Various teacher tools in the form of online educational resources are available to help teachers convey to students the harmful effects and consequences of bullying. Best of all, many of these resources are free and won’t break already stretched budgets.
A fantastic example are those classroom resources made available by Tolerance.org. If you have a moment, they’re definitely worthy of a visit!
These activities will also help students learn to be more accepting of other student’s differences. These activities will make them more aware of the consequences of bullying on both the bully and the bullied.
Online Educational Resources
It is vital for students to start learning about bullying prevention from a young age. Bullying has become a rising, dangerous, and all too common practice in schools. Bullied children used to only fear going to school, but now with the rise of cyberbullying, children can’t even find refuge from bullying at home.
Schools already know they must educate children about this serious issue. To help, teachers can use these different teacher tools in their classroom:
Stand Up!
This activity will tell students that no matter how different someone is from you they do not deserve to be ridiculed or bullied. Also, it will encourage students to not be afraid to report mean and hurtful acts. In this activity, one person will perform the role of the bully and the other the victim.
The students will enact different scenarios and will learn how to stand up to a bully. The teacher can proceed to ask the students about the difference between snitching vs. asking an adult for help.
Peer Exclusion
Teachers can use this activity to help combat bullying at a younger age. It teaches children not to differentiate between boys and girls. You give the kids a scenario like a group of girls playing and a boy asks them to join. You will ask them what the answer to that question should be. Through this activity, the student will learn about gender discrimination.
Developing Empathy
You have heard the popular saying that “if you were in my shoes, you would understand”. This activity takes this phrase and applies it. This activity will teach students to be more sensitive and understanding of people’s feelings. The teachers will openly discuss different bullying scenarios and situations with students. This activity will help schools maintain a more tolerant and respectful environment.
A Bullying Quiz
Have the students take this quiz to help them change their perception of other people’s personal beliefs social behavior. This activity will help raise awareness about bullying. This activity also helps students and teachers plan an anti-bullying prevention method.
Teacher Tools for Creating an Effective Prevention Method against Bullying
A school can try to establish a friendly school environment. A school can create an environment where students, teachers, and administration oppose bullying and find it distasteful.
The only way such an environment can be created is when everyone from administrators, teachers, cafeteria employees, bus drivers, substitute teachers, parents, and students all work together to establish a positive, supportive environment not conducive to bullying. Schools can get the ball rolling by using the following online education resources:
- Showing movies based on bullying, these movies teach children about tolerance amongst peers.
- Have a mix-it-up lunch day at school to breakdown social barriers between students.
- Schools can also celebrate a bully prevention month or week to raise awareness about bullying.
- Furthermore, schools can buy bullying prevention software that helps teachers and counselors report on bullying, and helps them address the situation promptly and effectively.
Principals should work towards creating a hospitable and comfortable learning environment for the students.
If you are a teacher, then talk with your school administrators about including some of the terrific online educational resources already available online (like those at http://www.tolerance.org/classroom-resources) into your lessons.
