Gimnazija Jurija Vege Idrija | Slovenia

CITIZENSHIP

LOCALLY , GLOBBALY

BULLYING

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2nd Comenius partner meeting

BULLYING

Idrija, Slovenia - January 2011

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The aim of the project is to develop activities and strategies that will help us to

prepare our students adequately for their future lives as responsible citizens and one of the topics of our project is bullying.

1. General view about bullying

2. Expert on bullying

3. Role plays on bullying

4. Workshops on bullying

5. Examples how to prevent bullying

(Latvia, Poland and Austria)

6. Group work on bullying

7. Classroom materials

1 General view about Bullying

1 Definition

"A person is bullied when he or she is exposed, repeatedly and over

time, to negative actions on the part of one or more other persons, and he or she has difficulty defending himself or herself."

Dan Olweus commonly accepted definition for bullying in his 1993

book, Bullying at School: What We Know and What We Can Do:

This definition includes three important components:

1. Bullying is aggressive behavior that involves unwanted, negative actions.

2. Bullying involves a pattern of behavior repeated over time. 3. Bullying involves an imbalance of power or strength.

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2 Types of Bullying

Bullying can take on many forms. As part of the Olweus Bullying Questionnaire, students are asked if they have been bullied in any of these

nine ways:

1. Verbal bullying including derogatory comments and bad names

2. Bullying through social exclusion or isolation

3. Physical bullying such as hitting, kicking, shoving, and spitting

4. Bullying through lies and false rumours

5. Having money or other things taken or damaged by students who bully

6. Being threatened or being forced to do things by students who bully

7. Racial bullying

8. Sexual bullying

9. Cyber bullying (via cell phone or Internet)

3 Bullying Prevention and Intervention

Principles of Prevention and Intervention

Like many areas of children's learning and development, effective bullying

interventions are grounded in universal prevention that reinforces protective factors and reduces risks for all students. Many successful programs are based

at least in part on the work of Norwegian researcher Dan Olweus (1997), who developed an approach that targets the context in which bullying occurs

(including adult and bystander attitudes) and the behavior of victims and bullies. The approach has shown to reduce bullying by 50% and includes:

A schoolwide foundation that offers universal interventions; a value system based on caring, respect, and personal responsibility; positive

discipline and supports; clear behavioral expectations and consequences; skills development; and increased adult supervision and parental

involvement. Early interventions that target specific risk factors and teach positive

behavior and critical-thinking skills at the classroom level, including

lessons, discussion, and parent meetings. Intensive individual interventions that provide bullies and victims with

individual support through meetings with students and parents, counseling, and sustained child and family supports.

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The goal is to create a culture in which adults stop all bullying immediately, all students learn positive behaviors and become

a part of the anti-bullying solution, and the needs of individual students are met. Mental health plays a crucial role in this process. Principals should work

with their school psychologist or other trained mental health personnel to develop and implement a program that best suits their schools' needs. To be

successful, bullying programs should incorporate all of the following recommendations in some capacity.

Lay the Groundwork

Coordinate with other schools in your district. Students will do best if

they receive consistent bullying prevention training throughout their schooling as they move through grade levels and among schools.

Assess the extent of the problem. Administer separate schoolwide surveys to students and staff members to identify prevalence, attitudes, knowledge,

gaps in perception, and specific areas or aspects of the problem that you may need to target, such as locations or times when bullying occurs most often and

particular concerns such as sexual harassment or "cyber bullying."

Establish a coordinating team. This group will help develop and implement

schoolwide activities. Select individuals who are knowledgeable about the issue

and respected in the school community and who are good communicators and consensus builders (include a mental health professional, parents, and

students). A separate specially trained team should provide intensive interventions to individual students.

Involve the entire school community. Be prepared for some initial resistance. Staff members may not see a need for a program or may feel

overwhelmed at the thought of adding yet another objective to the year. Students may be skeptical if bullying has persisted for a long time. Parents

may be concerned about diverting resources from the core curriculum or unconvinced that all students, including their child, will benefit by learning

anti-bullying skills. Elicit regular input and provide consistent information to all groups.

Build a Schoolwide Foundation

Develop a code of conduct. Development should involve the entire school

community, including students and their parents. It should reinforce the values of empathy, caring, respect, fairness, and personal responsibility, and must

clearly define unacceptable behavior, expected behavior and values, and consequences for violations. In addition, the code should apply to adults and

students, reflect age-appropriate language, and be prominently placed throughout the school.

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Establish and consistently enforce consequences for bullying. Consequences should be understood by all students

and should combine sanctions with supportive interventions that build self-management skills and alternate positive behaviors.

Build students' sense of responsibility for the school community. Personal responsibility comes with a sense of ownership. Students should help

develop the code of conduct, determine where and how it is displayed, contribute to schoolwide activities, and participate in peer mediation and

conflict resolution.

Distinguish between "ratting" and "reporting." Most adolescents are reluctant to turn in their classmates. They usually do not want to get their

peers in trouble-particularly if the bully is popular-or be known as a "rat." Ensure confidentiality and establish a nonthreatening way for students to

report bullying of themselves or classmates. Identify which staff members handle bullying issues, but make it clear that students can contact any trusted

adult.

Train all school personnel. Some teachers will need specific training on

bullying prevention curriculum, but all school personnel (including bus drivers, coaches, and after-school program supervisors) need to know how to identify

and respond to bullying as well as how to model and reinforce positive problem solving. They should know symptoms of victimization, how to reach out to

victims, and the protocol for contacting the appropriate staff members or a student's parents.

Ensure cultural competence. To be effective, communications, curricula,

and interventions must reflect the cultural needs of students and parents. Students who are not fluent in English may have difficulty communicating a

problem and may be reluctant to do so. Written information should be translated into relevant languages.

Increase adult supervision. Adults should be visible and vigilant in such common areas as hallways, stairwells, cafeterias, and locker rooms. In

particular, school employees should be aware of students' behavior on buses and on the way to and from school for students who walk or ride bikes.

Conduct schoolwide bullying prevention activities. This brings the community together, generates energy around the program, and conveys the

consistent message that bullying is wrong and that everyone has a role in prevention. Consider an all-school assembly, a communications campaign, or a

creative arts contest highlighting caring community values.

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Make Early Interventions

Teach specific skills and values in the classroom. Target those areas identified as universally important to students, (e.g. empathy, impulse control,

or taking a stand). Address skill acquisition and application and their roles in academic and social success, emotional awareness, seeing others'

perspectives, alternative thinking strategies, and problem solving. Instructional strategies include adult role modeling, discussion, and practice.

Integrate skills into other curricula whenever possible. Teach conflict resolution and peer mediation. Teaching students how to solve their own

problems can redirect potentially negative or passive behaviors to positive problem-solving and leadership skills. This also gives students a greater stake

in promoting a positive school environment.

Hold parent meetings. Parent involvement is crucial. Group discussions

convey what students are learning, teach parents how to reinforce those skills

at home, and support the parents' role in fostering a caring school community. Meetings at the classroom level also help build connections among parents and

teachers.

Provide Individual Interventions

Establish a protocol for intervening in or investigating a bullying

incident. Adults should separate the victim and the bully. Meet with the victim first, then the bully, then bystanders. Name the behavior, reiterate the rules,

and review expected behaviors. Determine if there is a pattern of bullying, the appropriate consequences, and the need for further interventions for the bully

or the victim. Increase observation of the students involved and contact their

parents, as necessary.

Determine the impetus for the behavior. Interventions should address

underlying causes. Bullies and victims may need additional skills development or reinforcement on how to apply the skills they have. It may be necessary to

focus on the subculture of a group of students who bully as a unit. Students may also be exhibiting signs of more serious problems, such as depression, an

anxiety disorder, or being victimized at home.

Reinforce alternative behaviors. Ask students to address the thoughts and

circumstances that preceded a bullying incident. Guide them in determining more appropriate strategies to express their feelings or resolve conflict. For

bullies, this may mean identifying their thinking errors and reinforcing calming and impulse-control strategies. Victims may need help with strategies to avoid

provoking a bully, reading social cues, or walking away. Bystanders may need to learn how to reach out to vulnerable peers and to diffuse bullying when they

see it.

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Work with parents. Parenting style and family issues often contribute to bully and victim behaviors. Sustained student

and family counseling may be necessary to help parents learn new approaches to discipline, communication, and positive interactions with their child.

Address off-campus bullying. The code of conduct should include off-campus student behavior, particularly if it involves other students from the

school. Students and parents should be encouraged to report such bullying. A growing concern in this arena is "cyber bullying"-when students harass their

victims via e-mail or student-run webpages. This is particularly harmful

because students may do and say things anonymously that they would not do otherwise, the messages can be transmitted to scores of people

instantaneously, and the messages can be very difficult to eliminate. Schools can help to contact the relevant authorities (e.g., Internet service providers) to

track down the source and stop the abuse.

An Ounce of Prevention

Implementing a comprehensive anti-bullying program may seem like one

initiative too many, given current budget realities, staff shortages, and strains on existing resources and class time. But ignoring bullying is far more costly

than addressing it, in terms of both expended resources and diminished

outcomes. Effective prevention efforts mobilize a school's most vital resource-the students-to be a school's most powerful force in fostering a caring culture

in which all students can grow and learn. It is a wise investment.

Katja Gutnik, Sindy Smodiš, Janja Tušar, Anja Logar Katjuša Koler, Ana Rupnik, Meta Močnik, Vanda Podobnik

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Reference

Olweus, D. (1997). Bully/victim problems in school: Facts and intervention. European Journal of Psychology of Education, 12(4), 495-

510.

Anti-Bullying Programs

The Olweus Bully Prevention Program

http://modelprograms.samhsa.gov/pdfs/FactSheets/Olweus%20Bully.pdf

Bully-Proofing Your Middle School

www.sopriswest.com/swstore/product.asp?sku=454

PeaceBuilders

www.peacebuilders.com

PATHS (Providing Alternative THinking Strategies)

www.channing-bete.com/positiveyouth/pages/PATHS/PATHS.html

RCCP (Resolving Conflict Creatively Program)

www.esrnational.org/ms/prevent/msrccp/msrccp.htm

Sabina Hadalin, Andrej Vehar, Primož Grahelj, Jaka Kopač

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2 Presentation by an expert on bullying – Mojca Pušnik

She has been involved in a project called Bullying in Secondary Schools and

the WE CARE Programme. (The WE CARE Programme is for primary schools). Concentrating on violence and bullying.

Definition of violence as harmful or damaging or threatens and is intended. It

can be physical or verbal, direct or indirect. Bullying can be physical, verbal, direct or indirect. It is against a person. There

is an imbalance of power and repetition. The victim cannot defend him/herself.

Definition now also needs to include cyber bullying.

Used questionnaires for students to look at role of victim, offender and bystanders. Studies in 2004 and 2008.

In 2008 boys and girls had similar levels of involvement in bullying. In 2004 there were more boys involved.

Teasing/quizzing was the most common type of bullying.

Looked at how boys and girls spent their free time.

Boys. 2004 - 73% of boys spent time playing with computer, in 2008 down to 56%.

Girls. 2004 - 57.9% spent their free time strolling. In 2008 up to 67%. Could explain increase in bullying involvement as not doing anything.

Teachers – results show that teachers feel more pressure as a result of bullying.

WE CARE

5 primary schools involved in the project. It finished as a prevention programme. Worked for two years to develop the programme. Produced a

handbook.

Objectives for students, parents and teachers:- Raise awareness

Recognise different forms of bullying

Learn to respond to bullying

Improve relationships

Encourage participation

Introduce active approaches to dealing with bullying

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Need to play an active role – what can I do? What can we do

together? School, parents and students to work together. All work needs to be adjusted to needs of individual student.

7 steps to a whole school approach:

1. Be aware

2. Analyse

3. Define problem, goals

4. Formulate programme

5. Present programme

6. Implement programme

7. Evaluate programme

WE CARE Contents:

Emotions

Self-Image – Who am I and how am I seen by others?

Values – understanding own values and the values of others

Rules – involve students in making rules, they respect their own rules

Class climate – how do I feel in class? What contribution can I make?

Interpersonal relations – getting to know each other better

Sensitivity to violence – not every action is violence. Students know how to

define actions.

Material developed – handbooks and leaflets.

“Baptism” of the first year students

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3 Role plays by Slovenian Students showing different aspects of bullying

ROLE PLAY 1 (school vandalism and blackmailing) Gaja: that’s anought! I’m going to write your

name on the list of bad students, right now!

Ester: Oh, mrs. President, I think you won’t …

Gaja: Oh, Yes, I will. I don’t care what you

and your gang are thinking. I’m here to

rescue our class community and I’m not

joking about that! I’ll write you on the list …

Ester: I suggest you not …

Gaja: Haha. Look at my hand, teen vandal, look…..ooooh, there’s the pen in it…oooh,

and there’s the list…oooh…can’t you see, how amazing it is? And how simple? Isn’t it

funny? So simple? But it won’t be so simple for you, right? Form teacher will call your

parents and… Ah, You’ll see anyway. You’re not so brave now, aren’t you?

Ester: Get very close to her face: I really suggest you not to do that …

Gaja: a little bit scared: and why not, mrs. Al Capone?

Ester: Because I know something about you. Something you shourly won’t like to

everybody get to know it …

Gaja: Such as?

Ester: that your parents are literally fighting for your marks, and other stuffs that you

do it on that school. You’re nothing, mrs. President… Your just a little crazy girl of your

mad parents.

Gaja: that’s not true. I don’t know where you have found this, but that’s a lie.

Ester: No, is not, if I say so.

Gaja: Why are you doing this to me?

Ester: hhh… OK. Yes it is a lie. So what? Who will bealive you, anyway? Nobody!!

Gaja: well…

Ester: yes?

Gaja: I guess I’ll just put this pen down…

Ester: that’s good girl.

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ROLE PLAY 2

Bitches: Gaja, Ester, Agnes, Ana Poor girl: Urška Ana: Yeah, free lesson! Gaja: Just what I needed… Agnes: Hey, Girls, let’s go to the pub … Ester: Yes, let’s go! Urška: Can I go with you? Gaja: What? Ana: Haha … Agnes; Oh my god … Ester: Hey, Hey, shut up! Off course you can go, sunshine. In the pub … Urška: So, what are you going to do on weekend? Gaja: Well …Aren’t we going to do some shopping? Agnes: Yes, I think we have decided so, haven’t we? Ana: Yes, I remember now! Ester: Do you want to come with us? Urška: aaammm… yes, If I won’t bother you …? Ester: Oh, no. Not a alll… Urška: Oh, great then! I so looking forward to it … Ester: We too, sunshine. Gaja, Agnes, Ana are starring into they, open-mouthed Ester: WE’ll show you all the best shops in town. We’ll make you shine! Urška: Hh, Oh my god! I can’t wait!… very happy… And these are? Gaja: meanly: Ah, you know… Like usually: Gucci, Armani, Fendi, Prada … Nothing special, actually. Urška becomes very silent, unhappy … : If I think again… I’m actually very busy this weekend. I won’t be able to go with you, girls. I’m sorry. Ester: suddenly starts to laugh, others also … Look at her! She can’t evan say: I can’t afford it! Haha ….Oh, god.! What a patetic girl … that’s so so funny. Gaja: Dif you really think that you could be one of us? Haha--- Agnes: With this clothes? Ana: And shoes and haircut? Ester: with this stupid glasses? Gaja: Patetic … Ester: let’s go, girls. Party is over… Agnes: bye, bye! Ana: poor, poor, girl… Byeee… Urška starts to cry .

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4 Workshops discussing the role plays seen at the start of the day

Case 1: Group 1: Gaja starts acting unwisely, doesn’t deal with the problem well at the

start ac she creates conflict. Ester uses her social intelligence and has a strong position in the class. She is powerful.

Group 2: Had the teacher chosen Gaja to have a position of responsibility? Is a bullying incident because of how Gaja was feeling but Gaja made the situation

worse by confronting the behaviour of Ester and other girls. Would need to know if this happened often.

Group 3: Emotional and verbal bullying. Ester used her strong position in class.

Gaja has a low position. Gaja made the right choice to go to the teacher but maybe didn’t do it the right way.

Group 4: This is the beginning of bullying. Conflict. Discussed position of the 2

girls. Gaja is responsible for the situation as she did not try to communicate with the other girls and goes straight to reporting behaviour.

Group 5: Breaking of rules and blackmail in this situation. Ester has the

position of offender. Gaja is responsible but not strong enough. Teacher needs

to change the class climate and reporting system. May be bullying – what has happened before?

Group 6: Different positions. Gaja is not popular and not the right choice for

President. She is trying to take pleasure out of reporting. Do not like the system of writing list of names.

Case 2:

Group 1: Bullying – seems to have been going on for some time. Looking down on the poor girl. Use psychological power of making her part of a group and

then dropping her – it’s a game. Typical of girls.

Group 2: Bullying by exclusion. More common among youngsters.

Group 4: Bullying. Recognise that the girl feels unsure and wants to be part of

a group. Use economical pressure. Playing a game.

Group 5: Socio-economic situation is the cause of the bullying.

Groups 3 and 6 did not discuss this role play.

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5 Examples how to prevent bullying

Latvia had prepared a film. Used case study of cyber bullying and showed how the school would deal with this incident.

1. Inform class teacher

2. If can’t solve the social teacher, class psychologist and school administration become involved

3. Involve parents 4. If very serious consider involving police

Psychologist stressed how important it is to support the victim and involve

important adults to the victim.

They have a strict and clear scheme in place showing the class teacher how to act. Communication between student, family and the school. The School

Parliament is part of solving the problem.

Also showed PowerPoint which will be available on the website.

Austria: Cyber mobbing/cyber bullying

Austria are an eLearning school which means that can communicate with other schools using a forum. Project on cyber mobbing/cyber bullying with 11-12

year old children. Showed film (Department for Children, Schools and Families, Childnet

International Website. It is on YouTube). Have shown film to children and then discussed. Children answered a

questionnaire about cyber bullying and the results were discussed. Results showed that individuals react differently to different things.

At the moment there are 3 projects on the forum. Film, PowerPoint and class photo – pictures against cyber mobbing.

Work with teachers who teach other subjects. Will share outline of project.

Polish project on bullying

Poland presented their project on bullying, a social advertisement. Competition for the best scenario – showing one of the best. It’s violent but students did it

on purpose because they say they’re surrounded by violence and therefore can’t go soft. In the middle of the project and meeting with parents next week

and showing them the advertisement. Also role plays and leaflets in class.

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6 Group Work

Group 1 – leaflet on bullying Group 2 – Discuss film of project

Group 3 –Making an anti-bullying campaign

Group 4 – Classroom activities on

citizenship locally

Group 5 – Classroom activities on

citizenship globally

Group 6 – Classroom activities on sustainable citizenship

GROUP 3: Making an anti-bullying campaign

Handing out leaflets on bullying

Watching a short film on bullying (the one from Poland or the one presented by the Austrians – cyber-bullying) and having a follow-up discussion on the topic

Connecting with other schools, possible visits to other schools

Discussing bullying through different subjects (e.g. in a biology lesson students could learn about how your body reacts when you are bullied)

Making a Facebook group where students from different countries could express their opinion about bullying

Organizing different social activities for students to promote friendship and work on self-esteem (teachers should also participate)

Teachers could have a discussion on how to react when bullying happens + raising awareness

Using questionnaires

Circle time – asking questions such as 'How would you feel if...?'

Worry box – everyone has a chance to write about their problem / write a question or a make a suggestion

Role-plays on bullying

Contacts with ex-students who set a good example for our current students

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7 Classroom materials

Bullying questions for a discussion (Slovenia)

a Have you ever been bullied? If so, what happened? How did you feel?

b Have you ever been a bully yourself? If so, what happened?

c Have you ever seen bullying? Did you interfere or walk away?

d Why do people bully others? What do they gain from it?

e What effect does bullying have? Does it make bullied people stronger and

ready for the real world?

f Would a bully be good at any particular job?

g What can we do to stop bullying?

Bullying discussion on the basis of the film Gran Torino (Slovenia)

- Perhaps the hardest part to stomach of Gran Torino is the repeated use of racial slurs. Do you think Kowalski was a

racist?

- What changed Kowalski’s opinion of his Hmong neighbors?

- Kowalski fathered Thao in a way that he didn’t his own children. Why?

- The Hmong people celebrated Kowalski as a hero. Was he a hero, a vigilante, or a nutcase?

- Which character was more righteous, Kowalski or the priest?

- When Kowalski finally goes to confession, he confesses that he kissed a woman at a cocktail party and that he wasn’t a good father. Do you think there

were other burdens that he needed to confess?

- Ultimately, Kowalski embraced his Hmong neighbors, mentored the boy next door, and helped them seek justice where justice could not be found. What

does that teach us about our individual responsibilities in the neighbourhood we live in?

- What do you think happened in the neighborhood after the story ends?

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Questionnaire about living together in school (Spain)

1. How do you feel with your classmates in school?

Very badly/ bad/regular/ well/ very well

2. How do you feel with your teachers?

Very badly/ bad/regular/ well/ very well

3. How do you feel with your family?

Very badly/ bad/regular/ well/ very well

4. Have you felt physically abused at school?

Never/ hardly ever/ sometimes/ almost always/ always.

5. Have you felt psychologically abused at school?

Never/ hardly ever/ sometimes/ almost always/ always.

6. Have you got a good relationship with the rest of students?

Never/ hardly ever/ sometimes/ almost always/ always.

7. Do you have conflicts with the rest of students?

Never/ hardly ever/ sometimes/ almost always/ always.

8. Do you feel that somebody is treating you badly psychologically or

physically? Yes or Not?

9. Have you beaten, menaced or attacked somebody at school?

Never/ once/ twice/ three or more times

10. When you have a conflict with a student you usually:

Quarrel/ shout and insult/ gossip/ talk to the person/ ask the teacher for help

11. Your relations at school are mainly:

Nice/ uncomfortable/ aggressive/ calm/ I feel quite ignore

12. I have insulted or gossiped of a student

Never/ a few times/ very often/ always

13. I have been insulted / ridiculed / I received bad comments

Never/ a few times/ often/ always

14. Opinions of the students in my class are listened to solve problems:

They are not considered/ some opinions/ all opinions/ always

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Making an anti-bullying campaign (group work)

Handing out leaflets on bullying

Watching a short film on bullying (the one from Poland or the one presented by the Austrians – cyber-bullying) and having a follow-up

discussion on the topic Connecting with other schools, possible visits to other schools

Discussing bullying through different subjects (e.g. in a biology lesson

students could learn about how your body reacts when you are bullied)

Making a Facebook group where students from different countries could express their opinion about bullying

Organizing different social activities for students to promote friendship and work on self-esteem (teachers should also participate)

Teachers could have a discussion on how to react when bullying happens

+ raising awareness

Using questionnaires

Circle time – asking questions such

as 'How would you feel if...?'

Worry box – everyone has a chance to write about their problem / write

a question or a make a suggestion

Role-plays on bullying

Contacts with ex-students who set a good example for our current students

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Ideas and aspects for exploring the problem of bullying with students

(Result of discussion during workshop on bullying in Riga)

Forum Theater (from Brazil): Students enact a conflict in the form of a

theatre performance. At an appropriate point the action stops and the audience needs to come up with a solution.

Script for a film: students write their own film script that shows a

positive resolution of a conflict involving bullying.

Raising awareness of the problem of bullying by using cartoons or speech balloons – this can be in pamphlet or poster form.

Facebook Campaign: Facebook can be used as a tool for raising

awareness about bullying. However, the dangers of Facebook being used as a tool for bullying itself should be discussed. Perhaps it could be

the topic of a performance either in a film script or in Forum Theatre.

“Civic Courage”: What does one do if one is a witness to bullying?

Problem solving by students of strategies for witnesses and victims. Discussions of consequences if you are the perpetrator. The reality is

that often the perpetrator is also a victim.

It should be kept in mind that the logistics of implementing any given strategy will vary from

school to school. Any of the above can be implemented by any combination of teachers,

school council, whole classes or small groups of students.

Bojan Božič, Jernej Ravnikar

Bullying

Bullies at school

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Leaflet on bullying Part A

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Part B

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Part C

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Part D