Bullying in educational establishments

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I would like to share my experience working with local organizations. We had a project in which we equipped teachers with tools for forum theater as a way to prevent bullying and other discriminatory behavior in schools.

Forum theatre is an interactive method that uses a form of conventional play to address social issues.

We worked with a community of about 15 schools, where teachers used forum theater with their students. We created a toolkit of playing cards with detailed guidelines that teachers can use in the classroom to start conversations about bullying and then move on to the play.
We received very positive feedback from teachers, who said that the students were more engaged and ready to discuss serious issues when acting as actors. First, during the performance, and then during reflection, they gained a deeper understanding of the topic.

These materials are free and easy to use, but unfortunately, they are only available in Russian at the moment. However, they can be translated and used in other languages as well.

@Ana_moderator

Hi @Ana_moderator,

That sounds like a wonderful and impactful initiative. Your work with local organizations and the implementation of forum theater to prevent bullying and discriminatory behavior is truly commendable. It's inspiring to see how interactive methods like forum theater can make a significant difference in addressing social issues in schools. Seems like an excellent resource for teachers. It's great to read that the students were more engaged and gained a deeper understanding of these important topics through this method.

Best,
Mr. Bryan

Bullying can have profound impacts on a child's social and emotional development, affecting various aspects of their interpersonal skills and social interactions. Here are some key ways bullying influences a child's social development:

1.Trust Issues

• Victims of bullying often develop mistrust towards their peers and adults, making it difficult to form healthy, trusting relationships in the future.

2. Social Isolation

   • Bullying can lead to social withdrawal and isolation as victims may avoid social interactions to escape further bullying. This isolation can impede the development of social skills and friendships.

3. Difficulty in Forming Relationships

   • Children who are bullied may struggle with forming and maintaining friendships. They might find it hard to approach others, fearing rejection or further bullying.

4. Aggressive or Withdrawn Behavior

   • Victims may become overly aggressive or defensive in social situations, mirroring the aggression they experienced, or they might become excessively shy and withdrawn.

5. Impaired Social Skills

   • Bullying can hinder the development of essential social skills, such as empathy, communication, and conflict resolution. Victims may become less adept at navigating social situations.

6. Low Self-Esteem and Confidence

   • Persistent bullying can erode a child's self-esteem and confidence, leading them to doubt their social worth and abilities. This can make social interactions more challenging and less rewarding.
     However there are several more issues that could affect child's other factors of development infect too.
     Here we can find some ideas how to deal with bullying in classrooms.
     https://www.helpguide.org/articles/abuse/bullying.htm

@Bousl2336873cb4 Bullying happened at all times. I wish we can enforce something that can stop bullying at school. In my school, we introduced merit demerit system.

@Sahar730dd459d2
Hello,
There are various strategies which can be embedded at school level to prevent bullying. Making use of innovative pedagogies can help in mitigating bullying acts. In addition, when new strategies are integrated in the teaching and learning process, students tend to be less disruptive.

Hello Housna
Good morning,
The use of innovative pedagogies can help to mitigate acts of intimidation which are always subject to the educational regulations and policies of each country and especially the discipline of each teacher.

@Bousl2336873cb4
Hello,
Absolutely the educational regulations and policies of the country are significant in devising ways how to curb the issue of intimidation acts in the school. At school level educators are encouraged to embed innovative approaches such as gamifications and AI to prevent students from promulgating bullying acts.

Hello again
That's the problem I

@Sahar730dd459d2 said in Bullying in educational establishments:

In my school, we introduced merit demerit system.

Could you please tell me more about how your school's system is structured and what is required to implement this system?

@Housna said in Bullying in educational establishments:

AI to prevent students from promulgating bullying acts.

I am really interested in how AI can be used to prevent students from promulgating bullying acts? Do you have any experience so far?

Hello Ana
Personnellement, j’ai déjà eu une petite expérience sur le sujet, moi et mes élèves nous utilisons la plateforme eTwinning (un site de jumelage électronique entre les établissement scolaire) et pour contrôler toutes les activités de nos élèves avec leurs partenaires européens, nous utilisant un petit espace appelé Twinspace ou l’enseignant peut voir, commenter et même bloqué certaines actions de ses élèves (possède tous les mots de passe de chaque élève).
Best regards from Tunisia
Chokri

Despite the existence of anti-bullying strategies and procedures, bullying in my school, as well as in the whole country, is increasing every year. The cause of this is partially the bad situation in the country, where violence is generated daily in public life but also general alienation of people, their lack of empathy due to social networks and online communication, which is the world trend. It is very hard to fight this problem locally, especially when higher instances are not doing their job.
To tackle this problem, this school year a colleague from a neighboring school and I organized a joint project with our students. The project was done according to Design for Change methodology. The students concluded that the biggest problem of their school community was mental and verbal bullying. After a lot of workshops on the topic, public opinion polls, analysis and filtering of ideas, we created a motivational obstacle course called CHOOSE THE RIGHT PATH. The course consists of a dozen fun physical obstacles combined with problem situations (moral issues) that the participants solve while crossing the stages of the course. The topics of moral issues refer to verbal and mental violence that children encounter in everyday school life, and for each situation they are offered answers. The goal of the course is not competition, but overcoming physical and metaphorical obstacles and learning along the way, choosing the right path in life and treating other people with respect.
The course has already been held twice and the project has become a part of the official school documents of both schools which means it's meant to be long-term. This is our "modest" and creative way to deal with bullying in our educational establishment.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YrR2QmJJssw
This link takes you to the summary of our creative process and the phases we went through while building our obstacle course that we're proud of.

@EMINA043e019d70 This is truly inspiring! Your CHOOSE THE RIGHT PATH project is a brilliant example of how to combat bullying creatively and proactively. The obstacle course is a fantastic way to bring important moral lessons to life, making learning both engaging and impactful. Good luck with your project, and may it reach and help as many people as possible!

@Ana_moderator It is an important topic because situations make bullied students unable to follow or to pay proper attention to their study. Such students may also miss opportunities to participate with their colleagues or even enjoy school activities. Bullied students ussually lose concentration when they are attending their classes. education. topic,

This burning issue of ending violence against children having been discussed worldwide, particularly the states on their commitments at national, global level are in search of effective preventive measures with further implementation, funding and scaling sustained actions to fully minimize violence @home, @school, online and in local/global communities.

@Bousl2336873cb4 Absolutely! Addressing bullying effectively involves a comprehensive strategy that encompasses prevention, intervention, and support. Prevention efforts include promoting empathy, respect, and positive behavior among students, while intervention involves promptly addressing incidents and providing appropriate consequences. Support is crucial for both the victims and the perpetrators to understand and change their behavior. It indeed requires commitment from educators, parents, and students to foster a safe and inclusive environment in schools.

@BRYANb8875625e5 It's great to hear that anti-bullying laws in Puerto Rico include school councils with parent representation. Involving parents is crucial as they play a significant role in addressing and preventing bullying behaviors among students. Cyberbullying, especially in today's digital age, poses a serious challenge, but having comprehensive laws can indeed help address this issue effectively.

@Ana_moderator It will be great if these materials translated.Cyberbullying, especially in today's digital age, poses a serious challenge, but having comprehensive laws can indeed help address this issue effectively.

@Housna Actually ,By integrating these strategies into the teaching and learning process, schools can create a culture that values respect, empathy, and inclusivity, ultimately mitigating bullying acts and promoting a positive school climate.

@Samar-Mohamed

Hi @Samar-Mohamed
Hope everything is going well for you.

This is very important for all of us. Hope every educational system could make this a priority.

Hugs from Puerto Rico,
Mr. Bryan