Bullying is a tough topic to investigate. Not because it is difficult to find sources about bullying. It’s not. It’s tough to investigate because the deeper you go, the sadder or angrier you feel. It’s not an emotionless venture. Of the resources provided this week in SLIS 761, the collection of videos presented by the Cyberbullying Research Center (n.d.) stood out to me the most. Seeing people’s faces, especially the children, and hearing their voices drew an emotional response from me in a way that printed statistics can’t. It was that personal touch that caused me to imagine my own children experiencing the debilitating emotions elicited by bullying and wondering if they ever have. While watching, I found myself with a lump in my throat and tears threatening to well up more than one time. Even the videos with positive messages about how to make a difference by being kind were moving tear jerkers.
Because
videos can be such a powerful mode of communication, I will use them with my
students as well. If I am working with elementary grades on a fixed schedule, I
will incorporate videos into a unit about digital citizenship and continue to
integrate conversations about behaving responsibly when online throughout the
year. If I am working with older grades, I will collaborate with teachers
regarding the best way to address the topic, either through a school wide
initiative or individual classes. Within the variety of videos provided by the
Cyberbullying Research Center, one can find material appropriate for all grade
levels. Additionally, I will provide teachers with a copy of or link
to my curation of cyberbullying/digital citizenship resources which I am
currently working on.
Some of my
favorite videos from the collection mentioned above are:
- Pause and Think –
for younger elementary students
- Anti-Bullying Learning
and Teaching Resource (ALTER) Catholic Education Office, Wollongong –
for older elementary students
- Where Are You? – for middle school students
- All That We Share –
for high school students
I
was quite surprised by the outcome of the study, From the Sandbox to
the Inbox: Comparing the Acts, Impacts, and Solutions of Bullying in K-12,
Higher Education, and the Workplace, which documented evidence of
university faculty being targets of cyberbullying. Researchers found
that about 25% of the faculty involved in their study had been cyber bullied
within the last 12 months (Cassidy et al., 2014; Faucher et al., 2014 as
cited by Faucher et al., 2015, p. 116). I have always thought of the act
of bullying, by any means, as a childish cruelty doled out by children.
Childish and cruel it is, but perpetrated only by children – well that notion,
as it turns out, is sadly false. I hope that creating an early awareness of the
damaging effects of cyberbullying and constantly promoting good digital
citizenship will encourage positive lifelong attitudes and habits in my
students.
References
Cyberbullying Research Center (n.d.) Cyberbullying videos
to use in presentations. https://cyberbullying.org/videos
Faucher, C,. Cassidy, W,. & Jackson, M. (2015). From the sandbox to the inbox: Comparing the acts, impacts, and solutions of bullying in K-12, higher education and the workplace. Journal of Education and Training Studies, (3)6., 111 - 125. http://dx.doi.org/10.11114/jets.v3i6.1033
Like you, I experienced bullying as a child and adolescent and this is an emotional topic. There were some surprising statistics in the article you referred to---the surprise for me was the information that males are the more likely perpetrators post high school. I enjoyed the strategies you shared for dealing with this subject.
ReplyDeleteGreat blog post! I was also very moved by this weeks topic. Those videos!!! When I was reading your post about the videos I had an idea. Our high school has a morning show, i think one of these videos shown monthly would be an awesome way to drive home the anti bullying message.
ReplyDeleteI was not surprised at the findings of the study about bullying. I saw show an unflattering picture that was taken of a teacher and sent around school. It wasn't awful, but my heart ached for her. Moments later, that SAME teacher came and sat down on the bleachers. I watched a grown woman turn her nose up at her. My heart broke into a million pieces!! I could not get those videos from this week out of my head. People can be cruel. I am pretty excited about teaching kids about cyberbullying and how to have compassion!!
-Crystal Smoak
I agree- this is not an easy topic to delve into. I also think your surprise about bullying beyond the K-12 classroom is spot on. I will admit this was not something I had considered either, but it makes sense. Those who are bullies in elementary, middle, and high school often don't think their actions are wrong or hurtful, so why would they stop once the graduation cap tassel has shifted to the other side of cap? I am hopeful that with purposeful education and a change in climate in schools shifting to identifying and standing up to bullies, the incidences of bullying in school and out will decline.
ReplyDeleteThe mention of adults bullying others calls to mind issues with social media and political discussion forums. There is a lot of disrespectful communication happening between adults online. I'm not certain if this is considered bullying since it may not involve repeatedly harassing the same individual, but it is very close, in my opinion.
DeleteI agree with your thoughts about video being a powerful tool! It's scary how much damage can be done in this mode as well, but what a great opportunity to use technology for good. Most schools (maybe all?) have a specific time dedicated to social emotional learning, and this would be a great tool to incorporate during that time. My school uses the 7 Mindsets curriculum during their weekly SEL time, and it would only take a little adjustment to include discussions about cyberbullying; it would complement to the current curriculum. Teacher access to these tools would be critical so that they could use what best fits their specific class. -Tiffany Forrest
ReplyDeleteIt is so true that the subject of bullying is a very tough and emotional one. It is impossible to watch some of the videos from this week without feeling sad and angry. Thinking about students who are struggling in silence with this issue is devastating. I love your idea of using videos with your students to promote awareness. I think that would be a great idea to use with younger students.
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ReplyDeleteDeAnna,
ReplyDeleteI completely agree- researching bullying is not an easy thing to do at all! I've been lucky to avoid it as a child and adult, and I could not begin to imagine how it would impact me. I tend to avoid controversy and controversial topics for this exact reason. However, I know that it would destroy me! I agree that videos can share a powerful message, and many of the videos we watched for class also made me cry. Thank you for sharing!
Elizabeth Ford