cc licensed flickr photo by FunnyBiz: http://flickr.com/photos/funnybusiness/439655191/
After a really interesting twitter discussion on Twitter tonight that started after sharing a story about a principal that was asked to resign after comments made on Facebook, I had a fantastic conversation regarding free speech for teachers as well as students. It lead me to this article regarding a principal that suspended students for a facebook group that was started at school (by the way, I do not agree with what the principal did that elicited the ire from the students). As we move more into using social media at our K-6 school in the next year, I am certain to be asked by our school community on how I will deal with cases of cyberbullying. What if a student writes something derogatory about myself or another student (it is far worse about about another student). My hope is that we will not deal with this at all, but I would never expect our students to be infallible (or anyone for that matter). If we are proactive in our plan, the mistakes will lessen.
1. Ensure students have a strong understanding of social media and that behind all of the avatars are real people. From some reading tonight, I came across the “Education Law Blog” which stated the following:
…our research on child development makes it clear that there is only one way to truly combat bullying. As an essential part of the school curriculum, we have to teach children how to be good to one another, how to cooperate, how to defend someone who is being picked on and how to stand up for what is right. (From “A non-legislative response to bullying”)
It is so essential that we focus first on students treating one another with respect and kindness in all environments, digital or not. (This is an interesting post on having empathy to those behind the blogs)
2. We need to work with parents as we move our schools forward. It is interesting that I started using Twitter as a way of to learn more about cyberbullying and it has now come full circle to this post. The presentation was to work with parents to talk about Social Media and Cyberbullying to ensure that they are a part of the conversation. If we can teach them to be proactive and aware of what their children are doing, it will help to teach them to have the same qualities in person that they do online. Parents should also be in on conversations when students do make mistakes. My rule of thumb as a principal is that I call EVERY household when dealing with student incidents. Working together we can do so much more than we can do apart.
Some may be looking for specific rules and procedures on this. I believe that as administrators we need to work with every child and family to figure out the best solution for each situation. I do not believe in “scripted” ways of dealing with anyone. Each person and situation is unique. It is important that we describe expectations and follow up with students.
So in summary, I believe that we need to be proactive with kids, deal with each situation to our best abilities since they are all unique, and work with families to figure out the best solutions for each child. Even when students make mistake, we always need to treat them with dignity and respect. As administrators, we need to ensure that we DO deal with situations as they arise; that is essential.
Kind of seems like my thoughts on cyberbullying are the same as for dealing with other mistakes. Do we really need to deal with it any different?
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I had this very conversation with a researcher who was at our school today interviewing kids and teachers about their social networking habits.Why is it that we treat online behaviour differently to off line behaviour? 'Online' is just another place that people meet and interact with others. They should do so in the respectful manner you would expect them to use if they met someone in the street.
I'm also doing an action research project on online behaviour and whether upskilling parents and other adults and getting them involved and aware of their children's online activity can help improve the digital footprints of our kids.
I would value anyone's thoughts on this.
http://mslactionresearch-creatingethicaldigitalfo…
Anne
That has always blown my mind. If we are act differently online, it should be that we actually work to be kinder than usual as writing can be taken out of context. Thanks so much for your comment!
George, this is another great post, and I'm so glad that you chose to write about this topic. I have had many a conversation with my colleagues at school on cyberbullying, especially since they know that I use Social Media in the classroom. Even with my Grade 1's though, I basically follow the outline that you suggested here. Together, we talk about the fact that what we are sharing online is public. What does this mean? What do we need to make sure we do when talking to others online? @Sharon_Drummond and @Doremigirl suggested using a safe online platform to help students learn about what they can and cannot discuss online. I've used both Twiducate and Edmodo with a huge degree of success!
Problems do arise, even with six-year-olds, but I deal with these problems the same way that I deal with other problems in my classroom. Taking away Social Media doesn't solve the problem. Students need to learn how to use these tools responsibly. That's why I'm also very up front with parents on how we use these tools and how they can use them at home too. This helps a lot! I have fantastic parental support for what I do in the classroom, and having the parents involved in these activities, only increases this support.
I'm not saying that cyberbullying doesn't exist, for I know that it does, but I agree with you that responsible use of these tools is important, and where better to teach this than in the classroom? Thanks for another fantastic blog post that really has me thinking!
Aviva
Thanks Aviva! I love that approach. Talking with parents and getting them on board is so essential to move our students forward; I love the way you are proactive in your classroom. People can really learn from your insights. Thanks again for your comment!
Thanks George! I really appreciate all of your support. I love reading all of the comments here. People have a lot of great insights to share.
Aviva
Excellent post and resources! I wish all principals were as proactive as you. I spend a lot of time with my K-5th graders on online awareness and cyberbullying but always bring it back to being kind inm person and online. One doesn't need to be everybody's friend but you always have to be kind.
Your last line is one that I use with students all the time! Thanks so much for your comment Debra
I agree with the proactive part. It is essential to discuss the "digital footprint" with students. They make a mark on the net and they must be aware of their actions
I also have done some re-thinking towards social media and schools. The more we embrace it and model the proper methods of use, the better we will be. Bullying has been around for ages and now has gone virtual. I agree that no case is identical and cannot be approached using a "cookie cutter method." If a school has entrenched some basic values, that can help immensely when dealing with specific issues.
It is always best to be proactive when working with anyone. Trying to solve problems before they happen is so important. Thanks for your comment Dave and lunch today!
Every school should have a discipline policy. A policy that is published and discussed for students as well as parents. It is hard to hold kids accountable for things that they are unaware of. We can't expect parent support if they did not know what they were to be supportive of. The infractions should be transparent, the punishment could be prescribed but flexible allowing for specific differences in each case.Bullying and its consequences should be spelled out.It should be a major category in the discipline policy.Safety and security in the learning environment is the imperative. The learning environment however is yet to be defined. It is not the walls of the class or school.The understanding of the Space is what is going to be confusing. Adminitrators may need to expand their understanding to protect their students. Parents must understand the consequenses for their children using tools to expand their bullying practices.
Bullying however is bullying. Cyberbullying, although awful, is still bullying with a different tool. I do not know how much of the Columbine incident was a result of bullying vs cyberbullying, but it was bullying.
We need to think beyond the walls of the school and develop policies that teach as well as inform, but we most importantly need to begin teaching children at an early age.
Now that I wrote this I have a need to expand it on my own blog. Thanks
Thanks for your comment Tom. I just want to make sure that I clarify my thoughts on discipline in this comment.
I agree that parents need to be aware of the expectations of the school but I will be honest and tell you that we do not write things such as "If student does 'A', then student gets consequence 'A' for the first offense, 'B' for the second offense, etc. When we have set rules like that in writing, it sometimes take away from the "common sense" ways of dealing with students and often will leave students out of the conversation (which we DO NOT want). I think that it often limits people to make the best decisions in situations as they need to follow the "rule" or break it. I touched on that topic in this post: http://georgecouros.ca/blog/archives/1026 For example, we had a student who lost a family member this year and was going through a difficult period. The last thing that was needed when they were making mistakes was a short talk, but guidance and a chance to talk, listen, or whatever, to move forward. I will not ever blanket students on how they are disciplined. I will also never make a decision about consequences until I know the full story, have talked with the students, and have given them ownership over the consequence. This, for me, is taking the best practices of differentiated learning and bringing them into the office. Every person is different and I need to ensure that I treat them that way.
Students need to understand expectations though. Staff is encouraged to talk to them about expectations (although I know most would do it anyway). It is important we model the positive behaviours we expect from our students, especially with a lot of new initiatives in our school. You are correct that kids need to know what they are accountable for and we teach them to be respectful and what that looks like. They know at an early age what disrespect looks like and when they leave that circle.
The one thing that I do ensure parents of is that all student incidents will be dealt with. I will never turn a blind eye to something and students will have some type of consequence for doing something that is disrespectful. These consequences are usually mutually agreed upon by students, and they are usually harder on themselves than I would have been. As for bullying, it is wrong and must be dealt with. I absolutely agree with that. Students need to know there will be consequences for their action, especially when they infringe upon the rights and well being of others. My number one goal when dealing with discipline is not that "justice has been served" but that the student has learned from their mistake and will not do it again. I also want to ensure that the student has made amends with whomever it affected.
Here is an example that I have used when talking with others. In society, the rules are clear for speeding. If you speed, you will get a ticket and depending on the number of times the offense has happened, the ticket will progressively get more costly. Anyone with a drivers license knows this. When we do get pulled over for speeding, many of us feel bad and sometimes transfer the blame over to the officer for pulling us over. We grumble under our breath, get the ticket, and move on to our destination. This may stop us speeding for awhile, but many people still resume the same unlawful activity. I am not faulting the system as officers do not have the chance to sit down and talk to us about why we did it, what is going on in our life, etc. If I become the "officer" in the room, the students sometimes don't think of what they do wrong but that I am the jerk. That is why I always let them lead the conversation to figure out what will be the best. This helps students to learn to take responsibility and ownership for their actions.
So in short, parents know all students in our school will be dealt with when they are disrespectful. They also know that all students will always be treated in a respectful and dignified manner. Sorry for the long-winded response Tom and thanks for your thoughts!
Thank you for writing this article. I have been thinking about it, as well. I believe the biggest thing we need to do is educate. Like you stated in your first point. Children need to have a clear understanding that interacting online with others is just like interacting with them face to face. Parents also need to be aware of what is going on online.
I agree with you that every situation is different. I also agree that every child is different. Some consequences while very effective for some are ineffective for others. When I was in trouble, I would ask my mom to please spank me because I knew it was quick and would be over soon (not that I got in trouble often because I'm a rule follower). Of course, she knew me too and would confine me to my room which was more effective for me. With this in mind I also believe that it needs to be spelled out for the benefit of students and parents that it will not be tolerated and there will be consequences for it. As Tom mentioned, how can we hold kids accountable and expect parents to support us if they are unaware?
This topic is a difficult one because it a newer issue. As technology becomes more and more prevalently used in schools, it is something that is going to have to be addressed. I believe part of the reason some educators shy away from social media is because of the changes it will bring. We do need to have concrete ways to address this topic as we are trying to get others to benefit from the increased use of technology. We also need to educate others that social media is not going to go away. The benefits of it greatly outweigh the difficulties.
I definitely do not have it all figured out. I need to learn more about it. Thank you for getting me thinking.
Thanks for all the great links you attached your posts. They were great reads. I especially enjoyed reading the one about empathy. What an eye opener!
My pleasure…I try to read posts every night and learn about anything that I am discussing on Twitter. Great posts that helped with my thoughts!
Something that's always interested me… people always blame the tools when it comes to unacceptable behaviors such as cyberbullying. Facebook, texting, cell phones– these tools have become the evil-doers, rather than the humans. My daughter's high school administration will not allow the students to even have a cell phone or iPod in plain sight during the school day. If one is seen, it is confiscated and then a parent must come pick it up before the office closes for the day (4:00pm). The excuse: these 'gadgets' can be used for bullying, cheating, distracting others, etc.
Funny, but if a student is going to bully another student or cheat in school, won't these behaviors happen regardless? Are the tools the evil here, or are the behaviors? Don't we want to address the behaviors full on, instead of fooling ourselves into thinking that they will go away if we ban some tools? Part of talking about the behaviors we WANT kids to exhibit includes modeling positive behaviors. Modeling positive behaviors — that means the high tech, low tech, and no tech behaviors, too.
I love that you and your staff are so proactive and thinking about what's best for all kids.
You hit the nail on the head Michelle! Thanks so much for thinking about these things. Your comments are great discussion points for my staff in the coming year
Great post George! I think cyberbullying is the number one thing that causes districts to block & prevent use of tech. My kids last year would get so tired of my soapbox about it. BUT I agree totally with Michelle on this. I tell my kids since texting in my class is against district rules (we do use phones for instruction & that's a different ballgame) it is handled like note passing. That means I'm reading it! Never in my 4 years with 6th grade have I taken up a note that wasn't either mean or of sexual nature. Since I started reading texts they have same nature. The only difference in texting & passing a note is that texting spreads quickly. I'm always at a loss when it comes to ethics in middle school. I preach & teach & it just doesn't sink in.
I remember being made fun of in MS for having a big nose. I cannot imagine if there was a facebook for that to be posted on. I think kids will be mean & bullies no matter what, we need to do like teachers have always done and teach the importance of being kind to everyone BUT need to teach that technology should not used to worsen this behavior.
I agree with you…I am wondering if we need to teach our students to be even NICER than what they are normally because of the way things can be so easily taken out of context. It is important that we are really careful of how we write to one another when it is left open for interpretation. Thanks for your comment
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