Prevention and Solutions
On previous blog pages, I have outlined the current state of anti -bullying campaigns in schools. This newly uncovered information has made me eager to explore possible solutions and prevention strategies for this problem. I want to begin by looking at preventative measures that could work to stop these failing campaigns from continuing to infiltrate our schools. As I mentioned on the previous blog page, the reasons that schools are so quick to endorse these anti- bullying programs are clear. These reasons include emotional responses to a sensitive topic, a sense of urgency, and parental pressure to take immediate action. I feel that it is important to identify these three precursors to campaigns in order to understand how we can begin to move away from the failing models we are using. By identifying these problems, it is possible to understand how we came to be in a situation where the majority of anti-bullying campaigns are not only failing, but actually perpetuating issues of bullying in schools. Understanding and dissecting these specific reasons is also key to uncovering specific solutions to the problem.
To begin, we must raise awareness in parents and administrators on current research about anti-bullying tactics. I believe that if parents and administrators were aware that most of these programs are failing, then they would be able to use their emotional connection to the issue to fight against these campaigns. I feel that this solution is effective because it takes one of the reasons for this problem, an emotional response to a sensitive topic, and transforms it into a driving force for seeking solutions. I also think that we must educate parents and administrators on what IS effective at stopping bullying in schools. This newfound knowledge could help parents use their agency to pressure administrators and school boards into integrating effective anti- bullying models. This tactic also takes one of the reasons for the problem, parental pressure to take immediate action, and transforms it into a solution. In addition to these strategies, I also feel that it is important to educate parents and administrators on the models and programs that are effective at combating bullying. This would help to direct the sense of urgency parents and administrators feel into a specific solution that has researched and tested for effectiveness.
These strategies for prevention may help to slow the institution of failing anti-bullying campaigns in schools. However, in order to see real change, we must examine the models that are working to stop bullying and cyber bullying in school communities. One of these models that I mentioned on the previous blog page is known as autonomy supported teaching. At its core, the model works to support students in building a school community that embraces diversity, encourages empathy, and actively works to find solutions to problems together. This is done through classroom activities and personal instruction that provide students with personal supports meant to facilitate a developing sense of student autonomy. Some of the ways that teachers support student autonomy is through placing decisions in the hands of students and supporting them in weighing options and researching outcomes. This may be as simple as organizational autonomy support (allowing students to make decisions about classroom management procedures), or could be as complex as cognitive autonomy support (allowing students the opportunity to reflect on academic and social situations from a self-referent perspective). This model also offers students autonomy in the ways that they present their academic growth and development. This may work in a variety of ways, including allowing students to choose how they present findings or projects (visually, verbally, through a creative means, etc).
Research is proving that the autonomy supported model is not only effective at increasing academic performance in students, but also contributes to the overall psychological wellbeing of students in both younger and older students. Some of the proposed theories for why this works include what is known as self-determination theory. This theory proposes a correlation between academic autonomy and belongingness. This link would mean that students who are able to have a say in how they learn and how they interact with the information that they are learning actually feel more connected and accepted in their school environment. In addition to this feeling of acceptance and connectedness, students may also develop an appreciation for diversity as a result of being exposed to different learning styles and needs. These outcomes work together to create an environment where schools do not have to engage in bullying intervention, because the students are internally developing a sense of morality that deters them from bullying others. In fact, this model actually helps students to act as their own ‘anti bullying campaign’, where they are able to make the decisions about what kind of school environment they want to have. I feel that this model not only works as an effective method to combat bullying in schools, but also works to create a better overall school environment for learning, community building, and personal growth.
Gravely, Amy; Roseth, Cary; Van Ryzin, Mark. Autonomy, Belongingness, and Engagement in School as Contributors to Adolescent Psychological Well-Being. Journal of Youth and Adolescence. Vol. 38 Issue 1. January 2009.
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