Charles A. Williams III, PhDAssistant Clinical Professor

School of EducationCenter for the Prevention of School-Aged Violence

Goodwin College of Professional StudiesDrexel University

BULLYING!

Billy Lucas

Jaheem Herrera

Jessica Logan

Asher Brown

Tyler Clementi

Phoebe Prince

Carl Walker Hoover

Jon CarmichaelMegan Meier

Seth Walsh

Eric Mohat

Celine Okwuone

Just recently…• Mitchell Wilson 11-yo with Muscular Dystrophy

(Canada)

• Jamey Rodemeyer 14- yo; bullied even after death (New York)

My thoughts on bullying

Olweus defines the why of bullying…

This definition includes three important components: • Bullying is aggressive behavior that involves

unwanted, negative actions.

• Bullying involves a pattern of behavior repeated over time.

• Bullying involves an imbalance of power or strength.

Olweus defines bullying…

Information about bullying suggests that there are three interrelated reasons why students bully.

• Students who bully have strong needs for power and (negative) dominance.

• Students who bully find satisfaction in causing injury and suffering to other students.

• Students who bully are often rewarded in some way for their behavior with material or psychological rewards.

Bullied students tend to…

• Feel less important• Feel powerless• Struggle with self-esteem• Feel victimized• Have fewer social relationships• Be isolated socially

Quick facts about bullying…

National Center for Education Statistics• Both bullying and being bullied at school are

associated with key violence-related behaviors, including carrying weapons, fighting, and sustaining injuries from fighting.

• In 2007, about 32 percent of students reported having been bullied at school during the school year.

• Of those students in 2007 who reported being bullied during the school year, 79 percent said that they were bullied inside the school.

Quick facts about bullying…

National Center for Education Statistics• Twenty-one percent of students said that they had

experienced bullying that consisted of being made fun of.

• 18 percent reported being the subject of rumors• In 2007, about 4 percent of students reported having

been cyber-bullied.• Of the students in 2007 who reported cyber-bullying

during the school year, 73 percent said it had occurred once or twice during that period.

Quick facts about bullying…

National Center for Education Statistics• A greater percentage of female than male

students reported being bullied at school and cyber-bullied anywhere during the school year.

• In 2007, 33 percent of female students reported being bullied at school compared to 30 percent of male students.

• A higher percentage of White students (34 percent) reported being bullied at school in 2007.

Bullying: affective & cognitive

Affective• Withdrawn

I want to be alone…• Anxious

Will I be bullied today?• Self-concept

I must be an ugly or bad person…• Guilt & Shame

I am the cause of this…I deserve it…

Learning?!?#

How can we expect a child to even begin to consider learning

and academic performance, when they’re facing the intra-

psychic nightmare that is bullying? So, learning is likely to

be compromised, stifled and stunted.

It’s all about Climate!

Climat eengaging in policies, practices and procedures aimed at creating a school culture whereby bullying becomes less likely to occur, i.e., attending this workshop; staying vigilante with the support of information and knowledge.

Studentworking with students to develop communication skills, social skills, conflict resolution skills and problem solving skills; enabling students to feel empowered.

Student and Climate

Climate Strategies

•treating people with respect•setting high expectations•teaching bystanders not to remain silent•identifying and reporting bullying•taking appropriate action•recruiting parents to help

teachers may at first see the bullying prevention efforts as

more work…however…the curriculum can be integrated

into academic lessons and pays off in fewer discipline

problems

I have enough to do!*#

Prevention

Olweus points to social skills training as a way in which to

prevent bullying

Social & Problem Solving Skills• Responds to teasing or name calling by ignoring,

changing the subject, or using some other constructive means.• Responds to physical assault by leaving the situation,

calling for help, or using some other constructive means.• Walks away from peer when angry to avoid hitting• Refuses the request of another politely.• Expresses anger with non-aggressive words rather than

physical action or aggressive words.• Constructively handles criticism or punishment

perceived as undeserved.

ICPS I Can Problem SolveDr. Myrna Shure

pre school• Happy, Sad, Angry• Fair or Not Fair?• Helping Children Wait• Same-Different• Some-All

ICPS I Can Problem SolveDr. Myrna Shure

K through 5Pre-problem solving

• Do-Do Not• If-Then• Before-After• How Can You Tell?• Finding Out What People Like

ICPS I Can Problem SolveDr. Myrna Shure

6th through 8th

• Are You Listening to Me?• Did I Get the Whole Message?• How Might Someone Feel?• Do We Feel the Same Way?• Did That Really Happen?

Mon Cyber Bullies???

• She was thirteen years old and thought that she was having a MySpace online romance with a sixteen-year-old boy named "Josh Evans." Four weeks later, "Josh" broke off correspondence, allegedly telling the girl that the world would be a better place without her. In response, she hung herself and died a day later.

• Now the Department of Justice says that "Josh" was really Lori Drew, 49, of O'Fallon, Missouri. Drew will stand trial in Los Angeles, accused of providing false information to get a MySpace account and violating MySpace terms to harass and harm other people—specifically, a girl the DOJ will only identify as "M.T.M." The accused faces a maximum of 20 years in prison.

Open Chat

Possible Questions for Discussion

• Describe the type of bullying environment that exists at your school.

• Describe some innovative programs that address this issue at your school.

• How are school leaders able to assess these programs?• If you could talk to students who bully, what would you say

to them? How can you help them change?• Do you know of any adult who has bullied a student in

school? If so, what happened and how was it handled?• What role do/should students play in programs to reduce

bullying?

Closing Thoughts

Next World Café Session

Thursday, February 23, 2012 6:00-8:00PM

Please send your topic ideas to Dr. Grant at acg48@drexel.edu

Thank You!