Cyberbullying Event in London

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On Friday, 25th of November, I will be participating in a discussion at Birkbeck’s School of Business, Economics and Informatics at the University of London. (for more information about the event, click here.)  There I will talk about what I have learned about how teens are using technology to cause harm to their peers, along with prevention and response strategies for adults who work with them. Other participants include Iain Coyne (Nottingham University), Andy Phippen (University of Plymouth), Jette Kofoed and Jessica Ringrose (University of London), and Peter Smith (University of London). The discussion will be moderated by Dr. Andreas Liefooghe who heads the Department of Organizational Psychology at Birkbeck. I am looking forward to this interdisciplinary and international panel. We can learn a lot from one another and cyberbullying is a problem that crosses borders.  Stay tuned to this blog for a follow-up post with information gleaned from the conference.

8 Comments

  1. Bullying is just another form of bigotry and most of the time it's modeled by parents. If you want to identify who the bullies and their enablers are simply state that the only difference between bullies and more traditional bigots is the demographics of both parties. The behavior is indistiguishable. You can learn more about my interpretation of our nation's bullying problem by googling "Chicken Soup with the Bully Enablers." The post is venue specific but the basic social structure described there is easily observable in many places. I'd be very interested in hearing your opinion.

    Thanks.

  2. Bullying is just another form of bigotry and most of the time it's modeled by parents. If you want to identify who the bullies and their enablers are simply state that the only difference between bullies and more traditional bigots is the demographics of both parties. The behavior is indistiguishable. You can learn more about my interpretation of our nation's bullying problem by googling "Chicken Soup with the Bully Enablers." The post is venue specific but the basic social structure described there is easily observable in many places. I'd be very interested in hearing your opinion.

    Thanks.

  3. I am concerned that bullying is still taking place right under our noses. There are hundreds of Character Education and Anti Bullying programs in our schools, yet kids are still being bullied! More than 40 states have some sort of law that makes bullying illegal, yet bullying continues.
    According to the latest U.S. government statistics, about one-third of students aged 12-18 say they are bullied in some fashion, yet more than 40 states have a law on the books that makes bullying illegal.
    Researchers say that the only kind of anti-bullying program with any hope of reducing such behavior involves the entire school community, which means that every adult in the school, from the principal to the custodian to the lunch aides must be trained in how to recognize bullying and what can be done to stop it. Most importantly, parents, need to be educated about how to recognize that their child is being bullied how they can help their children deal with bullying.
    Such training, though, takes time and money; two things that are precious in our schools. Many programs out there now cost anywhere from $1500.00-$3000.00. This does not take into account the amount of time and money involved with training staff. Often times, teachers are trained over the year and may not be granted tenure or go out on leave. Their replacements are never trained and within a few years, the programs fall by the way side. Teachers in my district, no longer have the time to sit down with their class to discuss playground issues and concerns. Unfortunately, the ultimate burden falls on the teachers. Most elementary schools have adopted a ‘teach to the test” mentality and much of their curriculum is being taught from scripted programs. Classrooms now have “working snacks” for elementary grade classes because there is not enough time to get through the curriculum. One school wide assembly to discuss bullying doesn’t work. Schools that are serious about bullying need to make time at least once a week for the topic to be discussed in every classroom. There needs to be a school wide approach and commitment. It is imperative that everyone from teachers to principal to the parents and the students buy in to the bullying program. All staff needs to be trained in identifying bullies, prevention, and intervention. The school wide message needs to be: Bullying is wrong. It violates school rules and will not be tolerated. It must stop immediately. It is best if an anti-bullying theme can be incorporated throughout the curriculum and school events.

    In an article by Deborah Stephens and Matt Villano : Bullying, Learning and Teaching Styles, they discuss the need to incorporate social -emotional learning into our curriculums. They state that SEL assists children to develop fundamental skills to effectively handle school, relationships and personal development. Managing emotions, caring for others, decision-making and handling situations ethically are all included in social emotional learning. Research provides evidence that social and emotional learning can be taught, just like any other subject.

    The state of Illinois was one of the first to institute SEL in their classrooms (2011). Illinois established three broad goals towards their Social Emotional Learning Standards: develop self-awareness and self-management skills to achieve school and life success; use social-awareness and interpersonal skills to establish and maintain positive relationships; demonstrate decision-making skills and responsible behaviors in personal, school and community contexts. It is believed that SEL was fundamental in improving a child’s behavior but also in preparing them for a 21st Century workforce. Pilot schools’ results demonstrated students were “calmer about things” with significant drops in behavior referrals.

    I believe that we as educators need to go back to the basics. We can teach social skills at the elementary level through play and group activities. We need to make time in our day to talk to our children, listen to them and teach them daily the most important rules of life.
    Children need to be available to learn. If they feel safe, protected, appreciated and successful, they will learn. Social Emotional Learning weaved through the curriculum is the key!

  4. I am concerned that bullying is still taking place right under our noses. There are hundreds of Character Education and Anti Bullying programs in our schools, yet kids are still being bullied! More than 40 states have some sort of law that makes bullying illegal, yet bullying continues.
    According to the latest U.S. government statistics, about one-third of students aged 12-18 say they are bullied in some fashion, yet more than 40 states have a law on the books that makes bullying illegal.
    Researchers say that the only kind of anti-bullying program with any hope of reducing such behavior involves the entire school community, which means that every adult in the school, from the principal to the custodian to the lunch aides must be trained in how to recognize bullying and what can be done to stop it. Most importantly, parents, need to be educated about how to recognize that their child is being bullied how they can help their children deal with bullying.
    Such training, though, takes time and money; two things that are precious in our schools. Many programs out there now cost anywhere from $1500.00-$3000.00. This does not take into account the amount of time and money involved with training staff. Often times, teachers are trained over the year and may not be granted tenure or go out on leave. Their replacements are never trained and within a few years, the programs fall by the way side. Teachers in my district, no longer have the time to sit down with their class to discuss playground issues and concerns. Unfortunately, the ultimate burden falls on the teachers. Most elementary schools have adopted a ‘teach to the test” mentality and much of their curriculum is being taught from scripted programs. Classrooms now have “working snacks” for elementary grade classes because there is not enough time to get through the curriculum. One school wide assembly to discuss bullying doesn’t work. Schools that are serious about bullying need to make time at least once a week for the topic to be discussed in every classroom. There needs to be a school wide approach and commitment. It is imperative that everyone from teachers to principal to the parents and the students buy in to the bullying program. All staff needs to be trained in identifying bullies, prevention, and intervention. The school wide message needs to be: Bullying is wrong. It violates school rules and will not be tolerated. It must stop immediately. It is best if an anti-bullying theme can be incorporated throughout the curriculum and school events.

    In an article by Deborah Stephens and Matt Villano : Bullying, Learning and Teaching Styles, they discuss the need to incorporate social -emotional learning into our curriculums. They state that SEL assists children to develop fundamental skills to effectively handle school, relationships and personal development. Managing emotions, caring for others, decision-making and handling situations ethically are all included in social emotional learning. Research provides evidence that social and emotional learning can be taught, just like any other subject.

    The state of Illinois was one of the first to institute SEL in their classrooms (2011). Illinois established three broad goals towards their Social Emotional Learning Standards: develop self-awareness and self-management skills to achieve school and life success; use social-awareness and interpersonal skills to establish and maintain positive relationships; demonstrate decision-making skills and responsible behaviors in personal, school and community contexts. It is believed that SEL was fundamental in improving a child’s behavior but also in preparing them for a 21st Century workforce. Pilot schools’ results demonstrated students were “calmer about things” with significant drops in behavior referrals.

    I believe that we as educators need to go back to the basics. We can teach social skills at the elementary level through play and group activities. We need to make time in our day to talk to our children, listen to them and teach them daily the most important rules of life.
    Children need to be available to learn. If they feel safe, protected, appreciated and successful, they will learn. Social Emotional Learning weaved through the curriculum is the key!

  5. I, also, am concerned about this situation. More and more of our young children are being targeted by their harsh, unrelenting peers with taunts and teasing. The children are pushed to the brink of emotional exhaustion. They are self-inflicting pain, and attempting suicide to deal with the lack of assistance and the pain they are internalizing.

    I want these young adults and children to realize that their words online are both dangerous and damaging to those on the receiving end of their actions. I am tired of seeing children across the U.S. and across the world being hurt by these people hiding behind fake profiles and online personas. And we need to do more to protect our children on campus and on line

  6. I, also, am concerned about this situation. More and more of our young children are being targeted by their harsh, unrelenting peers with taunts and teasing. The children are pushed to the brink of emotional exhaustion. They are self-inflicting pain, and attempting suicide to deal with the lack of assistance and the pain they are internalizing.

    I want these young adults and children to realize that their words online are both dangerous and damaging to those on the receiving end of their actions. I am tired of seeing children across the U.S. and across the world being hurt by these people hiding behind fake profiles and online personas. And we need to do more to protect our children on campus and on line

  7. How to prevent cybercrime is being safe on the internet. Don’t access websites you are unsure of and make sure you don’t click on links that you are unaware of. Do not open emails from anonymous sources and you can stay safe. As for other crimes such as Ponzi or Scamming, do research on your investors and other information that might help you know what or who you are working with.

  8. How to prevent cybercrime is being safe on the internet. Don’t access websites you are unsure of and make sure you don’t click on links that you are unaware of. Do not open emails from anonymous sources and you can stay safe. As for other crimes such as Ponzi or Scamming, do research on your investors and other information that might help you know what or who you are working with.

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