Preventing and Intervening in (Cyber)bullying

Description

Unfortunately, (cyber)bullying can appear anywhere, anytime. Students (and sometimes even teachers) are subject to bullying in schools. It may lead to early school leaving and can affect mental and physical health, as well as the academic performance of individuals or whole groups of people. It is not acceptable. We have to deal with the problem and prove that there are solutions to it.

This course aims to show parents, students, teachers, and headmasters the different possibilities of prevention and intervention of daily aggression (and victimization) that occur in schools and online. The participant will learn to reduce the frequency and extent of school aggression.

Among other activities, inside or outside the classroom, participants (individually, in pairs, or in groups) will give their prepared presentations, get to know how to begin a school campaign, plan a school-based aggression prevention program together, take part in role-playing games and drama, become acquainted with conflict management strategies, shoot short videos, analyze short scenes from films, and investigate participant roles in bullying situations.

By the end of the course, participants will be able to handle difficult and aggressive students, deal with bullies and help victims, and know how to create an accepting and calm school atmosphere. They will be familiar with different intervention and prevention programs.

Learning outcomes

Participants in the course will learn how to:

• Raise and maintain awareness of bullying;
• Increase pupils’ interest and motivation towards activities with a preventive character;
• Develop pupils’ communication skills;
• Encourage pupils to face problems;
• Develop pupils’ team spirit;
• To get the parents involved in its prevention;
• Use educational platforms to promote its prevention;
• Reduce the frequency and extent of school aggression;
• Encourage students to take a stand against bullying;
• Behave properly online.

Tentative schedule

Day 1 – Course introduction

• Introduction to the course, the school, and the external week activities;
• Icebreaker activities;
• Presentations of the participants’ schools.

Day 2 – Aggression, bullying and cyberbullying

• Definition of aggression;
• Aggression in animals and humans;
• Negative and positive aggression Types of aggression in schools;
• What is (not) bullying and cyberbullying?;
• Signs, types, features, and possible reasons why;
• Researches about them;
• Children with a higher risk of being bullied;
• Children at risk for being bullies;
• Participant roles in bullying situations;
• Virtual world, online behavior dangers of using the Internet, cyber predators;
• Types and signs of cyberbullying;
• Differences and similarities between them;
• Impact on its victims, bullies, bystanders, families, and schools.

Day 3 – Prevention & Intervention – What schools can do

• Implementing bullying prevention programmes;
• Developing Anti-Bullying Policies and Procedures;
• Organizing Anti-Bullying Day;
• Involving students (Peer education);
• Starting school campaigns or projects;
• Creating a common website.

Day 4 – Prevention & Intervention – What school staff can do

• Providing sensitivity training for students and teachers;
• Creating an accepting and relaxed school atmosphere;
• Using educational platforms to promote its prevention;
• Making surveys, publishing the results;
• Having cooperative vs. competitive classrooms;
• Building positive relationships in the school;
• Applying conflict management;
• Using drama techniques.

Day 5 – Prevention & Intervention – what parents and students can do

• Improving children’s empathy and self-confidence;
• Teaching children about tolerance and diversity;
• Using nonviolent communication;
• Monitoring children’s internet usage?;
• Teaching children about Internet safety.

Day 6 – Course closure & excursion

• Course evaluation: round-up of acquired competencies, feedback, and discussion;
• Awarding of the course Certificate of Attendance;
• Excursion and other external cultural activities.