LEARNING OUTCOMES
- Define bullying and explain the three key features of bullying behaviours.
- Name and define the four forms of bullying.
- Explain the possible adverse consequences of bullying.
- Demonstrate skills for intervening and responding to episodes of bullying.
Module introductiON
Bullying is a serious issue that can have devastating effects on the well-being and development of children and young people, for the children being targeted for bullying, the children engaging in bullying, and also the bystanders. It can lead to feelings of isolation, low self-esteem, and even depression [1 - 3]. To combat this problem, schools must take a proactive approach to prevent bullying.
Bullying prevention is the process of creating a safe and inclusive school environment that promotes healthy relationships and respectful behaviour. Preventing bullying requires a multifaceted approach that must involve the entire school community, including students, teachers, administrators, and parents. It is not just about stopping incidents of bullying when they occur, but also about creating a culture of respect, kindness, and inclusion that prevents bullying from happening in the first place [4]. Preventing bullying also involves efforts to prevent future occurrences of bullying. This can include providing support to the children who are either the target or the bully, addressing the underlying issues that led to the bullying, and taking steps to change the behaviour of the bully [5, 6]. It is also crucial to empower bystanders of bullying to speak up against the bullying that they witness, rather than remaining silent or fearing potential consequences of speaking up [7, 8].
Achieving these goals requires a school-wide systemic change that promotes positive values, fosters a supportive school environment, and provides students with the skills and knowledge they need to recognize and respond to bullying behaviours [9]. Teachers play a critical role in bullying prevention, not only by addressing bullying incidents as they occur, but also by creating an environment that supports positive relationships and reinforces the values of kindness, respect, and dignity [10].
References
1. Camodeca M, Nava E. The long-term effects of bullying, victimization, and bystander behavior on emotion
regulation and its physiological correlates. J Interpers Violence [Internet]. 2022 [cited 2023 Mar
22];37(3-4):2056-75. Available from:
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0886260520934438?journalCode=jiva DOI:
10.1177/0886260520934438
2. Moore SE, Norman RE, Suetani S, Thomas HJ, Sly PD, Scott JG. Consequences of bullying victimization in
childhood and adolescence: A systematic review and meta-analysis. World J Psychiatry [Internet]. 2017 Mar
[cited 2023 Mar 22];7(1):60-76. Available from:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5371173/
DOI:
10.5498/wjp.v7.i1.60
3. Smokowski PR, Evans CBR. Consequences of bullying in childhood, adolescence, and adulthood: An ecological
perspective. In: Smokowski PR, Evans CBR, editors. Bullying and victimization across the lifespan: Playground
politics and power [Internet]. Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland AG; 2019 Jun [cited 2023 Mar 22]. p. 59-86.
Available from: https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-20293-4_3
DOI:
10.1007/978-3-030-20293-4
4. Gaffney H, Farrington DP, Ttofi MM. Examining the effectiveness of school-bullying intervention programs
globally: A meta-analysis [Internet]. Int Journal of Bullying Prev. 2019 Mar [cited 2023 Mar 22];1:14–31. Available
from: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s42380-019-0007-4#citeas DOI: 10.1007/s42380-019-0007-4
5. StopBullying.gov. Support the kids involved [Internet]. Washington (DC): StopBullying.gov, U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services; 2017 Sep [updated 2023; cited 2023 Mar 22]. Available from:
https://www.stopbullying.gov/prevention/support-kids-involved
6. Craig W, Pepler D, Blais J. Responding to bullying: What works? Sch Psychol Int [Internet]. 2007 Oct [cited 2023
Mar 22];28(4):465-77. Available from:
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0143034307084136?journalCode=spia DOI:
10.1177/0143034307084136
7. Padgett S, Notar CE. Bystanders are the key to stopping bullying. Ujer [Internet]. 2013 Aug [cited 2023 Mar
22];1(2):33–41. Available from: https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1053992 DOI: 10.13189/ujer.2013.010201
8. Saarento S, Salmivalli C. The role of classroom peer ecology and bystanders’ responses in bullying. Child Dev
Perspect [Internet]. 2015 Dec [cited 2023 Mar 22];9(4):201–5. Available from:
https://srcd.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/cdep.12140
DOI; 10.1111/cdep.12140
9. Rossen E, Cowan KC. A framework for school-wide bullying prevention and safety. Maryland (MD): National
Association of School Psychologists; 2012. 8 p. ERIC No.:ED612472 Available from:
https://eric.ed.gov/?q=%22bullying+and+prevention%22&id=ED612472
10.Milosevic T, Collier A, Norman JO. Leveraging dignity theory to understand bullying, cyberbullying, and children’s
rights. Int Journal of Bullying Prev [Internet]. 2022 Apr [cited 2023 Mar 22]. Available from:
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s42380-022-00120-2#citeas
DOI: 10.1007/s42380-022-00120-2
KEY CONCEPTs
10.1 What Is Bullying?
To start this module, we will be watching a video that will provide a conceptual definition of bullying and outline its three key features: an uneven power dynamic, intent to cause harm, and repetitive occurrence. Understanding these features is crucial to identifying and addressing bullying in the school environment. So, let’s dive into the video and learn more about this important issue.
Great job watching the video explaining the conceptual definition of bullying! To help reinforce your understanding of the topic, we will now be taking a short quiz. The quiz will test your knowledge of the key features of bullying and ensure that you have a solid understanding of the concept. Good luck, and let’s get started!
Congratulations on completing the quiz! We hope you found it helpful in reviewing the key concepts of bullying. Remember, bullying is a serious and prevalent issue in schools. Hence, it is important to have a clear understanding of its key features so we can identify and address bullying behaviours effectively. So, let’s continue to reinforce these key ideas and build our confidence in our ability to prevent and respond to bullying in our school communities.
10.2 What are the Different Forms of Bullying?
In the previous video, we discussed the conceptual definition of bullying and its three key features. Now, we will be diving deeper into the topic by exploring the four different types of bullying. Being aware of and understanding the different forms that bullying can take is an important step in creating a safe and respectful school environment for all students.
Can You Recognise the Different Forms of Bullying?
In this mini-activity, you will be presented with a scenario. First, determine if the featured behaviour constitutes bullying. If it does, identify and explain the three key features of bullying that you see in the scenario. Finally, name which type of bullying is occurring. To check your answer, click on the hotspot provided to see if you have guessed correctly. This activity will help you apply your new knowledge about the key features of bullying and the four types of bullying. Good luck!
Great job completing this mini-activity! I hope you found it helpful in applying your new knowledge about the key features of bullying and the four types of bullying. Do you find this activity easy or difficult? Did you struggle with identifying any of the key features or types of bullying? The key message here is to practise applying these concepts to real-life situations so that we can recognize and address bullying behaviours when we encounter them.
10.3 Basics for Intervening with Bullying
So far, we have explored the concept of bullying and the different forms it can take. Bullying prevention is an initiative that
school communities must invest time and effort in, and there are many actions that can be taken to prevent bullying from
happening. For example, empowering witnesses of bullying incidents to intervene, establishing clear procedures for
reporting and managing cases of school bullying, and educating students and staff on the impacts of bullying. In the group
learning activity for this module, we will be focusing on the interpersonal aspects of responding to incidents of bullying,
such as how to effectively communicate with and support both the bully and the target of bullying.
Supporting Children Who Are Targets of Bullying
Our first focus will be on the basics of how to effectively communicate with and support children who are targets of
bullying. Before we explore this topic further, we would like you to first reflect on some effective ways to communicate with
and support children who have been targeted in bullying. Please attempt the following multiple-choice question by
selecting the options that you believe are effective ways of communicating with and supporting children who have been
targeted in bullying. You may select more than one!
Great job! Now that you have reflected on some effective ways to communicate with and support children who have been
targeted in bullying, we would like to share with you a short video on the basics of supporting children who are targets of
bullying. This video will provide you with more insight on how to effectively support and communicate with these children
in a safe and respectful manner.
Supporting Children Who Bully
Now that we've covered some effective ways to support children who are targets of bullying, let's shift our focus to
supporting children who engage in bullying. Before we explore this topic further, let's reflect on some effective ways to
communicate with and support children who engage in bullying. Please attempt the following multiple-choice question by
selecting the options that you believe are effective ways of communicating with and supporting children who engage in
bullying. You may select more than one!
Now that we've discussed some effective ways to support children who are targeted in bullying, let's shift our focus to how
we can effectively support children who engage in bullying behavior. Just like with supporting targeted children, effective
communication and support is crucial for helping children who bully understand the impact of their behavior and make
positive changes. In the following video, we will explore some basic steps for supporting and addressing children who
engage in bullying behavior
10.4 Learning Together: Basics for Intervening with Bullying
Now that we have discussed the effective ways of supporting and addressing children who are involved in bullying, it's
time to put these steps into practice. In the following section, you will be facilitating a role-play activity where your
participants will have the opportunity to work in small groups and discuss real situations of bullying that have occurred in
their classrooms. Through this activity, they will be required to come up with a plan on how to implement the steps from the previous section and perform the role play. The aim of this activity is to help them gain a deeper understanding of the
steps involved in addressing bullying and how to apply them in a real-life scenario.
BASICS FOR INTERVENING WITH BULLYING
As a facilitator, your role is to guide the participants through the roleplay activity and help them apply the basic steps covered in the previous section, answering questions, and ensuring that the activity stays on track. It's important to create a safe and supportive environment where participants feel comfortable to share and try out different approaches to addressing bullying. Encourage active participation from everyone and ensure that all voices are heard. After the activity, facilitate a debriefing session where participants can reflect on their experiences, share insights, and discuss any challenges they faced. Finally, remind participants of the importance of implementing these steps consistently in their classrooms to create a safe and respectful learning environment for all students.
1. Divide your participants into groups of up to five
participants each. We recommend grouping your
participants based on the year groups that they
teach.
2. Set the scenario by encouraging your participants to
describe incidents of bullying that they have
observed among their students. If they are unable
to provide an example, the facilitator can suggest an
example scenario.
3. Instruct your participants to plan for their roleplay by
deciding who will play the children (either the target
or the bully) and the teacher.
4. Facilitate a brainstorming session and encourage a
Encourage the participants to come up with
practical examples of things they can say and do to
address the child who is bullying and the child who
is being targeted. Meanwhile, the facilitator or note
taker should help the participants document their
ideas to help them consolidate their roleplay plan.
5. Before returning to the plenary, invite your
participants to rehearse their roleplay scene with the
ideas that they have generated.
1. Welcome all participants back to the plenary and
reinforce the aim of this activity which is to practice
implementing the effective steps for addressing
children involved in bullying.
2. Invite one group to perform their roleplay scenario.
After the roleplay, facilitate a feedback session from
the other participants, ensuring that the focus is on
gathering constructive feedback. You may ask:
● What did the group do well to address the
bullying situation?
● What can you suggest to the group to
improve in their approach?
3. Repeat the first two steps until all groups have
performed their roleplay scene and gained
1. Facilitate a debriefing session where participants
can reflect on their experiences, share insights, and
discuss any challenges they faced. You may ask:
● What did you learn from this activity?
● What was easy or difficult about applying
these steps?
● Do you think this strategy will be easy or
difficult to apply in real situations?
Well done on participating well in this activity! While these basic steps provide a starting point, it's important to remember
that each situation will be unique and may require different approaches. Therefore, it's important to continue learning and
adapting to provide the best support for students.
At the end of the training session...
Demonstrate care for your participants’ views
Your participants’ views about the topic and training are valuable and can inform how future training modules are delivered. Conclude the training session by gathering verbal feedback – don’t forget to record these in writing!
● What new information did they learn during the training that they did not know before?
● In what ways do they think this topic will be useful for them in their work with students?
● What is their most valuable takeaway from the training?
Be sure to also collect your participants’ responses to the post-test and training evaluation form for more structured monitoring and evaluation!