gives students the tools to work together when conflicting ideas come up. We see that it helps to counter polarisation.”

What is RPM?

What Mi Jung did is exactly what Relational Peer Mediation is about: not brushing discomfort aside, but using it as a starting point to learn from and with each other.

Barbara Warwas, Professor of Multilevel Regulation, sees it every day: polarisation and tensions in the world are also felt in education. If this discomfort is not addressed, the tensions grow. At the same time, many lecturers and students say they don’t really know how to approach such conversations. That is why in 2025 she launched the Comenius project Relational Peer Mediation together with Naomi van Stapele, then Professor of Inclusive Education. She is now taking the next step with Wâtte Zijlstra and Guusje Tavecchio of the Inclusive Education & Global Citizenship research group: from development to practice.

RPM offers lecturers and students practical methods for addressing discomfort. You can use them in everyday teaching, but also when a conflict arises. The approach consists of four practices:

• Story Sharing: sharing experiences and stories with each other.
• Critical Dialogues: conversations in which you explore different perspectives together.
• Conflict Competence Training: skills for dealing with conflict and tension.
• The RPM Clinic: a place where students and lecturers can turn when things get tense.

The approach builds on the ‘pedagogy of discomfort’ and on peer mediation. “The goal is actually very simple,” says Warwas. “We all live and work in relation to others. We want to make those relationships easier for students and lecturers.”

Mi Jung’s example reflects these building blocks. She distinguishes between discomfort and feeling unsafe, and makes room for emotions. And she questions dominant narratives and structures, one of the key elements of the RPM wheel. “Talking about subtle forms of everyday racism or sexism sometimes creates exactly the discomfort that is needed for growth,” says Mi Jung. Story Sharing is all about listening without interrupting, so that everyone is heard.

Read more about the project on the project page.

For students too

RPM was developed from students’ own experiences: the model is based on uncomfortable situations they encountered in class. Students are therefore the main target group, and they are actively involved. The project team includes student leaders from three different faculties.

“Whatever path you choose, conflict-resolution skills help you better understand yourself and others,” says Alexandra Albei, International and European Law student and member of the project team. “What I enjoy most is that together we are creating a space that is genuinely designed for students. A space where their concerns are heard and where they learn to navigate conflicts constructively.”

Why it matters

THUAS aims to be an inclusive and safe learning environment. RPM contributes to this and works together with the Social Safety & Inclusion programme.

“RPM goes to the core of our ambitions for interdisciplinary and inclusive education, as set out in the Knowledge Agenda, the Institutional Plan and the Educational Vision,” says Willem van Nieuwkerk, Director of the Faculty of Public Management, Law and Safety. “It also complements the work of the social safety team.”

The project also shows what the Centre of Expertise Global and Inclusive Learning stands for in its research: transformative learning.

What’s coming this year?

This academic year, RPM moves from development to practice:

• Training sessions for lecturers and students, to become more skilled at addressing discomfort.
• A handbook explaining the RPM method and practical techniques in detail. A first version will be published this year.
• The third Comenius RPM Conference, in June 2027.
• The RPM Clinic, opening to students and lecturers in April 2027.

Do you recognise these tensions in your own classroom? “Feel free to get in touch,” says Mi Jung. “We can cover themes such as migration, racism and discrimination, the manosphere or any other topic that creates tension.”

Want to know more, or take part in a training session? Contact the project team at [email protected].