Bullying
Canadian School-Based Anti-Bullying Programs
Canadian students suffer from bullying at school at rates and frequencies that cannot be ignored. The National Crime Prevention Centre (NCPC) is committed to providing information on school-based anti-bullying programs.
Bullying in Canada
Studies have shown that a higher percentage of students engage in bullying behaviours in middle school and high school than in elementary school. But, the percentages of students victimized gradually decreases with age.
Gender differences also exist: elementary school boys report higher levels of bullying, but lower levels of victimization, than girls. In middle and high schools, boys reported bullying others almost twice as much as girls in the same grades.
Handling Bullying Situations
Peers and adults who witness bullying behaviour can intervene to help the victim. Canadian studies on peer intervention reveal that only a small number of elementary and middle school students attempted to stop bullying incidents. Adult intervention rates are similarly low - often because they are not present when bullying occurs.
The whole school approach Successful intervention decreases the amount of bullying in schools by 20 to 70 percent. Most often, interventions work best when part of an organized, whole school approach where an anti-bullying policy and anti-bullying initiatives are put into effect throughout the school.
Anti-bullying policy:
Anti-bullying initiative:
Canada's top five successful bully intervention programs share these characteristics:
Source: http://healthycanadians.gc.ca/kids-enfants/bullying-intimidation/prevention-eng.php
Alberta Education's Anti-Bullying Strategies
Bullying Prevention
As part of Alberta's Strategy for the Prevention of Bullying, Children and Youth Services and Education have developed fact sheets, with tips on recognizing bullying behaviour and how to stop it. Fact sheets are available in English and French.
http://www.bullyfreealberta.ca/materials.htmhttp://www.bullyfreealberta.ca/pdf/PFVB3789.pdf (order form)
The Heart of the Matter: Character and Citizenship Education in Alberta Schools (2005)
This 275-page resource provides an overview of character and citizenship education and offers a sample framework for building and sustaining a culture of positive character. It also provides information and sample strategies for choosing an approach, assessing outcomes, fostering a positive school culture, infusing character and citizenship education across subject areas, choosing resources, linking with extracurricular activities, and involving parents and community. It also includes chapters on preventing bullying, creating a safe and caring school culture, choosing resources, and integrating character and citizenship education into co-curricular and extracurricular activities. The book includes an extensive appendix, which provides a variety of useful information. (Grades K-12)
http://www.education.alberta.ca/media/547954/work.pdf
Working Together for Safe and Caring Schools, Grades 7-12: Resource Manual for Students, Staff and Parents (2003)
This resource was developed, in collaboration with the Calgary Board of Education, by students and teachers working together to create safe and caring schools. The purpose of the resource is to empower and involve students in affecting change in their school environments and to help them take a leadership role in promoting safe and caring schools through a range of student-designed activities and initiatives.
http://www.education.alberta.ca/media/547954/work.pdf
Supporting the Social Dimension: Resource Guide for Teachers, Grades 7-12 (2002)
This resource provides support for the teaching and learning of social skills and behaviours across Alberta Education's programs of study. It includes guidelines, objectives and strategies designed to assist secondary school teachers with enhancing the social competency skills of students in five focus areas: personal growth and goal setting, health and well-being, appearance and manner, ethical behaviour, and accountability. The objectives and strategies may be used across grades, subjects and student populations. The practical suggestions may be readily implemented by most classroom teachers and students.
http://www.education.alberta.ca/media/547957/support.pdf
Guidelines for Using Timeout in Schools (2002)
There are many ways to promote safe and caring schools and encourage responsible and respectful behaviour in students. The use of timeout procedures is well documented in the professional literature and, when implemented correctly, has proven to be an effective method of reducing a wide variety of disruptive behaviours in children. Timeout lies within a continuum of behavioural interventions and should only be used when less restrictive interventions have not been successful.
http://www.education.alberta.ca/media/547960/timeout_oct_2002.pdf
Source: http://www.education.alberta.ca/teachers/safeschools/crsle-resources.aspx
Additional Helpful Links:
Bullying.org
Bullying.org is a website created by a teacher for teachers, students, and parents who are looking for solutions and resources to this major issue. Bullying.org is dedicated to increasing the awareness of bullying and to preventing, resolving, and eliminating bullying in society.
http://www.bullying.org/
The Bully-Proof Classroom: Professional Development Opportunities for Teachers
This website offers activities for in the classroom, as well as professional resources for teachers looking for ways to raise student awareness and eliminate bullying in their classrooms.
http://bullyproofclassroom.com/anti-bullying-quotes
Canadian students suffer from bullying at school at rates and frequencies that cannot be ignored. The National Crime Prevention Centre (NCPC) is committed to providing information on school-based anti-bullying programs.
Bullying in Canada
Studies have shown that a higher percentage of students engage in bullying behaviours in middle school and high school than in elementary school. But, the percentages of students victimized gradually decreases with age.
Gender differences also exist: elementary school boys report higher levels of bullying, but lower levels of victimization, than girls. In middle and high schools, boys reported bullying others almost twice as much as girls in the same grades.
Handling Bullying Situations
Peers and adults who witness bullying behaviour can intervene to help the victim. Canadian studies on peer intervention reveal that only a small number of elementary and middle school students attempted to stop bullying incidents. Adult intervention rates are similarly low - often because they are not present when bullying occurs.
The whole school approach Successful intervention decreases the amount of bullying in schools by 20 to 70 percent. Most often, interventions work best when part of an organized, whole school approach where an anti-bullying policy and anti-bullying initiatives are put into effect throughout the school.
Anti-bullying policy:
- Includes a needs assessment: this helps determine the parameters and extent of the bullying problem before committing to an action plan.
- Involves multiple stakeholders: development of the policy should include input from multiple stakeholders to help ensure commitment to, and respect for, the policy.
- Is formally introduced: the anti-bullying message stated in the policy must be understood and consistently communicated by everyone in the school.
- Includes an evaluation: periodic review and revision of the policy is required for it to remain relevant to the school and students.
Anti-bullying initiative:
- Is well planned: including content development, evaluation framework and a plan for sustainability.
- Involves multiple stakeholders: involvement of community members and organizations increases the level of success.
- Includes students in program development and delivery: this increases the students' sense of commitment to and ownership of the initiative.
- Addresses multiple risk and protective factors: the intervention works on several levels to reduce multiple risk factors and reinforce protective factors.
- Provides age-appropriate materials, discussions and time limits: all elements of the intervention are age-appropriate; they are easily understood by and relevant to the students.
- Creates a gender-specific approach: this takes the fact that bullying and responses to anti-bullying initiatives can differ between boys and girls into account.
- Intervenes when target behaviour is emerging: intervention occurs early on to reduce the likelihood anti-social behaviours continue or escalate as children mature.
- Creates a long-term intervention: long-term interventions generally have a stronger, more lasting impact and result in more sustainable initiatives than short-term solutions.
Canada's top five successful bully intervention programs share these characteristics:
- Intervened at three levels - the whole school population, students who were just beginning to bully or be bullied and students with serious bullying or victimization behaviours.
- Addressed the attitudes, behaviours and interpersonal and emotional skills of students.
- Involved parents in the initiative.
- Involved the larger community.
Source: http://healthycanadians.gc.ca/kids-enfants/bullying-intimidation/prevention-eng.php
Alberta Education's Anti-Bullying Strategies
Bullying Prevention
As part of Alberta's Strategy for the Prevention of Bullying, Children and Youth Services and Education have developed fact sheets, with tips on recognizing bullying behaviour and how to stop it. Fact sheets are available in English and French.
http://www.bullyfreealberta.ca/materials.htmhttp://www.bullyfreealberta.ca/pdf/PFVB3789.pdf (order form)
The Heart of the Matter: Character and Citizenship Education in Alberta Schools (2005)
This 275-page resource provides an overview of character and citizenship education and offers a sample framework for building and sustaining a culture of positive character. It also provides information and sample strategies for choosing an approach, assessing outcomes, fostering a positive school culture, infusing character and citizenship education across subject areas, choosing resources, linking with extracurricular activities, and involving parents and community. It also includes chapters on preventing bullying, creating a safe and caring school culture, choosing resources, and integrating character and citizenship education into co-curricular and extracurricular activities. The book includes an extensive appendix, which provides a variety of useful information. (Grades K-12)
http://www.education.alberta.ca/media/547954/work.pdf
Working Together for Safe and Caring Schools, Grades 7-12: Resource Manual for Students, Staff and Parents (2003)
This resource was developed, in collaboration with the Calgary Board of Education, by students and teachers working together to create safe and caring schools. The purpose of the resource is to empower and involve students in affecting change in their school environments and to help them take a leadership role in promoting safe and caring schools through a range of student-designed activities and initiatives.
http://www.education.alberta.ca/media/547954/work.pdf
Supporting the Social Dimension: Resource Guide for Teachers, Grades 7-12 (2002)
This resource provides support for the teaching and learning of social skills and behaviours across Alberta Education's programs of study. It includes guidelines, objectives and strategies designed to assist secondary school teachers with enhancing the social competency skills of students in five focus areas: personal growth and goal setting, health and well-being, appearance and manner, ethical behaviour, and accountability. The objectives and strategies may be used across grades, subjects and student populations. The practical suggestions may be readily implemented by most classroom teachers and students.
http://www.education.alberta.ca/media/547957/support.pdf
Guidelines for Using Timeout in Schools (2002)
There are many ways to promote safe and caring schools and encourage responsible and respectful behaviour in students. The use of timeout procedures is well documented in the professional literature and, when implemented correctly, has proven to be an effective method of reducing a wide variety of disruptive behaviours in children. Timeout lies within a continuum of behavioural interventions and should only be used when less restrictive interventions have not been successful.
http://www.education.alberta.ca/media/547960/timeout_oct_2002.pdf
Source: http://www.education.alberta.ca/teachers/safeschools/crsle-resources.aspx
Additional Helpful Links:
Bullying.org
Bullying.org is a website created by a teacher for teachers, students, and parents who are looking for solutions and resources to this major issue. Bullying.org is dedicated to increasing the awareness of bullying and to preventing, resolving, and eliminating bullying in society.
http://www.bullying.org/
The Bully-Proof Classroom: Professional Development Opportunities for Teachers
This website offers activities for in the classroom, as well as professional resources for teachers looking for ways to raise student awareness and eliminate bullying in their classrooms.
http://bullyproofclassroom.com/anti-bullying-quotes