How to Teach Internal & External Conflict

Teaching how to deal with conflicts.

External and internal conflict are important aspects of human nature. While they both deal with issues that must be worked out, the differences between the two provide a necessary lesson for anyone who is unfamiliar with the terms. Where external conflict typically deals with an issue with another person or group, internal conflict is based on the thoughts of a single person. It is vital for that difference to be understood in order to truly get everything necessary out of the concepts.

Instructions

Teaching Conflict

1. When teaching the difference between internal and external conflict, one of the easiest ways to make your point is to make the content relatable to your audience. By giving examples of the two types of conflict, you are setting up a baseline that can be understood.

2. Refer to something you have worked with in class. Any course where you would be teaching the difference between internal and external conflict is one which has to have examples in the curriculum of each. Whether that is characters in a novel in English class, examples through history in a Social Studies class or theories discussed in Psychology, previously learned material can be an aid.

3. Design a scenario for the students to view. Use another teacher to set up a fictional external conflict, and then provide an example of an internal conflict yourself. By acting these situations out for the class, they are viewing first hand the difference between the two.

References

• Literary Elements
• Novel Writing Tips: Internal and External Conflict