Bullying Lesson Plan

Rationale

Administrators must deal with contentious issues in the schools on a daily basis. They generally establish policies and procedures based on the requirements of the School Act and comply with other legal obligations and societal standards to regulate the school environment.

A major problem that has received their attention in the last ten years is the issue of bullying. Most instances of bullying occur under the radar screen of school authorities. By its nature, bullying occurs when teachers and supervisors aren’t looking—on the way to and from school, in the hallways when there is a crowd, on the school grounds or after school hours. Nevertheless, it is a school problem.

The children involved in bullying situations are often students at the same school, and school provides the opportunity for it to occur. Students are vulnerable at school, because they are outside the protective environments of their homes and there are no adults who traditionally look after their best interests. Often, policies to discourage bullying are made without consulting the people it affects most – the students themselves.

In this lesson, students are given the opportunity to examine the problem and develop solutions that they think would be most effective in stopping it. They will come up with a description of what they think bullying is, the kind of students who become bullies and the kind who become victims. They will examine the law – both its protections and its limitations. They will study some theories and practices already in place and they will come up with youth-oriented prescriptions to resolve the problem. Those ideas will be vetted before a youth panel, which will consider the merits and weaknesses of each proposal. From the resolutions presented, the panel will come up with a comprehensive and workable plan for dealing with the issue of bullying in their school.

Objective

To involve students in resolving issues related to bullying.

Strategy Suggestion

Divide class into five groups.

Review the article provided with students.

Present the two areas of law relevant to bullying and schools (see backgrounder).

Provide each group with a group assignment and guidelines.

Group Assignment and Guidelines

Divide the workload among the members of the group.

  1. Come up with a definition of bullying – What constitutes bullying? Describe a bully and list the characteristics of students who become victims. What is the role of the on-looker? See www.bullybeware.com for information.
  2. Do schools have a legal duty to protect students from bullying? Identify who you feel should play a role in putting an end to bullying.
  3. As a group, develop a plan for dealing with bullying that is responsive to student needs. The plan must address each of the following considerations.
    1. How would it get students onside?
    2. How would it educate students?
    3. How would it be enforced?
    4. How would it protect victims?
    5. How would it rehabilitate offenders?
    6. How would it promote a safer school environment?
  1. Have a spokesperson from the group present your ideas to the entire class and then discuss the positive and negative aspects of each plan.
  2. As a class, vote on your preferred plan or create a joint plan using your favourite strategies. Decide what they think would be the most effective strategy for combating the problem and discuss how it would be implemented in your school.

Extension Activities

  1. Ask your counsellor, teacher or principal to provide feedback on the plan.
  2. What school policies are in place and how effective are they? Find and review your school’s polices.
  3. Devise a plan to present the proposal to the school administration.
  4. Have students design posters or a website that would promote implementation of their policy in their school.

Materials required

Backgrounder for teachers (includes detailed information about bullying and the legal context)

Article for students

Access to Internet, video and print resources

Additional resources

Copies of policies and descriptions of current anti-bullying programs in your school.

You can find out more by going to the Access to Justice Network at www.acjnet.org. If you search for "Youth Justice" and follow the links, you will find many articles on bullying, including research findings, statistics and descriptions of the various anti-bullying programs in place throughout Canada and particularly in British Columbia.

The B.C. Ministry of Education has just announced that it will be acting on recommendations from a special task force that has studied the issue of bullying. You can find information about their plans at http://www.safeschools.gov.bc.ca/

The federal government has also been responding to bullying. The Spring 2003 issue of "Building Safer Communities" published by the National Crime Prevention Centre describes a number of concerns related to bullying and recommends a variety of strategies for dealing with it along with a list of print and video resources. You can access this publication by visiting their website at http://www.prevention.gc.ca/en/library/publications/prevention/issue07/index.html

A very helpful B.C. resource developed by a teacher and school principal is the Bully B’ware web site ( www.bullybeware.com). There, you can find a list of resources for children, teachers and parents. Also available is a video entitled "Bully Beware: Take Action Against Bullying," which is appropriate for Grades 1 to 10.

Suggestions for Primary and Intermediate Students

Most children identify with the characters in stories and are more willing to say what they think and feel if they can voice it through the character in a story. Children need the opportunity to talk about the problem, especially when the focus is not on them either as the bully or the victim. All students need to understand that certain behaviours are not acceptable and that there will be consequences, when they carelessly or deliberately harm another person. Students need to be assured that when they have a problem, they can discuss it with a teacher and the teacher will respond appropriately

Some of the websites listed above include stories from children who have been bullied. They could be used to stimulate classroom discussion. The websites also offer tips and ideas for how teachers should respond to particular bullying-related incidents.

It is important to help even young children realize that they can have some control over a situation, that there are some pro-active things they can do to avoid interactions with bullies, or that if they report it, something will actually be done to counteract the problem. Again, consult the recommended resources for assistance in knowing how to handle bullying at school.

Take a look at these businesses we know

Auto Trim DESIGN Incorporated
130 Bradwick Dr #4, Concord, ON L4K 1K8
(905) 669-0109

Small Talk Speech Therapy
27 Alma Ave, Toronto, ON M6J 1N2
(416) 301-6160

Savarino Brothers Garden Center
24670 Broadway Ave, Oakwood, OH 44146
(440) 439-5358

Dufferin Rogers Dental Clinic Family Dentist & Dental Implants
2032 Dufferin St, York, ON M6E 3R5
(416) 658-3384

TPI Personal Injury Lawyers
2800 Skymark Ave #503, Mississauga, ON L4W 5A6
(905) 361-1500

Uptown Yonge Dental
2717 Yonge St, Toronto, ON M4N 2H8
(416) 487-3333

Super Steam London Carpet & Air Duct Cleaning
1020 Hargrieve Rd #10, London, ON N6E 1P5
(519) 857-9444

Elev8 Aesthetic Medicine Inc. Botox Lip Fillers, Microneedling and PRP for Hair Loss
123 Pioneer Dr Building J, Unit #2, Kitchener, ON N2P 2A3
(519) 748-7284

Davidson's Jewellers
790 Bank St, Ottawa, ON K1S 3V6
(613) 234-4136

Easy House Loan Mortgage Broker and Private Mortgages
940 The East Mall Suite 202, Etobicoke, ON M9B 6J7
(647) 613-3279

A to Z Storage, Self Storage Units, Boat & Car Storage
28607 Centre Rd, Strathroy, ON N7G 3H8
(519) 299-0179

Shamrock Pest Management
35 Walker St, Grand Bend, ON N0M 1T0
(289) 668-8062

ProXpedite Inc. Commercial Kitchen Installations
4226 Raney Crescent, London, ON N6L 1C3
877-776-9123

Cremation & Celebrations London
21574 Richmond St, Arva, ON N0M 1C0
(519) 963-4003

Green FX Landscaping Inc
100 Rexdale Blvd #201, Etobicoke, ON M9W 1N7
416) 747-7277

Canadian Tire Corporation
2180 Yonge St, Toronto, ON M4P 2V8
(416) 480-3000

Amazon YVR11
510 W Georgia St #14, Vancouver, BC V6B 0M3

IGV Website Design & Marketing
341 Talbot St Suite 319, London, ON N6A 2R5
(226) 546-0015

Dezan Social Media Agency
1470 Dundas St, London, ON N5W 3B9
(226) 926-6332

Coach John
Beechwood Pl, London, ON N6C 1H7
(519) 671-5947

Jova Medical Aesthetics and Bare Laser & Skin
1065 Valetta St, London, ON N6H 2Z9
(519) 870-5682

Vakili Psychological Services, Adult ADHD Specialist Psychologist & Therapist
1550 8 St SW #501, Calgary, AB T2R 1K1
403) 836-1967

Kitchens Inc. - Kitchen Design & Renovations
71 Craig St #6, Brantford, ON N3R 7H9
(519) 753-1637

Coeur Physiotherapy, Massage, Shockwave, Vestibular & Dry Needling
#324, 1 Edmonton City Centre NW, Edmonton, AB T5J 4H5
(587) 200-8992

Super Steam Hamilton & Burlington Carpet & Air-Duct Cleaning
236 Pritchard Rd, Hamilton, ON L8W 3P7
(289) 799-3608

Super Steam Brantford Carpet & Air-Duct Cleaning
3 Brant School Rd, Brantford, ON N3T 5L4
(519) 857-9444

Pikel Designs
123 Chain Lake Dr #100, Halifax, NS B3S 1B3
(902) 817-2984

Babaz Shawarma London
243 Wharncliffe Rd N, London, ON N6H 2B9
(519) 204-6703

DC Paralegals LLP
73 Water St N Suite 503, Cambridge, ON N1R 7L6
(519) 208-9797

Luminoso Plumbing Inc
160 Hale St, London, ON N5W 1E7
(226) 244-1729

Cannect Home Equity Loans
1006 King St W, Toronto, ON M6K 3N2
(416) 214-9000

Cannect Home Financing Mortgage Broker
81 Navy Wharf Ct, Toronto, ON M5V 3S3
(416) 766-2666

Cannect Private Mortgages & Small Business Loans
33 Gladstone Ave, Toronto, ON M6J 3K7
(416) 766-2666

MetaTherapy Chiropractors, Physiotherapy, Personal Training & RMT Massage
50 McIntosh Dr #112, Markham, ON L3R 9T3
(905) 604--6333

Trinity Family Dental Clinic Whitby
185 Thickson Rd, Whitby, ON L1N 6T9
(905) 579-5551

Enviro Blitz
11012 Old River Rd, Kilworth, ON N0L 1R0
(519) 439-7667

Body Language Esthetics
482 Elizabeth St, Burlington, ON L7R 2M2
(905) 637-6638

Garcia Roofing Ltd.
225 Bathurst Dr. Unit D, Waterloo, ON N2V 2E4
(519) 504-3106

Ontario Ceramic Glass
1804 Hutchinson Rd, Dunnville, ON N1A 2W7
(905) 577-3901

Nicole Langdon
445 Ridgewood Cres, London, ON N6J 3H6
(519) 615-4567

Mangat CPA Professional Corporation, Chartered & Tax Accountant
5399 Eglinton Ave W Suite 202, Toronto, ON M9C 5K6
(647) 769-3775

Godden Performance Training - Personal Fitness Trainer & Gym
1040 Adelaide St N, London, ON N5Y 2M9
(647) 551-7386

Belle Wood Equestrian Centre
2745 Concession Rd 6, Pickering, ON L1X 0J6
(905) 995-3109

4wards Exteriors Inc | Siding, Eavestrough & Roofing
110 James St, St. Catharines, ON L2R 7E8
(905 )736-9621

The Resurfacer Barn Painters & Barn Repair Services
1673 Richmond St #145, London, ON N6G 2N3
(519) 694-3045

Forest City Bounce Tent & Party Rentals - Bouncy Castle and Party Inflatable Rentals
1020 Hargrieve Rd #10, London, ON N6E 1P5
(519) 200-0402

M Industries
1430 Hixon St, Oakville, ON L6L 1R9
(416) 904-4510

TNL Waste Bin Rental
669 Governors Rd E, Paris, ON N3L 3E1
(519) 717-0030

Stone & Grain Design Group
1135 Canyon View Rd Suite #404, Sagamore Hills, OH 44067
(330) 289-6325

Red Sun Construction, Deck, Pergola & Pavilion Builder and Installer
331 Seville Rd, Wadsworth, OH 44281
(330) 730-0272

Google Dallas
15303 Dallas Pkwy, Addison, TX 75001

Law Offices of Leonard F. Baer, PLLC - Elder Law Firm
1571 Bowery Rd, Highlands, NC 28741
1 828-371-0383

Scott's Painting Company
10890 Stella Ln, Chagrin Falls, OH 44023

(216) 533-9579

Precast Services Inc
8200 Boyle Pkwy, Twinsburg, OH 44087
(330) 425-2880

Aapex Restoration & Remodeling, LLC
3745 Steiner Rd, Creston, OH 44217
(330) 441-8227

Glenn D. Godfrey & Co. LLP Law Firm
3rd Floor, 35 Barrack Road, Belize City, Belize
+501 223-3530

Ike's Asphalt Driveway Paving Company and Paving Contractor
23551 Clarke Rd, Exeter, ON N0M 2A0
(519) 280-3122

Ike's Asphalt Driveway Paving Company and Paving Contractor
4288 ON-3, Simcoe, ON N3Y 4K4
(519) 280-3122

Kidsports Indoor Playground & Childrens Birthday Party Place
4500 Dixie Rd, Mississauga, ON L4W 1V7
(905) 624-9400

Sunningdale Home Improvements
1970 Sunningdale Rd W, London, ON N6H 5J7
(519) 694-1906

Adelaide Barks Dog Daycare and Boarding
23550 Highbury Ave N, London, ON N0M 1P0
(519) 854-1214