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Personal Learning Project

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 Personal Learning Project Part B

Bullying is one issue that needs to be addressed within the complex socioeconomic and political
institutions we call schools. (Forlin and Chambers, 2003, pg, 1)

There a multitude of barriers to inclusion that recently graduated educators are likely to encounter
in their initial years of teaching practice; among them is the practice of bullying. Whist bullying
presents a barrier to inclusion for all students, including those that are already marginalised by the
system, research has been conducted into effective management strategies as far back as 1890.
(Elinoff, Chafouleas & Sassu, 2004) Given the push towards inclusivity in the academic climate at
both a professional and legislative measure, much research and practice has been undertaken in the
attempt to develop effective bullying-management strategies. This paper will explore the nature of
the challenge which bullying prevents for not only the educator but also the educational
environment and the students both directly or indirectly involved in bullying incidents. From this
the paper will explore several of the key strategies that can be effective in management of bullying
particularly when the bullying behaviour and its effects are aimed at students who have barriers
against inclusion such as students from an EAL/D background, Indigenous students or student with
an intellectual or physical disability. This is seconded by UNESCO; The most vulnerable children
and adolescents, including those who are poor or from ethnic, linguistic or cultural minorities or
migrant or refugee communities or have disabilities, are at higher risk of school violence and
bullying. (UNESCO, 2017)

Section One: The Challenge

Bullying acts as a major challenge for educators in their initial years of practice well on into their
career as the impact it has on learners and the scholastic environment are beyond extensive;
impacts can be hard to identify as relational to bullying, they are long-lasting and destructive.
(Cornell and Bradshaw, 2015) Many beginning teachers struggle in acting against bullying
effectively, due to a lack of clarity in understand the term bullying and the extent of its impact.

Bullying is defined by Rigby, considered a founding father of bullying prevention research as,
repeated oppression, psychological or physical of a less powerful person by a more powerful
person or group of persons. (Rigby, 1999) This definition has been adopted by ARACY which have
extended the definition so as to be; School-based bullying is a systematic abuse of power in a
relationship formed at school characterised by aggressive acts (that) occur repeatedly (and) involve
a power imbalance. (Hemphill, Heerde & Gomo, 2014, pg. 7) It is important to note that perhaps at
the basic level the most essential aspect of the bullying definition is that the action is repeated.

There are three major styles of bullying that are common within the scholastic setting, representing
differing challenges for the beginning teacher. Firstly, the most overt and well-known form of
bullying that of physical bullying. UNESCO defines physical bullying as any form of physical
aggression with intention to hurt, and it includes corporal punishment and physical bullying by
adults and other children. (UNESCO, 2017, pg. 14) Physical bullying can range from minor acts
such as bumping into a peer in the hallway with the intention to cause injury to full scale physical
brawls or fights. Physical violence as a form of bullying is more prevalent in the primary to middle
school years, as students grow older they move towards more covert bullying tactics. It is important
to note that school violence does not always equate to bullying, and that there must be a clear
pattern of behaviour for the violent act to be considered bullying.

Verbal bullying operates in a similar stream as physical violence and bullying tactics. UNESCO
reports that among the most common forms of bullying are verbal insults, name calling and
nicknames (UNESCO, 2017) Verbal Bullying is defined as taunts, remarks, name-calling or slurs
intended to cause emotional pain and it is the most common form of bullying with over 74%
recording in an Australian study, that they have been called a hurtful name. (Bennett, C. UD. pg. 11)

Perhaps the most sinister form of bullying is the third major strand, psychological or relational
bullying. This style of bullying is aimed at inflicting harm through peer relations, feelings of
acceptance, friendships and self esteem that can result in social and psychological bruises that are
equally if not more painful than physical ones. (Rigby, 1999) This can include excluding an
individual from social events, excluding an individual from a friendship group, gossiping, or the
sharing of personal information about the victim without the victim's consent.

In a similar stream of psychological/relational bullying is a newly emerging strand of bullying

known as cyber-bullying. Cyberbullying is the perfect digital media revolution which provides
students the perfect communication culture upon which covert bullying can operate. (Rigby, 1999)
It is bullying behaviour, using digital technology, including the internet, email or mobile phones
(Victoria State Government, 2013, pg. 2) It can include such forms as text messages, repeated phone
calls, identity theft, forwarding private emails, messages or sexually explicit imagery. Cyber-bullying
presents a new challenge for educators as it breaks down the barrier of school-time and home-time
as with the new technology the victim can be harassed and bullied twenty-four-seven.

Adding to the four major strands of bullying there are additionally two main styles that bullying can
take; overt and covert. Overt bullying refers to the more direct acts of bullying such as physical
violence or verbal aggression, it is also the area in which most strategies are aimed at preventing. In
this sense, the new educator will experience less challenges with overt bullying, as the majority of
schools have clear structures of response to such acts. Overt bullying is arguably more harmful
than overt aggression (Rigby, 1999) as it is harder to recognise in the classroom. Cyber-bullying is
an extension of typical covert bullying moving from behind the scenes to behind the screen.
(Rigby, 1999)

Whilst beginning educators will undoubtedly have challenges in directly tackling acts of bullying
that take place within the scholastic setting, and those that transfer from cyber-bullying; educators
will additionally have to deal with the devastating effects that bullying can have on an individual,
and the classroom environment on a deeper level. Bullying can have negative social effects for both
the victim and the perpetrator, including social exclusion, negative self-image, poor self-esteem. In
addition there are more physical responses to bullying such as increased aggression, anxiety,
depression, self harm. Adding to that, bullying can cause increased anxiety about school leading to
students skipping lessons, failing to participate and in some classes dropping out of school.

Strategies

Effective anti-bullying strategies are an educator's best response to bullying behaviour within the
classroom and the wider school environment. A Whole School approach is credited as the most
beneficial behavioural preventative measure, as A whole school approach brings everyone together
to work toward creating a safe, inclusive, and accepting school where bullying problems are
prevented and handled effectively when they arise. (Pepler & Craig, ND, pg. 32) Given the global
push in advocacy of inclusion, the majority if not all Australians school adhere to an anti-bullying
whole school preventative method.

At the teacher level, there are two styles of strategies that can be employed, both effective in
differing contexts and student levels. Proactive strategies, that is creating or controlling a situation
rather than responding to it after it has happened. (Rigby, 2014, pg. 2) Alternatively, there are
reactive strategies which are designed to respond directly to an incident and or incidences. It is
important to that both of these strategies do not work in a vacuum, and a multitude of strategies to
bullying should be undertaken. Below, three major strategies from both the proactive and the
reactive stream will be outlined and discussed with their importance justified.

Proactive Strategies

Preventative strategies are designed to give students the power to make better decisions (Lee,
2004) by creating a safe and welcoming school environment that fosters understanding. Whilst
there are a multitude of strategies at an educator's disposal, among the most research based are
SEL, Parental Engagement and Modelling.

Social and Emotional Learning or SEL is a modern educational movement that has been gaining
followers since the early 2000s. At its core it focuses on teaching appropriate social and emotional
responses and behaviours. It is, the systematic development of a core set of social and emotional
skills that help children more effectively handle life challenges and thrive in both their learning and
their social environments. (American Institute for Research, 2014, pg.2) A recent study in America
found in a survey that 75% of teachers felt SEL was essential in bullying prevention. (Civic
Enterprise, 2014) Whilst the SEL curriculum is still being rolled out to Australian schools,
Australian studies show that students who experience opportunities for social and emotional
learning participate more in class, demonstrate more prosocial behaviour, have fewer absences,
have improved attendance, show reductions in aggression and disruptive behaviour (Student
Wellbeing, 2016, pg. 3)

The strategy of SEL is centered around five core principles that are believed to be the key social and
emotional skills; self awareness, self management, social awareness, relationship skills and
responsible decision making. The development of these skill is designed to allow children to calm
themselves when angry, initiate friendships, resolve relationship conflicts respectfully, and make
ethical and safe choices (American Institute for Research, 2014, pg.2) and importantly, to make
proactive choices against engaging in bullying behaviours. It is important to note here, that evidence
shows that the skills taught in SEL are especially beneficial to students who are more at risk,
specifically students with intellectual disabilities. Espelage, Basile, & Hamburger write Given that
these risk factors ( discussed above) are particularly relevant to students with disabilities, there is
reason to believe that SEL programs hold promise for reducing bullying and peer victimization for
this population (Espelage, Rose & Polanin, 2015)

There are various ways to practice the SEL strategy at both a whole-school level (such as school-
wide rules, assemblies promoting tolerance) or more importantly at the classroom level for
beginning educators. Some of the applications include; creating a classroom climate guided by
respectful forms and rules of interaction, or incorporating role-playing activities as part of existing
curricula or as a cohesive singular module. By incorporating SEL into the classroom, and by
providing an authentic learning experience students are more likely to practice that skill in a real-
life scenario. (American Institute for Research, 2014, pg.2)

Parental Involvement is a commonly accepted method of bullying intervention, however a close

professional relationship between an educator and a parent is an invaluable prevention strategy.
Epstein and Van Voorhis have pioneered a prevention method know as the Parental Model which
highlights that parent meetings and trainings, information for parents, and parent-teacher
conferences are associated with reductions in bullying at schools. (Kolbert, Schultz & Crothers,
ND, pg. 4) The role of parental involvement is especially evident in tackling cyber-bullying.
According to the Australian Institute of Family Studies, the relationship between parents and
schools is a critical aspect of addressing cyberbullying (Parents and Schools Together, 2017) as
stated above, the majority of cyber-bullying takes place outside of school.

According to Australias Safe Schools Framework positive interactions between parents and
educators built through both formal and informal contact of a meaningful kind are likely aid in
developing a safe environment. A key strategy for fostering parent involvement is the Parental
Engagement Method. This method acts as a set of cogs, with each step allowing the next; these step
are Content, Engage, Sustain. Some minor strategies to support these steps can include; developing
workshops designed to help parents identify the signs of bullying and allowing parent volunteers in
classes to engage with the beginning teacher classroom climate.

The third major strategy designed as a preventive measure is based off Albert Bandura's
educational theory of Behaviourism and Vygotsky's social learning theory, and that is Modelling.
This acts as an extension of SEL, as it is not the students who will be engaged in strategies, it is the
educator who will be the key aspect of the strategy. This strategy allows the educator to model the
desired behaviour from learners; this behaviour may extend or build upon the school's pre-existing
anti-bullying policies. CASEL writes that modelling SEL is recognised as a way to build and sustain
positive school climates, and to improve student behaviour (What Is The School Climate, 2017,
pg. 1) including in bullying prevention methods.

Reactive Strategies
Reactive strategies are an essential component of any educator's toolkit, especially useful when
combatting bullying. It is essential that educators have a sound understanding of the school's policy
on intervention as well as strategies that can undertake individually. Whilst there are a multitude of
strategies designed as intervention, among the most prevalent are; Restorative Justice, Mediation
and the method of Shared Concerned.

The Department of Education defines Restorative Justice as a strategy that seeks to repair
relationships that have been damaged, including those damaged through bullying. (Department of
Education, 2013, pg. 1) It is a social response to a social issue. The use of this method, and
accompanying strategies, moves away from the traditional retribution style of intervention to a
more inclusive approach of restoration. Recent studies show that in England this approach is used
by 69% of educators, ( Rigby, 2014, PG. 5) with those statistics being mirrored globally. The
uniqueness and appeal of this practice as a strategy lies in that the intervention makes it clear that
the behaviour is not condoned within the community whilst it is also supportive and respectful of
the individual while not condoning the behaviour. (Morrison, 2002, PG. 3)

Restorative Justice has five key principles; a school-wide acknowledgement of the role of restorative
justice in the classroom, training, communication, group circles and voluntary
conferences/meetings at the higher risk level. (Safe Schools, 2014) There are many ways of
applying this strategy within the classroom environment as well as at a broader school-wide
environment, and by streamlining the approach it is more likely that students will be responsive.
Some ways of incorporating this strategy include; classroom circles, classroom rules/codes of
cooperation, a classroom promise of collaboration/care.

Mediation is similar in process and theoretically justification as Restorative Justice. Mediation is

simply, Mediation is a positive problem-solving process that can prevent conflicts and
misunderstandings from becoming protracted and destructive disputes. It is a style of conflict
resolution that involves an impartial third party mediator who aids the participants (the
perpetrator and the victim) in achieving a mutually agreed upon solution. The educator acting as a
mediator works well in the primary school setting in intercepting low-level bullying tactics.
However in the secondary levels there is a push towards the use of peer mediation. The NSW
Department of Education suggests that peer mediation, the process by which the participants,
together with the assistance of a neutral person or persons, systematically isolate disputed issues in
order to develop options, consider alternatives, and reach a consensual settlement that will
accommodate their needs. (NSW, ND, pg, 3)

This strategy is useful it dispels the power imbalance between the perpetrators and the victim by
sharing power equally among both the disputants and the mediators. It may be useful in the
classroom for handling small disputes but also may be useful in a wider school setting as the
individuals or peers who are the mediators begin to act as base points for students who feel
incapable of discussing bullying with an educator or parental figure. For the educator this strategy
involves tutoring students (may be all students or a select group of students) on mediation tacticas.

The final major method, strategy of intervention is that of the Shared Concern Method. Argued in
favour of by Rigby, developed by Robinson and Maines. This method can be seen as a more muted
version of the above methods, in that it does not involve the style of coercion or discipline, rather it
focuses on negating negative consequences or back-lash on the victim. In the process the victim of
bullying is encouraged to explain the bullying he has received and to name the perpetrators. A
meeting is then called with both the perpetrators and individuals in support of the victim, to discuss
ways forward and to encourage collaboration. It is suggested that such a method has a 76% rate of
success when used appropriately by educators. (Rigby, 2014)
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