Blog Post #5: Cyberbullying
Unfortunately, since the advancement of technology, bullies have taken to using online platforms. A study conducted by Faucher et al. (2015) shows the interconnectedness of bullying and cyberbullying and how this continues into the workplace. This article surprised me because someone who gets bullied in elementary school could face a different set of bullies as they age out of K-12 school and into the workforce and university. It was powerful to see what this study brought to light and how little time is spent educating students about bullying of all kinds in K-12 schools. After reading the article, I reflected on the bullying education that my school does. We do a few lessons at the beginning of the school year, but that is all that we do. More attention and time need to be spent on this to be effective.
From personal experience in the classroom, I know that many students don’t think before they speak to one another. I have a poster that uses the acronym for THINK and I go through the list with them when they say something they should not. I make it clear that I do not tolerate that behavior or language in my classroom.
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| This is a graphic that states "Think before you speak" at the top. Underneath it, it spells out the word think down the left hand side. Beside each letter it asks a question. T: is it true? H: is it helpful? I: is it inspiring? N: is it necessary? K: is it kind? |
Unfortunately, I can’t say the same for other classes. If the students are speaking like this in front of adults, I can only image what they are saying online. The lack of education on cyberbullying and digital citizenship is concerning and can lead to serious cyberbullying situations. Bickham et al. (2021) study on the Screenshots curriculum proves that the students need to be taught these skills for appropriate and acceptable online behavior, even though they may not see immediate changes. The article states, “experience using the internet does not seem to compensate for this shortcoming” on digital citizenship (Bickham et al., 2021, p. 8). To create effective change, the teaching of digital citizenship skills to combat cyberbullying must become a mindset for all those in the school. It should not fall on the shoulders of one or two teachers or the librarian. One good way to start this is to celebrate Digital Citizenship Week, which is this week (October 16-20, 2023). Here is a link to the Common Sense Media page for this week: https://www.commonsense.org/education/digital-citizenship-week
One immediate way that I plan on tackling this issue is to use these articles about cyberbullying and digital citizenship when I teach nonfiction texts. This way the students can practice their English Language Arts skills, but also learn something that is vital for their daily lives. I would like to end this post with a video that shows the technology usage of students. This video was posted 7 years ago, so I can only image how much this has changed since COVID-19 and the pandemic.
We must not stand on the sidelines when it comes to bullying in any form. Like Faucher et al. (2015) note, bullying does not stop once the students leave the K-12 atmosphere. We must be purposeful in teaching the students about cyberbullying and digital citizenship to combat this type of behavior spreading into adulthood.
I love the THINK acronym for teaching students to be more thoughtful and intentional with their words. This would be an excellent way to really drive home that concept for elementary students. I also agree that the entire school should be teaching these skills to help lessen bullying, and having a whole-school Digital Citizenship Week sounds like a great idea! Making the information not only relevant but engaging might be the key to capturing more of the students' attention.
ReplyDeleteHi Caroline,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your post and the points you brought up especially the fact that kids are more impulsive and more likely to say things without thinking about them first, which is a trait that can continue into adulthood even though the brain matures. I especially liked that fact because it's so true - the brain doesn't fully develop until mid-twenties, so it's developmentally appropriate for adolescents and young adults to be more impulsive and not think things through; they're biologically designed to be more risk-taking. While this biological fact can be frustrating in many different ways, it also explains and accounts for why adolescents can be so mean toward one another and their actions and words follow suit, seemingly inconsiderate of how it may affect others or what the consequences can be.
One way to try and combat this is your point on consistent teaching and reinforcing of respectful behavior and non-bullying efforts. The key here is widespread, consistent message from everyone in the students' community, including across all classrooms and ideally at home too! The entire school needs to be on board with teaching these important digital citizenship lessons, SEL, and respectful, empathic behavior. The consistency is important because it builds new neural pathways in the developing brain to reinforce new concepts and lessons that hopefully they will retain long term! It's easy to absorb consistent harmful, maladaptive behavior from peers, so it is especially important to be exposed to mindful, beneficial practices from responsible role models.
Hi Caroline,
ReplyDeleteThanks for this helpful post on cyberbullying. I also reflected on what bullying education looks like at my school and it's basically nonexistent. I teach 4th grade and need to do a better job incorporating nonfiction texts on this topic into the curriculum -- great idea!! I also appreciate the THINK acronym you shared in your post and am going to introduce this to my students tomorrow during morning meeting. We just finished the first quarter of the school year, so everyone is getting very comfortable with one another! :)
Sorry that I did not sign in. The post above is from me, and I have already sent the THINK poster to my school email to print in the morning haha. I appreciate the application idea!
Delete--Miriam Cattell Tolbert
Thank you for this week's post: you recap the findings in a succinct manner that further underscores your personal observations. One comment you made that really resonates with me is, "If the students are speaking like this in front of adults, I can only image what they are saying online." Sadly, at my school--especially with adults they do not know personally, but even with those they do--more than a few students speak in what I can only assume is a similar manner to the adults. I wrote in my post about these trends being indicative of larger problems at the societal level. I completely agree with you that we cannot "stand on the sidelines," but I have to admit feeling overwhelmed by the scope of these behaviors--in the abstract sense, but more importantly what I see so often at school. The only way I can see past that sense of overwhelm is by coordinating with other teachers and school stakeholders. This is an issue that no individual can battle alone.
ReplyDeleteThanks again for sharing your thoughts--sorry I may have taken them in a more negative direction. Just know that it does give me hope that so many of us--including organizations like the Cyberbullying Research Center and students like those featured in so many of this week's videos--are attempting to make a difference!
Great post. I agree with you - this is a a huge issue that requires more than just one or two mentions per year. The most effective approaches against bullying and cyberbullying seem to be much more hands-on and immersive, though, as you mentioned, requires a widespread effort among the educators and administrators within the school. It really is like changing/instilling a mindset of digital citizenship!
ReplyDelete