Bullying

Effective Strategies for Its PreventionPresented by Brenda Selby TSP 2010-2011

Richard T. Scarpaci Richard T. Scarpaci, a former teacher and principal,

currently is an Assistant Professor and Director of Field Experiences at St. John’s University, Staten Island campus. He has taught courses in Management and Methods as well as conducted Child Abuse and Violence Prevention Seminars. He is a member of the Alpha Beta Gamma Chapter of Kappa Delta Pi.

This is a peer reviewed article from the Kappa Delta Pi Record about ways to stop bullying behaviors (name-calling, teasing, poking, shoving, etc.) on elementary campuses.

Methodology The author has synthesized the findings of several research

reports, including his own, on how to reduce bullying in elementary schools.

He defines what bullying is, exposes myths about bullying, and lists indictors of bullying (in both victims and bullies).

Finally, Scarpaci gives five strategies teachers can do to stop the bullying in their classrooms and on campus.

Evidence/Perspectives• The American Medical Association claimed that half of all children

in the U.S. are bullied at some point in their lives, and one in 10 is victimized on a regular basis.

• A National Institute of Child Health and Human Development study found that 13 percent of children in grades six through 10 had taunted, threatened, or acted physically aggressive toward classmates, while 11 percent had been the targets of such behavior. Six percent admitted that they both bullied others and had been bullied themselves.

• Boys were more likely to be bullies or victims of bullying than girls.

• Girls were more frequently the targets of bullying in the form of malicious rumors, electronic bullying, and sexual harassment.

• Those who are passive or submissive tend to become victims almost 85 percent of the time. The other 15 percent are aggressive victims who are targeted because of some provocative feature of their personalities.

• Bullying is a prime factor in two-thirds of school shooting incidents (Viadero 2003).

Conclusions

• Reject myths about bullying.• Create an open, warm, nurturing environment

that allows less incentive for bullying to occur.• Learn and teach conflict resolution skills, social

skills, classroom survival skills, friendship-making skills, dealing with feelings, and alternatives to aggression through role-play.

• Employ the skills necessary to address the psychological needs of students: belonging, power, freedom, and fun.

• Establish consequences for bullying.

In the Classroom:What is Bullying?

• Definition: When a student is exposed repeatedly and over time to negative actions on the part of one or more other students.

• Three distinct forms of bullying: physical, verbal, and social.

• Bullying takes at least two people: bully and victim.

In the Classroom:Myths about Bullying

• Bullying is just teasing.• Some people deserve to be bullied• Only boys are bullies.• People who complain about bullies are babies.• Bullying is a normal part of growing up.• Bullies will go away if you ignore them.• All bullies have low self-esteem.• It’s tattling to tell an adult when you’re being bullied. • The best way to deal with a bully is by fighting or trying to

get even.• People who are bullied might hurt for a while, but they’ll get

over it.

In the Classroom:Indicators of Bullying

• A child’s grades begin to fall.• A child shows a decrease in interest for school in

general.• A child feigns illness.• A child who chooses different routes home may

be hiding the fact that they are a victim.• A child claims to have lost books, money, or other

belongings without a good explanation.• A child is caught stealing or asking for extra

money• A child has unexplained injuries, bruises, or torn

clothing.

In the Classroom:What Teachers Can Do

• Eliminate harassment– Investigate all complaints or rumors– Raise the subject in class, express strong disapproval, develop sanctions– Inform students of their rights to raise the issue of harassment

• Encourage openness– Hold bullies accountable for their actions– Use school antiharassment policies

• Practice bullying prevention– Provide warm, positive interest and involvement from adults– Provide consistent application of nonpunitive, nonphysical sanctions for

unacceptable a behavior.– Act as authorities and role models

• Neutralize a bully– Teachers should use the skill of acquiring information about incidents and then

enforcing consequences if the negative behavior continues– Victims should be taught how to deal with the teasing (NEA programs—Quit It

and Bullyproof)• Resolve conflict

Supporting Research/Resources

• Bullying: Effective Strategies for Its Prevention• Author: Richard T. Scarpaci• www.eric.ed.gov