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VISTA/VISTOP School Bullying and Violence: Taking Action

Project 129352-CP-1-2006-1-DE-COMENIUS-C21 www.vistop.org

Section 2: The Whole School Approach


Chapter 2.1: What Does the WSA stand for? Johan Deklerck and Gie Deboutte, Belgium Chapter 2.2: How to Embed the Whole School Approach (WSA): The Challenge of Implementation Anne Sofie Samuelsen and Sigrun K. Ertesvg, Norway Chapter 2.3: Creating a Positive School Ethos of Non-Violence and Respect through Linkedness Gie Deboutte1, Johan Deklerck1, Astrid Mona OMoore2 and Stephen James Minton2 1Belgium 2Ireland Chapter 2.4: Working with Parents Astrid Mona OMoore and Stephen James Minton, Ireland Chapter 2.5: Working with Teachers Astrid Mona OMoore and Stephen James Minton, Ireland Chapter 2.6: Dealing With Indiscipline and Disruption Rosario Ortega, Rosario del Rey, Javier Ortega-Rivera and Claire Monks, Spain

VISTA/VISTOP School Bullying and Violence: Taking Action


Project 129352-CP-1-2006-1-DE-COMENIUS-C21 www.vistop.org

Cowie, H., Jennifer, D., Chankova, D., Poshtova, T., Deklerck, J., Deboutte, G., Ertesvg, S. K., Samuelsen, A. S., O'Moore, M., Minton, S. J., Ortega, R. & Sanchez, V. (2006)

The Whole School Approach


Given our understanding that the problem of school violence extends far beyond the individual children involved as aggressors or victims, the VISTA training adopts the WSA to the promotion of non-violence and prevention of violence as an essential framework from within which the elements and initiatives of an intervention are carefully co-ordinated at different levels. In Chapter 2.1, we present a bio-ecological approach to the promotion of non-violence that takes into account: the individual characteristics of perpetrators, victims, bystanders, and adults; the ethos of the school; the quality of the learning environment of the school; and the links with the wider community, society and natural environment. This Chapter offers a unique framework for the prevention and reduction of school violence in the form of a prevention pyramid. Implementing a WSA to school violence requires an active learning process on the part of the school as organisation, a process that occurs within a wider context. Today, we live in a complex knowledge-society and, as such, we require educated citizens who can learn continuously, and who can work with diversity. Complexity means change and specifically it means rapidly occurring, unpredictable, nonlinear change in our organisations and our world. Such changes are not easy to control. Different ways of thinking about change are required ways that our conventional

approaches to planned change have not allowed. Consequently, schools must become learning organisations or they will fail to survive as an organisation creating knowledge. Chapter 2.2 presents participants with strategies for implementing a program or an idea that will support them in arriving at a clear rationale for leading a change process in preventing and reducing violence in schools. The aim of the Chapter is to assist participants in the process of change and to support staff involved in its development. Participants will become familiar with possible barriers and resistances they are likely to meet during an implementation process and learn about ways for overcoming these. A WSA is important in effecting a sustainable and positive influence on the school environment. As such, account needs to be taken of the style and quality of leadership and management practices; the quality and delivery of the curriculum; playground activities and the social aspects of the curriculum; the formalised and agreed procedures to deal with a bullying and/or violent incident; and, the building relationships with others and with the self. In Chapter 2.3, we explore the key role that school management staff, teaching staff, parents, young people and the wider school community play in the development of a school ethos of non-violence. The Chapter offers a set of skills and strategies through which a positive school ethos of non-violence can be practically implemented in school. By the end of the Chapter, participants will be familiar with the

VISTA/VISTOP School Bullying and Violence: Taking Action


Project 129352-CP-1-2006-1-DE-COMENIUS-C21 www.vistop.org

Cowie, H., Jennifer, D., Chankova, D., Poshtova, T., Deklerck, J., Deboutte, G., Ertesvg, S. K., Samuelsen, A. S., O'Moore, M., Minton, S. J., Ortega, R. & Sanchez, V. (2006)

skills involved in planning work with different groups within school communities. The role of parents has been identified as an essential part of the WSA towards the prevention and reduction of bullying and violence in schools. In order for the WSA to be effective, together with school personnel, parents have a responsibility to ensure that their children and young people are not involved in inappropriate behaviours such as bullying or harassing other school pupils. Bullied young people are more likely to report their experiences to their parents rather than to staff at their school indicating that parents can play a critical role in a school community's efforts to address bullying and violence. Chapter 2.4 focuses on the role of parents in addressing bullying and violent behaviour in collaboration with their child's school. Participants will become familiar with the skills involved in planning work with parents in school communities and with the strategies for engaging parents in activities that will support them in taking their part in the promotion of non-violence and the reduction of violence. The WSA provides guidance to parents themselves in working productively at home with their children in countering and preventing violent and bullying behaviour in schools. Work with school staff is central to the practical implementation of the WSA towards the prevention and reduction of violence in schools. Not only do we rely upon teachers to

deliver the content of anti-bullying programmes, and even to act as trainers within such programmes, but on a day-to-day basis, school staff are and always have been very much at the 'coal face' in terms of having to deal with incidents of violent behaviour in their schools. In Chapter 2.5, we focus on the key role that staff (senior management, teachers, classroom assistants, lunchtime supervisors, caretakers, administrators) play in the application of a WSA for addressing school violence. We also present guidance on how to work productively in the classroom with young people in promoting pro-social attitudes. One of the major challenges facing teachers in the 21st century is the issue of school violence. Three main problems that have been linked with school violence include interpersonal conflicts, low-level disruption and lack of discipline. When such problems as these affect teaching and learning, there is a feeling of unrest throughout the school population. Daily life in school becomes more difficult and dealing with problem behaviour starts to take precedence over academic tasks. The first step to addressing such problems is to differentiate between conflicts, lack of discipline and disruptions, as causes, consequences, and lines of intervention are different depending on the behaviour. Chapter 2.6 explores how to implement the WSA with all children, both with vulnerable children most at risk of being either victims or perpetrators of violence, and with young

VISTA/VISTOP School Bullying and Violence: Taking Action


Project 129352-CP-1-2006-1-DE-COMENIUS-C21 www.vistop.org

Cowie, H., Jennifer, D., Chankova, D., Poshtova, T., Deklerck, J., Deboutte, G., Ertesvg, S. K., Samuelsen, A. S., O'Moore, M., Minton, S. J., Ortega, R. & Sanchez, V. (2006)

people such as peer supporters. In this Chapter, we describe strategies that have been found to be effective, and critically reflect on the ways in which teachers can respond to the diverse reality of the problems they encounter in their daily life. We explore ways of breaking the cycle of lack of motivation that can lead to young people becoming disaffected and therefore more prone to engage in disruptive and aggressive behaviours.

Facilitation skills to be developed through this Chapter


Knowledge and understanding of:

the sense of complexity of problematic behaviour within the school:

What Does the WSA stand for? Objectives of Chapter 2.1:



To enable participants to give a definition of a WSA To enable participants to define the benefits of a WSA To motivate participants to use the WSA in their own school(s) To enable participants to analyse the policy and culture of their/a school To enable participants to understand the prevention pyramid as a useful framework to carry out a needs analysis

multi-causality of difficult school behaviour (bullying, violence, vandalism, skipping school) being able to handle an ecological framework to interpret multi-causality

some important characteristics of a positive school climate and how they contribute to a less problematic school environment (fewer problems of bullying and violence)

the prevention pyramid as a supportive framework for a WSA the meaning and coherence of the four intervention levels of the prevention pyramid

the most important characteristics and qualities of the WSA these characteristics in participants own schools

To enable participants to make


proposals to broaden existing school practice, increase quality and achieve improved coherence

VISTA/VISTOP School Bullying and Violence: Taking Action


Project 129352-CP-1-2006-1-DE-COMENIUS-C21 www.vistop.org

Cowie, H., Jennifer, D., Chankova, D., Poshtova, T., Deklerck, J., Deboutte, G., Ertesvg, S. K., Samuelsen, A. S., O'Moore, M., Minton, S. J., Ortega, R. & Sanchez, V. (2006)

Personal qualities and attributes include:

Pre-chapter task
Participants receive Resource 1 in advance with instructions to outline an example that fits in with the topic. They describe the incident and secondly explain how they have dealt with the problem. The third part of the pre-task consists of evaluating the chosen approach (How satisfied are we? What did we like? What could be done differently and better? What options do we see to do it differently and better? What mistakes/risks should we avoid?). Note: For each participating school or institution only one example is required, in other words, colleagues must consult in advance.

remaining empathic vis--vis the various experiences of disrespectful behaviour including bullying and violence

being touched by the needs that are hidden behind several kinds of disrespectful behaviour including bullying and violence

being open to several perspectives with respect to difficult school behaviour

being open to the interaction between context and personal experience:

o o

as an explanation for difficult school behaviour as a point of departure to search for solutions and prevention measures

Summary of current thinking and knowledge about what the WSA stands for Deboutte argues that the WSA includes a
broad combination of initiatives, actions and measures (formal informal), which together lead to a quality school context with less problems, a higher degree of involvement and more well-being. All members of the school community are involved; sometimes even the neighbourhood and the wider community are taken into account. The WSA does not only stand for a quantitative, broad approach: many components are manipulated at the same time by a multitude of initiatives and measures, all part of an integrated and wellconsidered policy towards the school, the staff,

wanting to do something about formal and informal initiatives that contributes to improved quality of life within the school and are also problem-preventing or problem-solving

wanting to enter into a dialogue with other members of the school community when searching for and carrying out measures for the prevention of violence and bullying behaviour at school

VISTA/VISTOP School Bullying and Violence: Taking Action


Project 129352-CP-1-2006-1-DE-COMENIUS-C21 www.vistop.org

Cowie, H., Jennifer, D., Chankova, D., Poshtova, T., Deklerck, J., Deboutte, G., Ertesvg, S. K., Samuelsen, A. S., O'Moore, M., Minton, S. J., Ortega, R. & Sanchez, V. (2006)

the classroom and the individual student level. To be effective on a long-term basis, indepth work has to be performed. This means that one is aware of the quality of the current process at the personal level (personal growth and development) as well as at the school community/group level. In-depth work leads to a change of personal attitudes (personal level) in addition to the development of the school vision, organisation and climate. Bullying and violence at school do not happen out of the blue. Studies show that they involve complex issues. This problematic behaviour crops up from complex interactions between various factors (multi causal problems). Broadly, we can argue that it involves the interaction between personrelated factors (endogenous and exogenous) on the one hand and context-related factors on the other. Olweus (1993, 2001) programme, for instance, focuses on both types of factors. To stop or prevent bullying, schools have to work on three levels: the school level, the classroom level and the individual level. Olweus (1993; 2001) and Olweus, Limber and Mihalic (1998) recommend that the school prevention programme should include both systemsoriented and individual-oriented components. The different elements Olweus et al. mention are all part of the WSA. This holistic approach respects the many aspects and complexities of the problem of bullying and violence not only to conduct a needs analysis but also to find out what measures should be taken to stop

and prevent (new) difficulties in the future (see Section 4). The WSA emphasises the necessity of a school policy which is clear, outspoken and consistent. Using this approach means that the school team (head teacher, staff, pupils, parents, governors) is ready to focus on different elements, using all the key factors or relevant levers in the actual school context. This approach can be recognized in the ZERO-model, Convivenciamodel and Linkedness-model (see Chapters 5.5, 5.2 and 2.3, respectively). It is widely accepted that countering bullying requires a WSA in which the elements and initiatives in a programme are carefully coordinated. Co-ordinated action, it is often said, is needed at different levels: namely, the school, the classroom, and the individual student. How this is to be done is typically incorporated in a school anti-bullying policy that describes the stand that is being taken against bullying and the procedures and actions that are to be taken in its implementation. This is sometimes described as the indispensable core feature of an antibullying policy. The policy may also provide guidelines on how bullying behaviour is to be discouraged and how victims of school bullying can be helped (Rigby, Smith & Pepler, 2004, p. 2). To be effective the anti-bullying and anti violence policy of a school has to respect the complexity of school life. This means that the WSA involves all the members of the school community (pupils, staff, parents) and even

VISTA/VISTOP School Bullying and Violence: Taking Action


Project 129352-CP-1-2006-1-DE-COMENIUS-C21 www.vistop.org

Cowie, H., Jennifer, D., Chankova, D., Poshtova, T., Deklerck, J., Deboutte, G., Ertesvg, S. K., Samuelsen, A. S., O'Moore, M., Minton, S. J., Ortega, R. & Sanchez, V. (2006)

the wider community. By giving them information, by paying attention to their attitudes, life skills and competencies the outcome of the preventative and intervention procedures will become more successful. For the same reason, the WSA aims to include many aspects of school life, such as the curriculum, the class and school culture, teacher style, class group management, the degree of participation, the quality of the school policy, the way people communicate and the quality of interpersonal relationships. Therefore, it is clear that a WSA relies on a clear, consistent and well communicated vision. It is important that every member of the school community is aware of the key elements of the whole school policy and vision. Looking at the education field one can say that in most cases the WSA tries to combine whole school planning with action research, which means that school teams have to consider the actual school context and what or how the different school community members think and feel about it now. Once the needs analysis is finished, there are several steps to take: negotiating priorities, developing the action plan, working out implementation (information, adaptation, running), evaluation and review. It is quite clear that the WSA integrates an ecological perspectiveas it is the best way

to achieve a more complete picture of what is going on in a school. It also allows a more nuanced and effective approach to the (problematic) situation. Such an approach opens the door for an interdisciplinary dialogue (criminologists, sociologists, educators, psychologists, welfare workers, lawyers) in readiness to select from a wide range of initiatives and measures. Based on the World Health Organisations (1999; 2001) ecological model, which considers violence to be the product of multiple levels of influence on behaviour, that is, individual, relationship, social, cultural and environmental factors, the VISTA training adopts an approach to the prevention of violence from the perspective of four inter-related contexts: the individual context, the interpersonal context, the social context of the school, and the context of the wider community and society (see Chapter 1.1). If the WSA is effective, all participants will experience the school environment as safe, sound and pleasant. In other words, working, learning and living together will be experienced with a high(er) degree of satisfaction. The members of the school community will be able to tell that there is an excellent atmosphere and a good interaction between and among all individuals. If problems do crop up, they remain limited and manageable. Therefore, there is no reason to panic.

VISTA/VISTOP School Bullying and Violence: Taking Action


Project 129352-CP-1-2006-1-DE-COMENIUS-C21 www.vistop.org

Cowie, H., Jennifer, D., Chankova, D., Poshtova, T., Deklerck, J., Deboutte, G., Ertesvg, S. K., Samuelsen, A. S., O'Moore, M., Minton, S. J., Ortega, R. & Sanchez, V. (2006)

Working out the WSA is not an easy job to do. Schools that wish to apply or maintain such a policy can make use of the prevention pyramid (see Figure 1). This prevention model is a useful instrument that can help schools to develop a comprehensive formal structure and a school-wide policy. At the same time, the model keeps an eye on the target towards which each prevention policy aims to work: maintenance or safeguarding of the quality of life.

Figure 1. The prevention pyramid (Deklerck, Depuydt & Deboutte, 2001) The prevention pyramid was developed by Johan Deklerck and made up of five layers or levels. The lowest level (level 0) stands for the broad social and ecological context in which the education is situated. This level affects the school organisation and the life of each party involved. Levels 1 to 4 illustrate the four levels at which interventions are possible. Altogether, these four levels stand for a whole school policy. On Level 2 (general prevention measures) the Curative measures are located on Level 4, the top of the pyramid. They are taken after a problem has arisen. Here all attention is focused on the problem and the aim is to rein apparent problem, such as drug use or bullying, disappears into the background. Here answers are supplied that reach further than any given specific problem. Paying Specific prevention measures (Level 3) also target well-defined problems. The problem and the causes are known to the degree that action is taken with respect to their immediate cause. Target groups are in focus. The measures to be taken try to decrease the risk factors (YOU BETTER STOP/DO !). it in, remove it or correct it as soon as possible (STOP!).

VISTA/VISTOP School Bullying and Violence: Taking Action


Project 129352-CP-1-2006-1-DE-COMENIUS-C21 www.vistop.org

Cowie, H., Jennifer, D., Chankova, D., Poshtova, T., Deklerck, J., Deboutte, G., Ertesvg, S. K., Samuelsen, A. S., O'Moore, M., Minton, S. J., Ortega, R. & Sanchez, V. (2006)

attention to life skills, for example, contributes to the general development of students and does strengthen them anyway. The benefits can be used in different contexts and situations, not only when they are having trouble. Level 1 initiatives focus on the general social climate and the school culture. Through structural as well as one-of-a-kind initiatives a school environment is shaped in which involvement (participation) and the well-being of teachers, students and parents is given more attention. These initiatives must grow from the cooperation of all parties involved. Research shows that the measures at Levels 4, 3 and 2 are more successful and more sustainable when they are backed up by a vision, a mentality and an interactive culture that instils trust, is value-able and leads to positive and creative initiatives. In this sense, Level 1 constitutes the essential first layer on which the other intervention levels rely. Schools with strong participation, that encourage initiative among teachers and students and that do not fear discussions and conflicts, for example, opt for a more selfevident way of working with trusted students. It does not surprise us that in such schools a mentality reigns that boosts enthusiasm in teachers and students. In this situation, the fed-up students or the irritated teachers are not the ones who set the tone. The prevention pyramid shows that (a) fundamental prevention policy consists of the

combining and gearing to each other of curative, preventive and social climatepromoting measures (and-and instead of oror); (b) the improvement of the context (school culture and school climate) provides an ideal basis for curative and preventive initiatives; (c) one may not bypass the need for person-oriented and structural measures; and (d) the formal and informal levels complement each other significantly. It is clear that the WSA to bullying and violence at school is based initially on cooperation with the entire school team. Other partners (inside and outside the school) can then become involved.

Responsibilities of the Chapter facilitators


Your tasks within this Chapter are to:

send to all participants information about when and where the session will be held and details of preparatory reading to be done

familiarise yourself with the Chapter text and the facilitators notes plan the session to meet the needs of the participants ensure that all relevant resources/materials are copied and/or prepared

lead the session and all the activities

VISTA/VISTOP School Bullying and Violence: Taking Action


Project 129352-CP-1-2006-1-DE-COMENIUS-C21 www.vistop.org

Cowie, H., Jennifer, D., Chankova, D., Poshtova, T., Deklerck, J., Deboutte, G., Ertesvg, S. K., Samuelsen, A. S., O'Moore, M., Minton, S. J., Ortega, R. & Sanchez, V. (2006)

Sequence of activities for Chapter 2.1


This Chapter represents a one-day training of five hours plus breaks. It allows the facilitator to change the development of the session. However, it must be ensured that each building block mentioned is given in-depth attention. The session is aimed at a maximum of 25 participants (five groups of five people). Materials Text bundles with attachments and worksheets
1

Materials Resource 1 Pre-chapter task (completed) Name cards (also required for group assignment) Flipcharts/board/slides Space that allows working in small groups Procedure After welcoming participants (each one will receive a name card with their position and school/work location) they will be split into small groups (colour of name cards will determine group assignment). Participants from the same school will be sitting together for this task. Make sure that at least two school delegates sit together per group. In each small group, the different examples prepared using Resource 1 Pre-chapter task are exchanged among the participants. One example per group should be chosen which will be submitted (told) later to the whole group. The facilitator will summarize each example concisely on a board/slide/flipchart.

Name cards (also required for group assignment) Resources Flipcharts/board/slides Space that allows working in small groups
1

We suggest the facilitator makes a small brochure in which the participants can find an overview of the content of this part of the training, the information summary, the work sheets (activities) and the Resources 1 & 2.

Activity 1 Step I: Exchange of practical stories (bullying and violence at school events) (45 minutes)
Purpose

To exchange examples of bullying and violence at school

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VISTA/VISTOP School Bullying and Violence: Taking Action


Project 129352-CP-1-2006-1-DE-COMENIUS-C21 www.vistop.org

Cowie, H., Jennifer, D., Chankova, D., Poshtova, T., Deklerck, J., Deboutte, G., Ertesvg, S. K., Samuelsen, A. S., O'Moore, M., Minton, S. J., Ortega, R. & Sanchez, V. (2006)

Activity 2 Step II: Analysis of the various examples on the basis of the perspective exercise(70 minutes)
Purpose

classmate(s) - peers the head teacher teacher(s) ?

Recommended prompt questions are:

How does he or she experience the incident? (What feelings does the incident generate in this person?)

To analyse the various examples outlined in Activity 1 using the perspective exercise as a foundation

What does he or she think of what has happened? What would he or she like to happen? What responsibilities does he or she see in himself/herself? What obstacles or difficulties was s/he faced with as a result of this situation?

Materials Resource 2 Worksheet 1 Resource 3 Worksheet 2 Flipchart and pens Procedure The facilitator checks that everyone has an adequate understanding of the examples or incidents (maximum 5) highlighted in Activity 1 and whether the summaries are sufficient. Then, Resource 2 Worksheet 1 is distributed to each participant. The facilitator asks each one of the small groups to take a new look at the case they have chosen. Everyone in this group has to choose one particular perspective (see Resource 2). They can choose the perspective of:

Discussion is small groups The idea is to develop a conversation in each group whereby the answers to the aforementioned questions are brought together. Each group concludes its discussion with the completion of Resource 3 Worksheet 2. The aim is to make an inventory of what reasons or causes were mentioned during the conversation and who (regardless by whom) is addressed to assume any form of responsibility. Debriefing Each small group reports concisely about their

the student supervisor - mentor the victim the perpetrator offender - bully the parents (of the victim)

discussion to the whole group: the responses to Resource 3 Worksheet 2 are exchanged. Overlapping should not be repeated in order

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VISTA/VISTOP School Bullying and Violence: Taking Action


Project 129352-CP-1-2006-1-DE-COMENIUS-C21 www.vistop.org

Cowie, H., Jennifer, D., Chankova, D., Poshtova, T., Deklerck, J., Deboutte, G., Ertesvg, S. K., Samuelsen, A. S., O'Moore, M., Minton, S. J., Ortega, R. & Sanchez, V. (2006)

to allow for smoother discussion. The facilitator sees to it that all answers are written on flipcharts (A3-format). This is made possible by involving participants in the reporting: seven people will receive a flysheet on which one of the characters is mentioned. They note down all that is said concerning their character. In this way the group will get a visual synthesis that indicates who is addressed as regards their responsibility and in what way. When the seven synthesis flipcharts are completed, they are put up on the wall. The facilitator gives an additional interpretation by reiterating the unmentioned responsibilities (e.g., with respect to school organisation, school infrastructure, neighbourhood characteristics). In this way a complex web of (f)actors is obtained that (in)directly influence each other and that are at the basis of these kinds of problems.

To supply information and analysis frameworks

Materials Resource 4 Worksheet 3 Procedure 1. Positive school climate: building blocks (15 minutes) In broad terms, two types of schools have been defined: performance-oriented schools and community-oriented schools (see Figure 1). The ideal school culture, taking into account the wellbeing of students and teachers, seems to be a healthy mix of both. This is why it is desirable to create an environment that (a) stimulates the students as regards instrumental learning (knowledge and understanding, skills, attitudes) whilst at the same time (b) gives them the feeling that they belong. What is important, therefore, is to pay attention to each student, to captivate them and challenge them, to emphasize involvement and participation and to provide sufficient freedom and security. This mix of wellbeing (quality of life) and mind-broadening teaching, training and cooperating is a challenge for every school.

Activity 3 Step III: supplying of information and analysis frameworks(75 minutes)


Purpose

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VISTA/VISTOP School Bullying and Violence: Taking Action


Project 129352-CP-1-2006-1-DE-COMENIUS-C21 www.vistop.org

Cowie, H., Jennifer, D., Chankova, D., Poshtova, T., Deklerck, J., Deboutte, G., Ertesvg, S. K., Samuelsen, A. S., O'Moore, M., Minton, S. J., Ortega, R. & Sanchez, V. (2006)

Figure 2. Characteristics of a positive school culture(Based on De Fraine, Van Damme & Onghena, 2004) In between exercise (just to verify that the information was clear and well understood) (15 min) The facilitator opens a small discussion with the whole group by asking: - What do you learn from Figure 2? - In which part of the diagram would you place your school? What are your reasons? (See Summary section (pp. 4-5) and Resource 4 Worksheet 3). Using Resource 4 Worksheet 3, each small group is asked to place a total of at least five initiatives, proposals or measures that were identified using Resource 3 Worksheet 2 within the prevention pyramid. This exercise illustrates at what level one 2. Prevention pyramid: supportive framework for a WSA (45 minutes)

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VISTA/VISTOP School Bullying and Violence: Taking Action


Project 129352-CP-1-2006-1-DE-COMENIUS-C21 www.vistop.org

Cowie, H., Jennifer, D., Chankova, D., Poshtova, T., Deklerck, J., Deboutte, G., Ertesvg, S. K., Samuelsen, A. S., O'Moore, M., Minton, S. J., Ortega, R. & Sanchez, V. (2006)

wants to develop action and where the need is situated (and where it is experienced as less important). After each small group has accomplished the task, there is another exchange moment. If there is a projection of an empty prevention pyramid, the facilitator can use Post-its to put all the initiatives on that projection. This exercise gives the facilitator the opportunity to check if all the various initiatives were placed correctly by the members of the session group. If necessary, s/he will bring improvements of corrections. Debrief The large group is asked to formulate a few conclusions. These may involve the usability of the prevention pyramid and gives the facilitator the opportunity to check out if the prevention pyramid was well understood.

Resource 5 Overview of VISTA interventions on overhead/Powerpoint Procedure To complete Step III the facilitator provides a slide that gives an overview of some of the intervention models that form part of the VISTA training. S/he motivates the how and why of the assigned positions within the prevention pyramid.

Activity 5: Step IV: Debriefing process: The WSA: a definition(80 minutes)


Purpose

Activity 4 Conclusion: Step III Overview of intervention models offered by the VISTA training package(15 minutes)
Purpose

To debrief participants on the work of the training session and to offer conclusions

Materials Resource 6 Worksheet 4 Procedure

To offer an overview of the intervention models offered by the VISTA training package The facilitator reorganizes the group by bringing all the school delegations together in small groups (put every school delegation in a different group). Looking back on what has been learnt and discussed in the session each

Materials

14

VISTA/VISTOP School Bullying and Violence: Taking Action


Project 129352-CP-1-2006-1-DE-COMENIUS-C21 www.vistop.org

Cowie, H., Jennifer, D., Chankova, D., Poshtova, T., Deklerck, J., Deboutte, G., Ertesvg, S. K., Samuelsen, A. S., O'Moore, M., Minton, S. J., Ortega, R. & Sanchez, V. (2006)

small group is requested to accomplish four different tasks using Resource 6 Worksheet 4: Task 1: When you look back on the information and discussions of todays training session, which arguments convinced you to opt for a WSA in your school(s) to stop and prevent bullying and violent incidents?

Activity 5: Step IV: Debriefing process: The WSA: a definition(80 minutes)


Purpose

Task 2: When you return to your school, which arguments will you use to convince your other school members (head teacher, co-ordinators, staff, parents, pupils) to opt for a WSA? Task 3: Here you find a definition of the WSA. Put the most important elements of this definition into the framework below and make clear whether these elements are already part of your school culture and policy. Task 4: Conclusion: Regarding the result of the last task (Task 3), what advice can you give to your own school? What kind of challenges do you see ahead? Give your arguments too. Allow about 50 minutes for this part of the activity. Debriefing (30 minutes) Every school delegation has five minutes do give a brief conclusion to the whole group.

To debrief participants on the work of the training session and to offer conclusions

Materials Resource 6 Worksheet 4 Procedure The facilitator reorganizes the group by bringing all the school delegations together in small groups (put every school delegation in a different group). Looking back on what has been learnt and discussed in the session each small group is requested to accomplish four different tasks using Resource 6 Worksheet 4: Task 1: When you look back on the information and discussions of todays training session, which arguments convinced you to opt for a WSA in your school(s) to stop and prevent bullying and violent incidents? Task 2: When you return to your school, which arguments will you use to convince your other

15

VISTA/VISTOP School Bullying and Violence: Taking Action


Project 129352-CP-1-2006-1-DE-COMENIUS-C21 www.vistop.org

Cowie, H., Jennifer, D., Chankova, D., Poshtova, T., Deklerck, J., Deboutte, G., Ertesvg, S. K., Samuelsen, A. S., O'Moore, M., Minton, S. J., Ortega, R. & Sanchez, V. (2006)

school members (head teacher, co-ordinators, staff, parents, pupils) to opt for a WSA? Task 3: Here you find a definition of the WSA. Put the most important elements of this definition into the framework below and make clear whether these elements are already part of your school culture and policy. Task 4: Conclusion: Regarding the result of the last task (Task 3), what advice can you give to your own school? What kind of challenges do you see ahead? Give your arguments too. Allow about 50 minutes for this part of the activity. Debriefing (30 minutes) Every school delegation has five minutes do give a brief conclusion to the whole group.

- relevance of the session towards every day school practice - circumstances in which people had to work (timing infrastructure technical support )

References
De Fraine, B., Van Damme, J., & Onghena, P. (2004). Een prestatiegericht of gemeenschapsgericht klimaat op school? Handboek Leerlingbegeleiding Twee, Afl. 6 ,111123. Mechelen: Uitgeverij WoltersPlantyn. Deklerck, J., Depuydt, A., en Deboutte, G. (2001). Verbondenheid als antwoord op delink-wentie? Preventie op een nieuw spoor. Leuven/Leusden: Uitg. Acco. Olweus, D., Limber, S., & Mihalic, S. (1998). Bullying Prevention Program (BPP). Blueprints for violence prevention series. Book nine. Willinston: Blackwell Publishing Int. Olweus, D. (1993). Bullying at school: What we know and what we can do. Willinston: Blackwell Publishing Int. Olweus, D. (2001). Olweus Core Program Against Bullying and Antisocial Behavior: A Teacher Handbook. Willinston: Blackwell Publishing Int. Rigby, K., Smith, P., & Pepler. (2004). Working to prevent school bullying: Key

Activity 6 Evaluation of the meeting (circle time) (15 minutes)


Every participant gets the chance to evaluate the training session. The facilitator asks participants to pay attention to: - personal involvement (1 2 3 4 5) - quality of the theoretical input (clear relevance useful) - quality of the methods used

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issues. In P. Smith, D. Pepler & K. Rigby (Eds.), Bullying in schools: How successful can interventions be? (pp. 1-12). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. World Health Organisation (WHO). (1999). Report of the consultation on child abuse prevention. WHO, Geneva, 29-31 March 1999. Geneva: World Health Organisation. World Health Organisation (WHO). (2001). Submission from World Health Organization to the Committee of the Rights of the Child for its Day of General Discussion, September 28, 2001. Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect. Making the links between human rights and public health. Geneva: World Health Organisation.

approach. Dublin: Columba Press. Cowie, H., Boardman, C., Dawkins, J., & Jennifer, D. (2004). Emotional health and wellbeing: A practical guide for schools. London: Sage Publications. Deklerck, J., & Depuydt, A. (1998). An ethical and social interpretation of crime through the concepts of linkedness and integrationdisintegration. Applications to restorative justice. In L. Walgrave, (Ed.), Restorative justice for juveniles. Potentialities, risks and problems (pp. 137-156). Leuven: University Press Leuven. Deklerck, J., Deboutte, G., & Depuydt. A. (2003). The Linkedness Project. In L. GraveResendes (Ed.), Conferencia internacional prevenao da violencia na escola (pp.321 325). Lisboa: Centro de Estudos de Pedagogia e Avaliaao. Depuydt, A. (1991). 'Re-ligie' als antwoord op 'de-linquentie'. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Licentiaatsthesis Criminologie, KULeuven. Depuydt, A. (1996). 'Re-ligie': een antwoord op 'de-linquentie'?, Metanoia, June, 105-122.

Further reading and additional materials


Books and articles Aasen, P., Nordtug, B, Ertesvg, S. K., & Leirvik, B. (2002). Atferdsproblemer. Innfring i pedagogisk analyse. Oslo: Cappelen Akademiske Forlag, 128-141. Andrews, D., & Lewis, M. (2002). The experience of a professional community: Teachers developing a new image of themselves and their workplace. Educational Research, 44(3), 237-254. Byrne, B. (1996). Bullying: A community

Deboutte, G. (2004), Verbondenheid: een ander en preventief antwoord op respectloos gedrag. Hoe toewerken naar een positief klasen schoolklimaat? In Handboek Leerlingenbegeleiding Twee, Afl. 5 (juni).

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Mechelen: Uitgeverij Wolters-Plantyn, 57-78. Ertesvg, S.K. (2003). Utvikling av sosial kompetanse. Spesialpedagogikk, 2(03), 32-37. Lee, C. (2004). Preventing bullying in schools. London: Paul Chapman Publishing. Ljungstrm, K. (1990). Mobbaus koulussa. Ksikirja mobbaukesta ja sen selvittmisest Farsta-menetelmll. [Bullying in school: A handbook on bullying and its treatment by use of the Farsta method]. Kauniainen, Finland: Jessica Lerche. Luiselli, J. K., Putnam, R. F., Handler, M. W., Feinberg, A. B. (2005). Whole-school positive behaviour support: Effects on student discipline problems and academic performance. Educational Psychology, 25(2 3), 183198. Midthassel, U. V. (2006). Creating a shared understanding of classroom management. Educational Management Administration & Leadership. 34(3), 365-383. Minton, S. J., & OMoore, A. M. (2004). A review of scientifically evaluated good practices of preventing and reducing bullying at school in the EU Member States. Project commissioned by the European Commission (Directorate-General Justice and Home Affairs). http://www.eucpn.org/docs/review_bullying_a t_school_en.pdf

OMoore, A. M., & Minton, S. J. (2004). Dealing with bullying in schools: A training manual for teachers, parents and other professionals. London: Paul Chapman Publishing. Ortega, R., & Del Rey, R. (2004). La violencia escolar. Estrategias de prevencin. Barcelona: Gra. Ortega, R. (1997). El proyecto Sevilla Antiviolencia Escolar. Un modelo de intervencin preventiva contra los malos tratos entre iguales. [The Seville Anti-violence in Schools Project: A preventative intervention model against bad relationships amongst equals]. Revista de Educacin [Educational Review], 313, 143 158. Oswald, K., Safran, S., & Johanson, G. (2005). Preventing trouble: Making schools safer places using positive behavior supports. Education & Treatment of Children, 28(3), 265279. Teddlie, C., Stringfield, S., & Reynolds, D. (2000). Context issues within school effectiveness research. In C. Teddlie & D. Reynolds (Eds.) The international handbook of school effectiveness research (pp. 160-185; 206-231). London: Falmer Press. Riley, P. L., & Segal, E. C. (2002). Preparing to evaluate a school violence prevention program: Students Against Violence Everywhere (SAVE). Journal of School

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Violence, 1(2), 73-86. Roland, E., & Munthe, E. (1997). The 1996 Norwegian program for preventing and managing bullying in schools. Irish Journal of Psychology, 18(2), 233247.

Stevens, V., De Bourdeaudhuij, I., & Van Oost, P. (2000). Bullying in Flemish schools: An evaluation of anti-bullying intervention in primary and secondary schools. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 70, 195 210. Vettenburg, N. (1999). Violence in schools.

Senge, P. M. (1990). The Fifth Discipline the art and practice of the learning organization. New York: Doubleday. (Chapter 12 - Team Learning)

Awareness-raising, prevention, penalties. General Report. Strasbourg: Council of Europe Publishing. World Health Organisation (2002). World

Smith, P. K., Ananiadou, K., & Cowie, H. (2003). Interventions to reduce school bullying. Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 48(9), 591-599. Sharp, S., Arora, T., Smith, P. K., & Whitney, I. (1994). How to measure bullying in your school. In P. K. Smith & S. Sharp (Eds.) Tackling bullying in your school, (pp. 8-21). London: Routledge. Smith, P.K., & Brain, P. (2000). Bullying in schools: Lessons from two decades of research. Aggressive Behaviour, 26(1), 1 9. Smith, P.K., Pepler, D., & Rigby, K. (Eds.) (2004). Bullying in schools: Global perspectives on intervention. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Smith, P.K., & Shu, S.(2000). What good schools can do about bullying: Findings from a survey in English schools after a decade of research and action. Childhood, 7(2),193212.

report on violence and health. Geneva: World Health Organisation. Websites http://www.linkedness.be http://www.cfchildren.org/cfc/strf/str/strindex / http://www.interventioncentral.org http://www.police.govt.nz/service/yes/nobully /index.html http://www.police.govt.nz/service/yes/nobully /kia_kaha/whole.html http://www.ul.ie/%7Epess/research/physactiv /whole_school.htm http://www.gold.ac.uk/connect/reportnorway. html : Roland, E., Bjornsen, G., & Mandt, G., Tackling Violence in Schools: A Report from Norway.

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http://www.education.unisa.edu.au/bullying : Bullying in Schools and what to do about it (Dr. Ken Rigbys pages)

Resource packs Resource 1 Pre-chapter task


Dear [participants name], You have signed up for the VISTA Chapter 2.1 training. We are delighted that you/your school wishes to participate. Since we are seeking to make connections with the specific school reality, we would like to ask you to carry out the following task in advance of the training session. If you plan to attend the training with a few colleagues, we request that you carry out this task together. Rest assured, we will be sure to use the material you provide. Send, fax or e-mail your reply to [name and address of facilitator]. We would appreciate it if you could do this at least two weeks prior to the start of the training session. Many thanks and see you soon! Best regards, [First name and surname of the facilitator]

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Cowie, H., Jennifer, D., Chankova, D., Poshtova, T., Deklerck, J., Deboutte, G., Ertesvg, S. K., Samuelsen, A. S., O'Moore, M., Minton, S. J., Ortega, R. & Sanchez, V. (2006)

Pre-chapter task - Part 1 Outline a real-life incident of bullying or violence below in which you/your school was recently involved. Describe concisely what happened.

Pre-chapter task - Part 2


How was this incident of bullying or violence specifically handled? What initiatives were taken and by whom?

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Cowie, H., Jennifer, D., Chankova, D., Poshtova, T., Deklerck, J., Deboutte, G., Ertesvg, S. K., Samuelsen, A. S., O'Moore, M., Minton, S. J., Ortega, R. & Sanchez, V. (2006)

Pre-chapter task Part 3 Evaluation of the chosen approach for dealing with the bullying or violent incident: a. How satisfied are you with the chosen approach?

Very satisfied/Satisfied/Reasonably satisfied/Dissatisfied/Very dissatisfied b. What did you like about the chosen approach?

c.

What would you have done differently? What could have been done differently and better?

d.

What possibilities or opportunities do you see ahead?

e.

What errors and risks must be avoided?

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Resource 2

Worksheet 1

Choose one specific situation that involved bullying behaviour/violence at your school. Try to conjure up this situation as well as possible and then describe the reactions of the following characters. Do this using the prompt questions provided. In order to work quickly, everyone must choose one character. The remaining characters will be examined later.

STUDENT SUPERVISOR - MENTOR How does s/he experience the incident? What feelings does the incident generate in him/her?

What does s/he think of what has happened?

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Cowie, H., Jennifer, D., Chankova, D., Poshtova, T., Deklerck, J., Deboutte, G., Ertesvg, S. K., Samuelsen, A. S., O'Moore, M., Minton, S. J., Ortega, R. & Sanchez, V. (2006)

What would s/he like to happen?

What responsibilities does s/he see in her/himself?

What obstacles or difficulties was s/he faced with as a result of this situation?

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Cowie, H., Jennifer, D., Chankova, D., Poshtova, T., Deklerck, J., Deboutte, G., Ertesvg, S. K., Samuelsen, A. S., O'Moore, M., Minton, S. J., Ortega, R. & Sanchez, V. (2006)

VICTIM How does s/he experience the incident? What feelings does the incident generate in him/her?

What does s/he think of what has happened?

What would s/he like to happen?

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Cowie, H., Jennifer, D., Chankova, D., Poshtova, T., Deklerck, J., Deboutte, G., Ertesvg, S. K., Samuelsen, A. S., O'Moore, M., Minton, S. J., Ortega, R. & Sanchez, V. (2006)

What responsibilities does s/he see in her/himself?

What obstacles or difficulties was s/he faced with as a result of this situation?

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Cowie, H., Jennifer, D., Chankova, D., Poshtova, T., Deklerck, J., Deboutte, G., Ertesvg, S. K., Samuelsen, A. S., O'Moore, M., Minton, S. J., Ortega, R. & Sanchez, V. (2006)

PERPETRATOR OFFENDER - BULLY How does s/he experience the incident? What feelings does the incident generate in her/him?

What does s/he think of what has happened?

What would s/he like to happen?

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Cowie, H., Jennifer, D., Chankova, D., Poshtova, T., Deklerck, J., Deboutte, G., Ertesvg, S. K., Samuelsen, A. S., O'Moore, M., Minton, S. J., Ortega, R. & Sanchez, V. (2006)

What responsibilities does s/he or she see in her/himself?

What obstacles or difficulties was s/he faced with as a result of this situation?

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Cowie, H., Jennifer, D., Chankova, D., Poshtova, T., Deklerck, J., Deboutte, G., Ertesvg, S. K., Samuelsen, A. S., O'Moore, M., Minton, S. J., Ortega, R. & Sanchez, V. (2006)

THE VICTIMS PARENTS How did they experience the incident? What kind of feelings did the incident generate in them?

What do or did they think of what has happened?

What did they want to happen?

What responsibilities did they see in themselves?

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Cowie, H., Jennifer, D., Chankova, D., Poshtova, T., Deklerck, J., Deboutte, G., Ertesvg, S. K., Samuelsen, A. S., O'Moore, M., Minton, S. J., Ortega, R. & Sanchez, V. (2006)

What obstacles or difficulties were they faced with as a result of this situation?

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Cowie, H., Jennifer, D., Chankova, D., Poshtova, T., Deklerck, J., Deboutte, G., Ertesvg, S. K., Samuelsen, A. S., O'Moore, M., Minton, S. J., Ortega, R. & Sanchez, V. (2006)

CLASSMATES OR PEERS How did they experience the incident? What feelings does the incident generate in them?

What do or did they think of what has happened?

What did they want to happen?

What responsibilities did they see in themselves?

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What obstacles or difficulties were they faced with as a result of this situation? What kept them from assuming responsibility?

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Cowie, H., Jennifer, D., Chankova, D., Poshtova, T., Deklerck, J., Deboutte, G., Ertesvg, S. K., Samuelsen, A. S., O'Moore, M., Minton, S. J., Ortega, R. & Sanchez, V. (2006)

THE HEAD TEACHER SCHOOL PRINCIPAL How did s/he experience the incident? What feelings did the incident generate in her/him?

What does s/he think of what has happened?

What would s/he like to happen?

What kind of responsibilities does s/he see for her/himself?

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Cowie, H., Jennifer, D., Chankova, D., Poshtova, T., Deklerck, J., Deboutte, G., Ertesvg, S. K., Samuelsen, A. S., O'Moore, M., Minton, S. J., Ortega, R. & Sanchez, V. (2006)

What obstacles or difficulties was s/he faced with as a result of this situation?

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Cowie, H., Jennifer, D., Chankova, D., Poshtova, T., Deklerck, J., Deboutte, G., Ertesvg, S. K., Samuelsen, A. S., O'Moore, M., Minton, S. J., Ortega, R. & Sanchez, V. (2006)

TEACHER(S) How did s/he or they experience the incident? What feelings did the incident generate in her/him or them?

What does s/he or they think of what has happened?

What would s/he or they like to happen?

What responsibilities does s/he or they see in themselves?

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What obstacles or difficulties was s/he or were they faced with as a result of this situation?

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Resource 3 Worksheet 2
Circle all characters that were addressed with respect to their RESPONSIBILITY in the discussion (from any aspect whatsoever). Write what was expected of them under their name. (Question mark: Here you can fill in any additional people).

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Where did you see possibilities for action or intervention (problem solving and preventive)?

Personal level

Interpersonal level (at school)

Class group

School context

Home/family

OTHER:

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Resource 4 Worksheet 3
Please try to put the proposed initiatives, actions and measures in this empty prevention pyramid. What do you see and conclude?

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Cowie, H., Jennifer, D., Chankova, D., Poshtova, T., Deklerck, J., Deboutte, G., Ertesvg, S. K., Samuelsen, A. S., O'Moore, M., Minton, S. J., Ortega, R. & Sanchez, V. (2006)

Resource 5 Overview of VISTA interventions

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Cowie, H., Jennifer, D., Chankova, D., Poshtova, T., Deklerck, J., Deboutte, G., Ertesvg, S. K., Samuelsen, A. S., O'Moore, M., Minton, S. J., Ortega, R. & Sanchez, V. (2006)

Resource 6

Worksheet 4

Debriefing and conclusions Procedure: First of all you have to think over the four following questions. Please write down some keywords after each question:

Task 1: When you look back at the information and discussions of todays training which arguments convinced you to opt for a WSA in your school(s) to stop and prevent bullying and violent incidents?

Task 2: When you return to your school, which arguments will you use to convince your other school members (head master, co-ordinators, staff, parents, pupils) to opt for a WSA?

Task 3: Here you find a definition of the WSA. Put the most important elements of this definition into the framework below and make clear whether these elements are already part of your school culture and policy.

The WSA includes a broad combination of initiatives, actions and measures (formal informal), which together lead to a quality school context with less problems, a higher involvement and more well being. All the members of the school community are involved; sometimes even the neighbourhood and the wider community are taken into account. The WSA doesnt only stand for a quantitative, broad approach: many components are manipulated at the same time by a multitude of initiatives and measures, all part of an

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integrated and well-considered policy towards the school, the staff, the class/group and the individual student level. To be effective in the long term in-depth work also has to be performed which means that one is aware of the quality of the current process at the personal level (personal growth and development) as well as at the school community/group level. In-depth working leads to a change of personal attitudes (personal level) and the development of the school vision, organisation and climate as well (Gie Deboutte).

How to Embed the Whole School Approach (WSA): The Challenge of Implementation Objectives of Chapter 2.2

how to respond to challenges during the implementation of change possible barriers to the process of change resistance to the process of change

Personal qualities and attributes include:


To consider strategies for implementing the WSA To be able to develop the process of change and support staff involved in it

being able to act as a leader being able to motivate co-workers being an effective communicator having empathy for co-workers, even when they disagree with you

To be familiar with possible (and most


likely) resistance and barriers met in an implementation process

Pre-chapter reading
Fullan, M. (2001). The new meaning of

Facilitation skills to be developed through this Chapter


Knowledge and understanding of:

educational change. New York: Teacher College Press. Kelly, L. K., & Lezotte, L. W. (2003). Developing leadership through the school improvement process. Journal of School Improvement, 4(1). Retrieved July 22, 2006, from

the context of change

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http://www.ncacasi.org/jsi/2003v4il/develop_l eadership

when they do attempt to share and use new knowledge, they find it enormously difficult. For example, identifying the best practices usually goes reasonably well, but when it comes to transferring and using the knowledge, schools rarely succeed. According to Fullan (2001) implementation consists of the process of putting into practice an idea, program, or set of activities and structures new to people attempting or expecting to change. This process has proved to be challenging and research has shown that schools do not behave like rational organisations that respond as expected towards change initiatives (e.g., Cuban, 1999; Reynolds, Teddlie, Hopkins, & Stringfield, 2000). On the contrary, schools differ widely in how they think and carry through actual improvement projects (e.g., Hargreaves, 2001; Hopkins & Reynolds, 2001). An innovation consists of three phases, initiation, implementation and institutionalisation. Here the main focus is on implementation and to some extent on initiation. The biggest problem facing schools is

Summary of current thinking and knowledge about how to embed the WSA
Implementing the WSA to school violence involves a learning process which cannot be taken out of context. Today, we live in a complex knowledge society that requires educated citizens who can learn continuously, and who can work with diversity. Complexity means change and specifically it means rapidly occurring, unpredictable, non-linear change in our organizations and our world. Such changes are not easy to control. Different ways of thinking about change are required ways that our conventional approaches to planned change have not allowed. As a consequence schools must become learning organisations or they will fail to survive as an organization creating knowledge (Fullan, 2001). These changes in society raise the question of how to cultivate and sustain learning under conditions of complex, rapid change. Schools are beginning to discover that new ideas, knowledge creation, and sharing are essential to solving learning problems in this rapidly changing society. Most organizations, schools as well as others, have invested heavily in technology and possibly training, but hardly at all in knowledge sharing and creation. And

fragmentation and overload. The effort needed to carry out the program is assumed to influence the change process (Hargreaves, 2001; Midthassel & Ertesvg, 2006) Furthermore, lack of consistency and coherence, with few opportunities for reflection and development of collective knowledge is a challenge in implementing a whole school approach to school violence. By short-term and long-term strategic content and

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organizational knowledge development, schools might overcome this problem. The goal is to create cultures where innovation and continual improvement flourish. In implementing an idea or a program at a school it is crucial to be aware of possible challenges and barriers to the process. How well these are handled will determine the outcome of the intervention. It might be difficult to introduce new ideas into schools, especially when you are on your own. Many people bring new ideas to their school, like the VISTA program, but when they try to implement them in their school they are met by resistance and lack of interest from staff and/or management. This can be prevented at school level by establishing a project group responsible for managing the change process. The group ought to consist of management and staff both in the initiation, implementation and institutionalisation phases. This Chapter outlines some key challenges and barriers participants can meet in initiating and implementing new ideas in their own school/school district and how to cope with them. The aim is to focus on some of the key challenges in embedding a whole school approach.

Summary of current thinking and knowledge about how to embed the WSA
Implementing the WSA to school violence involves a learning process which cannot be taken out of context. Today, we live in a complex knowledge society that requires educated citizens who can learn continuously, and who can work with diversity. Complexity means change and specifically it means rapidly occurring, unpredictable, non-linear change in our organizations and our world. Such changes are not easy to control. Different ways of thinking about change are required ways that our conventional approaches to planned change have not allowed. As a consequence schools must become learning organisations or they will fail to survive as an organization creating knowledge (Fullan, 2001). These changes in society raise the question of how to cultivate and sustain learning under conditions of complex, rapid change. Schools are beginning to discover that new ideas, knowledge creation, and sharing are essential to solving learning problems in this rapidly changing society. Most organizations, schools as well as others, have invested heavily in technology and possibly training, but hardly at all in knowledge sharing and creation. And when they do attempt to share and use new knowledge, they find it enormously difficult. For example, identifying the best practices

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Cowie, H., Jennifer, D., Chankova, D., Poshtova, T., Deklerck, J., Deboutte, G., Ertesvg, S. K., Samuelsen, A. S., O'Moore, M., Minton, S. J., Ortega, R. & Sanchez, V. (2006)

usually goes reasonably well, but when it comes to transferring and using the knowledge, schools rarely succeed.

goal is to create cultures where innovation and continual improvement flourish. In implementing an idea or a program at a

According to Fullan (2001) implementation consists of the process of putting into practice an idea, program, or set of activities and structures new to people attempting or expecting to change. This process has proved to be challenging and research has shown that schools do not behave like rational organisations that respond as expected towards change initiatives (e.g., Cuban, 1999; Reynolds, Teddlie, Hopkins, & Stringfield, 2000). On the contrary, schools differ widely in how they think and carry through actual improvement projects (e.g., Hargreaves, 2001; Hopkins & Reynolds, 2001). An innovation consists of three phases, initiation, implementation and institutionalisation. Here the main focus is on implementation and to some extent on initiation. The biggest problem facing schools is fragmentation and overload. The effort needed to carry out the program is assumed to influence the change process (Hargreaves, 2001; Midthassel & Ertesvg, 2006) Furthermore, lack of consistency and coherence, with few opportunities for reflection and development of collective knowledge is a challenge in implementing a whole school approach to school violence. By short-term and long-term strategic content and organizational knowledge development, schools might overcome this problem. The

school it is crucial to be aware of possible challenges and barriers to the process. How well these are handled will determine the outcome of the intervention. It might be difficult to introduce new ideas into schools, especially when you are on your own. Many people bring new ideas to their school, like the VISTA program, but when they try to implement them in their school they are met by resistance and lack of interest from staff and/or management. This can be prevented at school level by establishing a project group responsible for managing the change process. The group ought to consist of management and staff both in the initiation, implementation and institutionalisation phases. This Chapter outlines some key challenges and barriers participants can meet in initiating and implementing new ideas in their own school/school district and how to cope with them. The aim is to focus on some of the key challenges in embedding a whole school approach.

Responsibilities for the Chapter facilitators


Your tasks within this Chapter are to:

send to all participants information about when and where the session will

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Cowie, H., Jennifer, D., Chankova, D., Poshtova, T., Deklerck, J., Deboutte, G., Ertesvg, S. K., Samuelsen, A. S., O'Moore, M., Minton, S. J., Ortega, R. & Sanchez, V. (2006)

be held and details of preparatory reading to be done

Skogen (2004). The material is adjusted to the VISTA-setting and the rest of the Chapter.

familiarise yourself with the Chapter text and the facilitators notes plan the session to meet the needs of the participants ensure that all relevant resources/materials are copied and/or prepared

Activity 1 Introductory lecture Innovation in a knowledge society (40 minutes) Slide 1


How to Embed the Whole School Approach Slide 2 A change society, a complex society of

lead the session and all the activities.

Sequence of activities for Chapter 2.2


This Chapter represents a one-day training of five hours plus breaks. Note that the introductory lecture is accompanied by a PowerPoint presentation. The slides are referred to in the text. The text is not intended as a fixed manuscript for the introductory lecture. However, it will provide the facilitator with sufficient background material to lead the session. The lecture consists of three parts. Part 1 provides background information about the context of the change processes. This part can be carried out as self-study as part of the pre-reading material or it can be part of the introductory lecture. This offers flexibility and gives the opportunity to use more time for group reflection in groups if required. Parts 2 and 3 focus on different aspects of implementation and resistance and barriers in innovation, respectively. Part 3: Resistance and barriers in innovations, is partly based on a chapter from

choices It seems almost impossible these days to open a newspaper, turn on the TV or walk into a bookstore without being reminded of the transition to what has become variously described as the knowledge society or learning society. We live in a society characterized by turbulence rather than stability and in which schools operate. In a rapidly and fluidly evolving global environment, loss of organizational knowledge is a very real and potentially threatening organizational risk. Knowledge building expertise is needed in all schools (Samuelsen, 2006). Traditionally, two developmental tracks have been important in developing a learning society and thus are important to future schools.

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1.

Knowledge has become an important asset and a motivating power in societal development. The main assets and liabilities are no longer economical resources, buildings or technology, but human capital.

Slide 3 Learning organizations The concept of the learning organization is an answer to complexity in society and rapid changes in demand and tasks in todays schools. Out dated knowledge is a problem in a rapidly changing society. There are continuous demands of readjustment, and valid knowledge and solutions have a limited lifespan. A learning organization/school and a learning teacher becomes inevitable. A learning school is a school of perpetual change and knowledge building. A learning organization is a developing organisation. Schools will constantly change, because schools will never be good enough. Schools will always have a potential for development based on shifting requirements and challenges. Solutions might, in most situations, have limited application. New ways of approaching knowledge building is required. Hence, a school that does not change according to the context is in danger of stagnating. There will always be potential for improvements and schools will experience contextual changes that require continual changes. Learning organizations learn at individual, group and organizational level. Hence, schools need to be organized to attend to teachers learning processes. Change can occur at many levels, for example, the teacher, the teacher team, the school or the school district.

2.

Society becomes more complex and versatile and schools face constant, contextual changes like:

Changes in curriculum Student and teacher turnover Students from a multi cultural context Changes due to student development and maturation Expectations and demands from mixed interests

Hence, in the knowledge society schools require new organizational structures, a rethinking of existing strategies and new daily routines in order for knowledge creation and knowledge recycling to occur in schools. Consequently, leadership in schools has changed and new competencies are required: How to manage complex projects, how to make decisions under high level of uncertainty, how to motivate knowledge building, how to facilitate knowledge from one team to another and how to thrive in an innovative culture. This is important knowledge at school level to achieve sustainable change.

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Cowie, H., Jennifer, D., Chankova, D., Poshtova, T., Deklerck, J., Deboutte, G., Ertesvg, S. K., Samuelsen, A. S., O'Moore, M., Minton, S. J., Ortega, R. & Sanchez, V. (2006)

Individual level By combining observation in the classroom with peer support, teachers can learn from each other. For example, experienced teachers can adopt less experienced teachers or the management at school can divide staff into pairs of teachers working together in a mutual learning process. Group level - Teachers often work in teams. Introducing different methods (e.g., Munthe & Midthassel, 2001; Radford, 2000) allowing the time and opportunity to reflect on various problems and increase the ability to learn at group level. Furthermore, the result might be the development of a shared vision of school violence and inter-subjective agreement among staff. Organizational level Organizational learning implies static and active organizational learning. Static organizational memory is written documentation the school as an organization held as valid (Kim, 1993). Often it is difficult for the staff to go through with a plan by themselves. One reason might be that no shared values or philosophy of school violence at school, group and individual level give grounds for development of the plan. Each staff member has not integrated the idea as part of their own thinking and there is no inter-subjective agreement among staff. Active organizational memory refers to actions the school society commonly attends to that are practiced by all, or most of, the staff. Often, the active memory is valued throughout the organization. A learning school aims to develop an active organizational

memory. To accomplish this they need an action plan, they need to be strategic in their knowledge development. Slide 4 Strategic knowledge development/creation

Limited resources at a well-situated municipality/school district level will result in qualitatively more effective education than a flow of resources with no strategic plan of action (Samuelsen, 2003)

Strategic knowledge development at school level implies a plan, set by the management at each school, regarding the schools knowledge development

Tillers (1990) term the kangaroo school characterizes schools jumping from one expert to another expert and from one project to another project, with no systematic plan for development. According to Fullan (2001), the main problem is not the absence of innovation in schools, but rather the presence of too many disconnected, episodic, fragmented projects. Unless there is a solid plan, linking actions together, change processes will fail until we find some way of developing infrastructure and processes that engage teachers in developing new understanding. Additionally, the plan needs to be founded on a pedagogical

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Cowie, H., Jennifer, D., Chankova, D., Poshtova, T., Deklerck, J., Deboutte, G., Ertesvg, S. K., Samuelsen, A. S., O'Moore, M., Minton, S. J., Ortega, R. & Sanchez, V. (2006)

approach attending to this process (Samuelsen, 2006). Many schools seem to be more concerned with participating in projects than with the results of the project. They rush to adopt new structures and strategies without considering their deeper implications. Each school needs to consider carefully which developmental tasks can be met through developing a program and which can be dealt with in other ways. For example, postpone a project, until others are incorporated in daily routine or consider the volume of the project. On the whole, prioritise what is to be emphasized to attend to the schools strategic planning of knowledge development. Slide 5 Gap Analysis An important challenge to schools and school districts in developing a learning organization is knowing what knowledge to develop. The first step is carrying out a gap analysis. A gap analysis evaluates the difference between the current situation and a wanted situation, often for the purpose of determining how to get from one state to a new state. According to Irgens (2004), a learning school needs to consider the following steps: 1. Having mapped the schools tasks and obligations, the organization performs an evaluation of each staff members 3. 2.

competence and the competence of the organization as a whole. Furthermore, the organization needs to map their future tasks and obligations. There might be a gap between what the school must know in the future and what it knows now. Based on a strategic knowledge and capabilities map, the school can identify the extent to which its various categories of existing knowledge are in alignment with its strategic requirements. The result is a set of potential knowledge gaps. Next, the school must develop a plan and determine which knowledge should be developed or acquired to fill the knowledge gap. Different approaches can be chosen. For example, knowledge development among staff or employing new people holding the requested competence. A knowledge strategy describes the overall approach a school intends to take to align its knowledge resource and capabilities to the intellectual requirements of its strategy. Which knowledge strategy, and not the least innovation strategy, a school chooses will influence the quality of education children are offered in the future. Furthermore, increased consciousness about choice of strategy can make a nice economical profit due to working more efficiently or by solving more problems at school level. Additionally, there might be

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increased motivation and satisfaction among staff when teachers are facing challenges they are fully prepared for. A more in depth understanding of this topic will be given in Chapters 4.1 and 4.2.

Activity 3 Lecture Part 2: Aspects of implementation (40 minutes)


Slide 6 Implementation Implementation consists of the process of putting into practice an idea, program, or set of activities and structures new to the people attempting or expected to change (Fullan, 2001, p. 69). Slide 7 Aspects of successful change One key criterion of success in change processes is cooperation at school and district/municipality level. It is important that participants at district/municipality level and school level have different and complementary roles.

Activity 2 Reflection in pairs (20 minutes)


Purpose

To reflect on the content of part one and relate the content to participants own organizational setting

Procedure Participants sitting together discuss the following questions. 1. Describe how your school/organization can become or improve as a learning organization? 2. What are some ways in which leaders in your organization (school/school district) could encourage development of a professional learning community at teacher (individual), team and organizational level? Mention some specific examples (such as attending professional events or having members of a specific department visit other departments) and strategies for sharing the resulting knowledge.

Cooperation at school district/municipality and at school level Complementary roles Leadership Ownership through involvement Shared goals Change through cooperation Long Term Effort Multifaceted measures

Management at each school plays an important role in initiating and arranging for

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Cowie, H., Jennifer, D., Chankova, D., Poshtova, T., Deklerck, J., Deboutte, G., Ertesvg, S. K., Samuelsen, A. S., O'Moore, M., Minton, S. J., Ortega, R. & Sanchez, V. (2006)

changes in the school. Initiation of a project and each schools ability to carry out the implementation is important and essential for the outcome of the project. Leadership, involvement and ownership have a critical influence on the result of the process. Furthermore, it is important that work on preventing and reducing school violence involves all or most of the staff and creates a shared ownership among them. As a consequence, most staff need to be involved in developing an internal strategy to prevent and reduce school violence. As long as only a few staff members are involved it would be difficult to achieve a level of consciousness and an attitude necessary to obtain the intended change. A shared goal is essential, but the key to successful change is participants working together. An example of how to create a shared platform of values at school is shown by Radford (2000) and another will be presented in Chapter 5.5. Measures which are broadly based have proven effective in relation to implementation: Clear empirical indications exist to show that the most effective measures, and those which consequently emerge as the most promising, are broadly based measures where it is attempted to adjust the contents, design and organisation to existing empirical knowledge.... The more central the measures are, and the more parts of the complex problem they address, the greater and more lasting are the effects (KUF, 2000, p. 21. See

also Dodge & Schwarz, 1997; Dusenbury, Falco, Lake, Brannigan, & Bosworth, 1997; Hawkins, Catalano, & Miller, 1992; Wassermann & Miller, 1997) Additionally, long-term effort has proven effective. Short-term implementation is not as effective for learning and change at student and teacher level as on-going implementation processes. Some of these aspects are attended to below. Slide 8 Head teachers role The head teacher plays an important role in initiating the program. By active participation in the initial phase the head teacher emphasizes relevance and importance of the program or idea and provides important motivational support to staff members that carry out the program. In carrying out the initial phase the head teachers role is two fold: arranging for the teachers to be involved and showing an active interest in the projects importance. By involving themselves in the process they signal the works importance. Effective school leaders are key to large-scale, sustainable educational change. Some core strategies for developing the role of the head teacher as instructional leader include five mutually reinforcing sets of strategic activities:

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Cowie, H., Jennifer, D., Chankova, D., Poshtova, T., Deklerck, J., Deboutte, G., Ertesvg, S. K., Samuelsen, A. S., O'Moore, M., Minton, S. J., Ortega, R. & Sanchez, V. (2006)

nested learning communities, principal institutes, leadership for instruction, peer learning, and individual coaching (for further information see Fink & Resnick, 2001). A school cannot develop, at least not for long, on the actions of the top leader alone. Thus, schools and school districts need leadership on many levels. By leadership here we refer to performing leadership, not to the formal role of head teacher. Learning at work, learning in context, helps produce such leadership. Also crucial to sustained change is the effective succession of leaders. Leadership succession is more likely if there are many leaders at many levels. Schools must set their sights on continual improvement at all levels, and for that they must nurture, cultivate, and appoint successive leaders who are moving in a sustained direction. In a school a head teacher is the key person to initiate and motivate these processes. Factors at district level and community level that affect program implementation (Based on Greenberg, Domitrovich, Graczyk, & Zins, 2001) Although implementation usually occurs at the school and classroom levels, district administrators as well as school board members can have substantial influence. Prevention programs are likely to receive stronger endorsement as well as resources if they target an aspect of the districts mission statement or address a district objective or school board concern. Furthermore, the

support of influential school board members can directly affect awareness and engagement at all levels, as well as assignment of resources. Implementation quality and the overall success of prevention initiatives are affected by the attitudes and beliefs of teachers, school administrators, support staff, and members of the broader community who make schoolrelated decisions (e.g., parents, board members). For prevention efforts to be successful, these individuals must first be aware of a need in the community and believe that creating change is a school-community goal. Furthermore, they must see the problem as preventable and intervention as effective. This will increase the likelihood that the intervention will become a priority and be given adequate time and financial resources. It is important to acknowledge that schools function within a larger system at the local, county and national level. Schools or districts may not have the power to make decisions if their agenda is different from the political system or if they have to balance competing external demands. Certain programs require collaboration between school personnel and mental health services providers who are working outside Of the school building. Depending on the structure of the countys services or the history of the relationships between such agencies, this can present an added challenge to implementation.

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Cowie, H., Jennifer, D., Chankova, D., Poshtova, T., Deklerck, J., Deboutte, G., Ertesvg, S. K., Samuelsen, A. S., O'Moore, M., Minton, S. J., Ortega, R. & Sanchez, V. (2006)

The contextual factors described here may strongly influence the implementation quality of interventions that are conducted in school settings. Given the significant role of these factors, they may in and of themselves lead to improvements in both teacher and student social and emotional outcomes. In some cases, targeting changes in system alignment and linkages may be the first intervention that is needed. Slide 9 Readiness for implementation The way a project is initiated and the schools ability to handle its implementation is of importance (Fullan, 2001). Furthermore, the head teachers importance in the initial phase has been acknowledged. The head teachers level of interest, commitment and expertise in the content of change as well as their level of interest and expertise in bringing about change is likely to influence their choice.

project should be sought beforehand. Motivated teachers are supposed to be more committed. Readiness also concerns the schools capacity to engage in and sustain continuous learning that seems to be influenced by internal and external factors. (The text on readiness for implementation is from Midthassel & Ertesvg, 2006) Slide 10 Creating ownership Creating ownership implies involvement of all participants. A persons involvement is affected by several factors. Four of them are shown in the figure.

Participating in a project must feel relevant to the work situation. It needs to be meaningful to the individual participant

Acknowledging that change requires involvement, members of staff have to find it meaningful and thus, relevance is experienced to be one of the key aspects for implementation. Thus, participants who perceive that a program or an idea meets a certain need will more likely be motivated to involve themselves. Head teachers may face a dilemma concerning their schools taking on change since this is related to whether majority agreement for the

Each participant needs to feel that they can influence the work. This does not imply that nothing can be planned and arranged for in advance, but each participant must have the ability to influence how to adapt the project in their school and in their classroom

Both management and staff need to prioritise working on the project. Participants need to see that management value the project by giving priority to activities in the project. Giving the project priority

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means giving something else less priority. Decisions on priority are an important task for head teachers and management in general

and maintainable processes at each school and each school district/municipality. Effects of measures will emerge from effort and commitment from staff and management. Thus, long term improvement can be gained. Slide 12 Multifaceted measures

Arranging for the work to be done is another important task. This implies organizing in a way that makes it possible for all staff to attend to discussions, reflections and meetings. It does not imply that everyone should attend every meeting, but when a group intends to meet every member should be able to attend. Timetables need to be arranged by management to ensure this.

Multifaceted measures for the same problem at the same time Multilevel measures for the same problem

Broad approach The effects of an intervention depend on the ability to implement several aspects of the same problem at different levels at the same time. The effects also depend on internal consistency among measures. Working on students show of hands before speaking in the classroom might be part of working on classroom management. This implies working with students, individual teachers, all teachers attending the class in question and parents. For example: Working at classroom level a. Students are introduced to the rule of showing hands and given the argument that everybody has to take turns. b. The teacher receives individual supervision on consistent response

Slide 11 Long-term effort

Long-term focus on school violence Self-regulating and ongoing processes

Looking back at the description of the kangaroo school jumping from one project to another, it is clear that the knowledge base in the different projects scarcely affects the individual teacher at each school. Sustainable changes imply long-term work focusing on school violence and continuing work after a program, like VISTA, ends. Through lasting effort at organizational, classroom/group and individual level there is hope of noticeable change. Continuity and long-term effect imply that outside contributions generate self-regulating

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when children break the rule of showing hands. c. All teachers attending the class receive supervision on consistent response when children break the rule of showing hands. d. Parents are informed that the class works on taking turns and are involved after the children perform a selfevaluation at a randomly chosen lesson. Evaluation shows how the individual student experiences his own behaviour according to the rule and is signed by the student, the teacher and the parents. Working at school level Incorporating rules and regulations at a school a. Organizational level: Staff members develop shared goals and a shared value platform through discussion and reflection. This includes consistent rules and reaction to breaking the rules. b. Class level: In every class they decide upon rules in the classroom and consequences of breaking and following them. c. Individual level: The individual student commits themselves to rules at school and in the classroom through a written statement.

Internal consistency in measures is essential to the success of an intervention.

Activity 4 Individual reflection and discussion in pairs (20 minutes)


Purpose

To reflect on the content of this section and relate it to participants own context

Procedure a) Reflect individually on the following question: - Describe how you at your school/school district can initiate and arrange for a successful innovation at individual, team and organizational level. b) Present briefly your reflections to your neighbour.

Activity 5 Lecture Part 3: Resistance and barriers in innovations (40 minutes)


Slide 13 Implementation Implementation in order to realise the

Unless teachers enforce the rules at classroom and school level they will be of no value.

program in schools has proved to be a challenging process. The key to successful implementation is:

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Identify and overcome barriers

innovator might be met by resistance. Individuals in, or outside the school will not approve, work against change, sabotage or delay the process of changing valid practice. Thus, resistance can take place actively or in a more hidden, non-participatory way (Skogen, 2004). In the following, we will attend to a model of barriers that Morrison (2002) has contributed to: Psychological barriers In addition to Its never been done that way before, other psychological barriers include suspicion and fear of change, fear of guilt, need of approval and desire for power as well as fear of making a fool of oneself in front of peers. Thus, psychological barriers are a phenomenon in the human psyche that occur as resistance. Knowledge of these phenomena is vital when leading a change process. Creating a context of security is a key to success in change processes. Safety/security versus insecurity The feeling of fundamental security is important in peoples lives with regard to how they cope with change. Safety and security is fundamental to coping with change. The way you look at yourself and the development of your self-image are important aspects of security. The learning history of each person is decisive. Prior positive experiences of change and feedback from the surroundings will increase a persons safety, and it will be easier to cope with the insecurity and excitement in

Slide 14 Resistance and barriers

Four types of barriers in change processes in school Psychological barriers Practical barriers Value and power barriers

o o o

Implementing a new idea in a school often leads to resistance among staff and barriers in one way or another need to be coped with (Samuelsen, in press). In addition to time and effort, fear of change is one of the most important barriers to successful implementation. A number of barriers have been identified, here four types of barriers are presented: psychological barriers, practical barriers and value- and power barriers (Skogen, 2004). Knowledge about resistance and barriers is essential to successful implementation. Almost all organizations have mechanisms for selfpreservation, resistance against changes and for maintaining the existing organisation. All organizations develop their own way of functioning. Some of these rules and routines are founded in written documents and other means of action and rules are informal, unwritten and more unconscious. Nevertheless they guide people in the organisation and their behaviour. When changing the way of acting in a school the

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Cowie, H., Jennifer, D., Chankova, D., Poshtova, T., Deklerck, J., Deboutte, G., Ertesvg, S. K., Samuelsen, A. S., O'Moore, M., Minton, S. J., Ortega, R. & Sanchez, V. (2006)

new situations. On the other hand, prior experiences of failure might lead to insecurity. Changes activate internal resistance and fear. Resistance and fear of change will not always be tied to the matter of the change, but can be explained psychologically. Thus, lack of security can lead to a need for control and can look different if you see it within the management or with the employees (Skogen, 2004). Practical barriers Practical barriers have a more concrete character than psychological barriers. Examples in schools are: time, resources, unclear goals and systems. The time factor Time is an essential factor for working on change. It is easy to forget that change takes time. Unanticipated problems will always occur when planning and carrying out the changes. Change also depends on information, access to expertise and how much the change influences each participant. In leading a change process it is vital to arrange for people to have sufficient time to carry out their activities in the process. Furthermore, it is important for groups of staff to have sufficient time together to reflect and discuss when necessary. Creating an action plan will be of great help.

Resources In planning and carrying out an implementation, professional and economic resources have to be attended to. If the innovation causes a large-scale reorganization, the question of outside funding need to be addressed. In annual budgets there are usually resources for projects, but there have never been enough financial resources for working on improving practice. Professional resources are as important as financial ones. In other words, there is seldom a need for one or the other type of resources in itself, but a combination. Unclear goals People have different perceptual abilities and different points of reference. This can contribute to different understandings of the intentions or the goals of the innovations, which might be a challenge for getting the work done. System barriers The structure of the organizations can often be a barrier in meeting and solving new tasks and problems. As an example, in 2007 the Norwegian school system is going through a new reform change from classes of twentyeight pupils to basic groups of twelve to fifteen pupils attached to one teacher. The teachers are working in teams at each level. Some schools are now trying out the new organisation model. Some of the teachers and

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schools find the new organisation difficult and many of the teacher teams choose to still organise their groups in the same size as before. They do not have school buildings to accommodate this change nor do they have enough teachers at the school to give the pupils the same time with their contact teacher as they had before, even though one of the aims of the new system is that each pupil should have a closer social and academic relationship with their contact teacher. Changes in tasks might imply structural changes in the organisation. However, structural changes need to be founded in specific needs for improvement. At the same time you have to warn against a belief in the system, which implies that changing the system is the answer to all the organisational problems (Elmore, 1996).

authority are often used. Accordingly it is difficult to separate value- and power barriers. Power barriers It is important to understand positions of power in organizations and social systems, and speak out when the power is used in an unacceptable way. The problem is that people in positions of power have the means to manipulate the situation for their own personal gain. Power can be difficult to define and see. In organizations the leaders often have the most power. The level of power often depends on the relationship between people or groups, and the level of power between them. People in subordinate positions can identify power more easily because they are feeling it, than people in power. To build power as a leader of change is an

Value- and power barriers Value- and power barriers are connected, and are considered by many to be the most important barriers in working with change. These barriers are either negative or positive depending on their foundation in values. Accept this, working with change can be positive instead of negative. Value barriers To some people the values, norms, traditions and culture of an innovation will be familiar. To others, it will be the opposite to their own belief system. To defend values; power and

advantage because you more easily get attention for your ideas and goals and more easily get control of several parts of the decision-making process. To reach your goals and take care of values obtaining power is necessary. The negative part of being in power is getting criticism, acting responsibly and managing to take care of power in an ethical way. The people in power and the ones who seek power can represent barriers in an innovation, if their personal, professional or economic advantages are threatened or reduced as a result of the innovation (Skogen, 2004).

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Cowie, H., Jennifer, D., Chankova, D., Poshtova, T., Deklerck, J., Deboutte, G., Ertesvg, S. K., Samuelsen, A. S., O'Moore, M., Minton, S. J., Ortega, R. & Sanchez, V. (2006)

Slide 15 Dealing with Psychological Barriers.

Slide 16 Dealing with Practical Barriers

Dealing with insecurity of people and systems Mapping contextual conditions Individual consultation Information, information, information

Preventing practical barriers

o o o o
Time

Time Resources Ambiguous Goals System

o o o

It is particularly important in an innovation process to take care of individual feelings of security and insecurity. Reducing systemic- and individual psychological barriers through observation of time-, economic-, professional- and socialresources in the organisation is crucial. Mapping psychological barriers at system level can reduce psychological barriers at individual level. Resources Information from staff members related to their experience of insecurity will help deal with the insecurity. Individual consultation might be necessary to reduce staff members level of insecurity. It is important to give individuals a sense of security through information. You can hardly provide too much information. Hence, information about what will happen and the consequences both at organizational and individual level is of importance (Skogen, 2004). An analysis of the organizations qualifications, and the organizations lack of professional qualifications to carry out the innovation, is also an important step in planning an innovation (Gap Analysis). The question of financial resources has to be solved. Which tasks can be solved within the ordinary budget and which tasks need outside founding has to be decided. It is important when planning innovations to be generous with the time resources. Warn the participants in the innovation that unexpected problems always arise during this type of work. It is not possible to foresee these kinds of problems when planning the innovation. Preventing resistance that can influence the time resource and other similar types of barriers is vital.

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Cowie, H., Jennifer, D., Chankova, D., Poshtova, T., Deklerck, J., Deboutte, G., Ertesvg, S. K., Samuelsen, A. S., O'Moore, M., Minton, S. J., Ortega, R. & Sanchez, V. (2006)

Ambiguous Goals Working on developing a common understanding of the innovations measures from the beginning is important in all projects. This is primarily a responsibility for the management, but the rest of the staff members will also be responsible. This work is tied to the planning and the communication of a vision (Kotter & Cohen, 2002). System Changes in responsibilities can include changes in the structure of the organisation. It is important to analyse realistically if changes in the structure of the organisation are founded in specific improvements. Take care of system-optimism (Skogen, 2004). Slide 17 Dealing with Value and Power Barriers

psychological barriers are important and can reduce value barriers. Power barriers Alliance with management is vital in implementing a whole school program or idea. To escape power against you, will be of value in carrying out an innovation. This can slow or break down the innovation process. Strategies to use in this work for the innovator are: information, communication, cooperation and openness (Skogen, 2004). Slide 18 Resistance and barriers Resistance and barriers are complex and relative phenomena. Time, knowledge, economics and the systems ability to deal with change are important to successful innovation. Previous positive or negative experiences of innovations are important to an innovator. Initial difficulties and the organizations tiredness with innovations are important aspects of resistance and barriers in schools. To be aware of, and prepared for the type of resistance and barriers one can meet in initiation and implementation of a whole school approach to school violence, will be of great help to a successful outcome.

Preventing the influence of power and value barriers on the change process Preventing psychological barriers Alliance with management Information, communication, cooperation and openness

o o o

Value barriers To prevent value barriers interfering with, or influencing, an innovation project is almost impossible. The proposed measures to prevent

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Cowie, H., Jennifer, D., Chankova, D., Poshtova, T., Deklerck, J., Deboutte, G., Ertesvg, S. K., Samuelsen, A. S., O'Moore, M., Minton, S. J., Ortega, R. & Sanchez, V. (2006)

Activity 6 Individual reflection and group discussions (125 minutes)


Purpose

Reflection on the content of the lecture and preparing each participant for the change processes they will lead in their own school/school district

Individual reflection (30 minutes) Review the section above and try to transpose the examples of learning into the context of your own school/school district. Write your answer (key words) to the following questions: - What kind of psychological, practical, value and/or power barriers might occur in your school/school district in initiating and implementating a change process? - Start the initiation process at your own school/school district by attending to the action plan below. How will you carry out the measure of informing the staff at your school or in your school district to motivate them to participate in the initiation and implementation of a whole school approach to school violence (considering the barriers you expect to meet)? Example

Goal Initiating the innovation

Measure

Date (within)

Target group All staff (organizational level)

Responsible Participant(s) at the VISTAcourse

Comment Involve the head teacher

Inform all staff of the January aim of the VISTA course and a possible whole school innovation 10th

Starting the initiation process

Discussion between VISTA-course participant (s) to elaborate a whole

January

Management (organizational and individual level)

Participant(s) at the VISTAcourse and the headteacher.

To anchor the innovation at management level

the head teacher and 14th

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Cowie, H., Jennifer, D., Chankova, D., Poshtova, T., Deklerck, J., Deboutte, G., Ertesvg, S. K., Samuelsen, A. S., O'Moore, M., Minton, S. J., Ortega, R. & Sanchez, V. (2006)

school innovation. Establish a group responsible for the change process at school Reduction of psychological barriers in the individual teacher Reduction of psychological barriers in the individual teacher Etc Mapping time, economic professional and social resources at school Individual discussion/ counselling with individual teachers End of February Individual teachers (individual level) Participant(s) at the VISTAcourse and/ or management February 15th All staff (organizational and individual level) Participant(s) at the VISTAcourse Information to all staff members based on the mapping is the next step

Group discussion (60 minutes) In groups of 5-6, discuss key challenges of implementing a whole school approach to school violence. Each participant presents to the group the anticipated key challenges of implementation at school/district level and how he/she will meet these challenges. The group decides on one of the participants challenges that will be further discussed. In turn, the other group members ask questions to help reflect about the actions he/she plans to take. Group members provide one alternative action each. One of the group members writes the suggestions on a flipchart. The participants who presented their challenges/actions explain and justify what he/she wishes to do after listening to all of the suggestions. The group decides on how to present key elements of their discussion to members of other groups. Group presentation (35 minutes) Re-group into new groups of 5-6 members containing one member of each the previous groups. Each participant presents key elements of the first group discussions to the new group. Thus, all participants get an insight into all group discussions that can provide new ideas to their own work.

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References
Cuban, L. (1999). How schools change reforms: Redefining reform success and failure. Teachers College Record, 99, 453-477. Dusenbury, L., Falco, M., Lake, A., Brannigan, R., & Bosworth, K. (1997). Nine critical elements of promising violence prevention programs. Journal of School Health,67(10),409-413. Dodge, K. A. & Schwartz, D. (1997). Social information processing mechanisms in aggressive behavior. In D. M. Stoff, J. Breiling, & J. D. Maser (Eds.), Handbook of antisocial behaviour (pp. 171-180). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons. Elmore, F. E. (1996). Restructuring in the classroom. Teaching, learning and school organizations. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Fink, E., & Resnick, L. (2001). Developing principles as instructional leaders. Phi Delta Kappa, April, 82, 598-606. Fullan, M. (2001). The new meaning of educational change. New York: Teacher College Press. Greenberg, M. T., Domitrovich, C. E., Graczyk, P., & Zins, J. (2001). A conceptual model of implementation for school-based prevention interventions: Implications for research, practices and policy. (Manuscript submitted for

publication) Hawkins, J. D., Catalano, R. F., & Miller, J. Y (1992). Risk and protective factors for alcohol and other drug problems in adolescence and early adulthood: Implications for substance abuse prevention. Psychological Bulletin, 112, 64-105. Hargreaves, A. (2001). A capital theory of school effectiveness and improvement. British Educational Research Journal, 27, 487-503. Hopkins, D., & Reynolds, D. (2001). The past, present and future of school improvement: Towards the third age. British Educational Research Journal, 27, 459-475. Irgens, E. (2004). Den dynamiske organisasjon: Ledelse og utvikling i et arbeidsliv i forandring. Oslo: Abstrakt forlag. Kim, D. H. (1993). The link between individual and organizational learning. Sloan Management Review, Fall, 37-50. Kotter, J. P., & Cohen, D. S. (2002). The heart of change. Boston: Harvard Business School Press. KUF. (2000). Rapport 2000. Vurdering av program og tiltak for redusere problematferd og utvikle sosial kompetanse. Innstilling fra faggruppe oppnevnt av Kirke-, utdannings- og forskningsdepartementet og Barne- og familiedepartementet, juni 2000.

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Cowie, H., Jennifer, D., Chankova, D., Poshtova, T., Deklerck, J., Deboutte, G., Ertesvg, S. K., Samuelsen, A. S., O'Moore, M., Minton, S. J., Ortega, R. & Sanchez, V. (2006)

Midthassel, U. V., & Ertesvg, S. K. (2006). Schools Implementing Zero. The process of implementing an anti-bullying program in six Norwegian compulsory schools. (Manuscript submitted for publication) Morrison, K. (2002). School leadership and complexity theory. London: RoutledgeFalmer. Munthe, E., & Midthassel, U. V. (2002). Peer learning groups for teachers. A Norwegian innovation.New Zealand Annual Review of Education, 11, 303-316. Radford, J. (2000). Values into practice: Developing whole school behaviour policies. Support for Learning, 15(2), 86-89. Reynolds, D., Teddlie, C., Hopkins, D., & Stringfield, S. (2000). Linking school effectiveness and school improvement. In C. Teddlie & D. Reynolds (Eds.), The international handbook of school effectiveness research (pp. 206-231). London: Falmer Press. Samuelsen, A. S. (2003). Lring i skolenettverk. En studie av lringsutbyttet i en skolebasert nettverksmodell. Statped skriftserie nr. 10. Samuelsen, A. S. (2006). Lrende skoler et svar p fremtidens utfordringer i skolen? Spesialpedagogikk, 3, 4-11. Samuelsen, A. S. (in press). Strategisk kompetanseutvikling i lrende organisasjoner.

In Vi hadde prvd alt- refleksjon og samhandling om spesialpedagogiske problemstillinger.[We tried everything Reflection and coordinated actions regarding challenges in special education.] Stateped skriftserie. Skogen, K. (2004). Innovasjon i skolen. Kvalitetsutvikling og kompetanseheving. Oslo: Universitetsforlaget AS. Srlie, M-A. (2000). Alvorlige atferdsproblemer og lovende tiltak i skolen. En forskningsbasert kunnskapsstatus. Oslo: Praxis Forlag. Tiller, T. (1990). Kenguruskolen: det store spranget: vurdering basert p tillit. Oslo: Gyldendal. Wassermann, G. A., & Miller, L. S. (1997). The prevention of serious violent juvenile offending. In R. Loeber & D. P. Farrington (Eds.), Serious and violent offenders (pp. 197247). Thousand Oaks: Sage.

Further reading and additional materials


Books and articles Cowie, H., Boardman, C., Dawkins, J., & Jennifer, D. (2004). Emotional health and wellbeing: A practical guide for schools. London: Sage.

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Cowie, H., Jennifer, D., Chankova, D., Poshtova, T., Deklerck, J., Deboutte, G., Ertesvg, S. K., Samuelsen, A. S., O'Moore, M., Minton, S. J., Ortega, R. & Sanchez, V. (2006)

Fullan, M. (2001). The new meaning of educational change. New York: Teacher College Press. Potter, D., Reynolds, D., & Chapman, C. (2002). School improvement for schools facing challenging circumstances: A review and practice. School Leadership & Management, 22, 243-256. Hopkins, D., Harris, A., & Jackson, D. (1997). Understanding the schools capacity for development: Growth states and strategies. School Leadership & Management, 17, 401412. Kilpatrick, S., Bell. R., & Falk, I. (1999). The role of group learning in building social capital. Journal of Education and Training, 51, 129144. Munthe, E. & Midthassel, U. V. (2002). Peer learning groups for teachers. A Norwegian innovation. New Zealand Annual Review of Education, 11, 303-316. Samuelsen, A. S. (2002). Strategisk kompetanseutvikling i kommune og skole. Spesialpedagogikk, 1, 3-9. Swafford, J. (1998). Teachers supporting teachers through peer coaching. Support for Learning, 13(2), 54-58. Websites Jianhua, Z., & Akahori,K. (n. d.). Web Based

Collaborative Learning Methods and Strategies in Higher Education. http://www.eecs.kumamotou.ac.jp/ITHET01/proc/139.pdf Parada, R. H., Marsh, H. W., & Craven, R. (2003). The Beyond Bullying program: An innovative program empowering teachers to counteract bullying in schools. Paper presented at NZARE AARE, Auckland, New Zealand, November. http://www.aare.edu.au/03pap/par03784.pdf Walsh, A. (2000). Teachers and change. http://www.flexiblelearning.net.au/nw2000/tal kback/p114.htm Proposed Implementation Scheme for Projects http://www.conectando.org.sv/English/Strateg y/Implementation.htm Evaluation studies of implementation processes Midthassel, U. V. (2004). Teacher involvement in school development activity and its relationships to attitudes and subjective norms among teachers: A study of Norwegian Elementary and Junior High school teachers. Educational Administration Quarterly, 40, 435456. Midthassel, U., Bru, E., et al. (2000). The principal's role in promoting school development activity in Norwegian compulsory

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Cowie, H., Jennifer, D., Chankova, D., Poshtova, T., Deklerck, J., Deboutte, G., Ertesvg, S. K., Samuelsen, A. S., O'Moore, M., Minton, S. J., Ortega, R. & Sanchez, V. (2006)

schools. School Leadership and Management, 20(2), 147-160. Midthassel, U. V., & Bru, E. (2001). Predictors and gains of teacher involvement in an improvement project on classroom management, Experiences from a Norwegian project in two compulsory schools. Educational Psychology, 21, 229-242. Midthassel, U. V., & Ertesvg, S. K. (2006). Schools implementing Zero. The process of implementing an anti-bullying program in six Norwegian compulsory schools. Samuelsen, A. S. (2003). Lring i skolenettverk. En studie av lringsutbyttet i en skolebasert nettverksmodell. Statped skriftserie nr. 10.

community all have a key role in the development of a school ethos of nonviolence and respect

To be aware of the means by which violent behaviour in schools can be prevented by the development of a positive school ethos

To be deeply aware of and to be able to articulate the characteristics of Linkedness, and to be able to use this concept in appraising school realities and in making proposals to improve school practice

To be able to use the Linkedness prevention pyramid in testing the existing approach towards disrespectful behaviour

To be familiar with the skills involved


in planning, conducting, integrating and evaluating work with different demographic groups in school communities

Creating a Positive School Ethos of Non-Violence and Respect through Linkedness Objectives of Chapter 2.3

To be aware of the fact that as disrespectful behaviour is situated within a broader context (related to personal factors, relationships and social-cultural context), school management staff, classroom staff, parents, students and the wider school

Facilitation skills to be developed through this Chapter


Knowledge and understanding of:

the VISTA whole school approach how pupils relate to one another the range of underlying causes of challenging, aggressive and anti-social behaviour

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how to design improvement plans for individual pupils, groups and the school as a whole

Managing time effectively and well organised

the operation of school systems the importance of creating a supportive and caring school community

Pre-chapter reading
Deboutte, G. (2004). Verbondenheid: een ander en preventief antwoord op respectloos gedrag. Hoe toewerken naar een positief klasen schoolklimaat? In Handboek Leerlingenbegeleiding Twee (pp. 57-77), Alflering 5, June 2004. Mechelen, Uitgeverij. Wolters Plantyn. Deklerck, J., & Depuydt, A. (1998). An ethical and social interpretation of crime through the concepts of linkedness and integrationdisintegration. In L. Walgrave (Ed.), Applications to restorative justice: Restorative justice for juveniles. Potentialities, risks and problems (p.137-156). Leuven: Leuven University Press. Deklerck, J., Depuydt, A., & Deboutte, G. (2003). The Linkedness Project. In L. GraveResendes (Ed.), Conferencia Internacional Prevenao da Violencia na Escola, Centro de Estudos de Pedagogia e Avaliaao (p. 321325). Universidade Aberta, Lisboa.

current thinking in the area of the promotion of non-violence modelling effective promotion of nonviolence interventions, systems and management approaches

Personal qualities and attributes include:

having an appropriate, pupil-centred set of beliefs and values which informs their decisions and actions

being able to influence the ethos in a place of work and effect and sustain change there

being an effective communicator being an effective trainer of and adviser to staff, governors, parents, carers and pupils

being a strategic thinker having a good understanding of and models effective behaviour management strategies

line managing, motivating and supporting staff teams through empathy and understanding

Co-ordinating a range of interventions to promote non-violence to support pupils

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Summary of current thinking and knowledge about creating a positive school ethos of nonviolence and respect through Linkedness
Article 19 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989) makes it clear that children have a fundamental right to feel safe in school. Within the last seven years, violence in schools has been a key issue of concern for the World Health Organization (WHO), the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD), and the European Union (EU) and European Commission (EC). All of these organisations have funded and otherwise promoted research into violence in schools; all have issued recommendations for further such actions to be taken, often as a matter of urgency (Munthe, Solli, Ytre-Arne, & Roland, 2005; WHO, 2002). The forty-ninth World Health Assembly (1996) declared violence to be a leading worldwide public health problem (WHO, 2002). The WHO (2002) found that violence is among the leading causes of death worldwide for people aged 15 to 44 years; its Director General, Gro Harlem Brundtland, opines that violence pervades the lives of many people around the world, and touches all of us in some way (WHO, 2002, p. xi). In its survey of thirty-five countries, the WHO found that there were only

35 per cent of 11- to 15-year-olds who were not involved in fighting, bullying and violence (WHO, 2002). In its World Report on Violence and Health, the WHO (2002, p. 247-254) makes a set of recommendations for action for the range of sectors and stakeholders. Guided by the WHO framework, OMoore (2005, pp. 38-48) made a nine-point framework (geared more specifically to school violence) in a keynote address invited by the OECD at their Taking Fear Out of Schools conference in Stavanger, Norway, in September 2004. These points were: (i) draw up, implement and monitor a national plan of action to prevent school bullying and violence; (ii) enhance the capacity to collect data on school bullying and violence; (iii) define priorities for, and support research on, the causes, consequences, costs and prevention of school bullying and violence; (iv) develop a national strategy to assist schools to prevent and reduce school bullying and violence; (v) promote a media campaign to promote nonviolent values, attitudes and behaviour; (vi) integrate school bullying and violence prevention into teacher education at both preservice and in-service levels; (vii) to establish an advisory body for partners in education; (viii) contribute to an international research network; and (ix) promote legislation to deal effectively with school bullying and violence. It is hoped that the current Chapter will be of service in the pursuit of a number of these goals.

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It is important to reflect upon the fact that in its World Report on Violence and Health, the WHOs (2002) recommendations for actions stressed strongly that upstream investments bring good downstream results. Critically, the WHO noted that there is a tendency worldwide for authorities to act only after cases of highly visible violence occur, and then to invest resources for a short time on programmes for small, easily identified groups of people.primary prevention approaches [which are advocated] operate on the basis that even small investments may have large and long-lasting benefits (p. 243). The WHO Report (2002, p. ix) also recalled no less a figure than Nelson Mandela stating that whilst .the twentieth century will be remembered as a century marked by violence, that .violence can be prevented. Violent cultures can be turned round.Governments, communities and individuals can make a difference. As we .owe our children the most vulnerable citizens in society a life free from violence and fear.We must address the roots of violence. Only then will we transform the past centurys legacy from a crushing burden into a cautionary lesson (WHO, 2002, p. ix). Hence, as educators, we can only ask ourselves, what better place to address the roots of violence than in our schools? In this Chapter, participants are introduced to (through Resource 1) and made thoroughly aware of (through Activity 1) the working methods of Verbondenheid (Linkedness), as a means by which a positive school ethos of non-violence and respect can be created.

Responsibilities of the Chapter facilitators


Your tasks within this Chapter are to:

send to all participants information about when and where the session will be held and details of preparatory reading to be done

familiarise yourself with the Chapter text and the facilitators notes plan the session to meet the needs of the participants ensure that all relevant resources/materials are copied and/or prepared

lead the session and all the activities

Sequence of activities for Chapter 2.3


Resource 1 The fundamentals of Linkedness provides an overview of the fundamentals of the concept of Linkedness, and its practical applications within the school context. Activity 1 is a five-stage (referred to as five building blocks) exercise which allows the facilitator to work in a practical way to change the development of a school in a positive direction with the Linkedness concept. This Chapter can be facilitated either as a half-day or as a one-day training.

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Cowie, H., Jennifer, D., Chankova, D., Poshtova, T., Deklerck, J., Deboutte, G., Ertesvg, S. K., Samuelsen, A. S., O'Moore, M., Minton, S. J., Ortega, R. & Sanchez, V. (2006)

Activity 1 Working with Linkedness (150-300 minutes)


Purpose

This is a five-stage (referred to as five building blocks) activity which allows the facilitator to work in a practical way to change the development of a school in a positive direction with the Linkedness concept

Materials Resource 1 The fundamentals of Linkedness Resource 2 The Prevention Pyramid Text bundles with attachments and worksheets Flipcharts/board/slides Space that allows working in small groups (see below, Procedure section, for details).
1 1

Name cards (also required for group assignment)

We suggest that the facilitator should make up small brochures, in which the participants will find an overview of the

content of this part of the training, the information summary, the worksheets (activities) and Resources 1 and 2.

Procedure It must be ensured that all mentioned building blocks are given an in-depth chance. The session is aimed at a maximum of 25 participants (max. five groups of five people).

First building block: Exchange of practical stories (Non-Respectful Behaviour at School) After welcoming participants (each one will receive a name card with details of position and school/work location) they will be asked to answer the following questions: (i) Find examples of disrespectful behaviour in your own school history: - (ii) And find examples of respectful behavior? What do you remember and why?

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- Together with the participants, the facilitator will examine the (lack of) quality of life in the given examples. The facilitator will illustrate the importance of the strength of the five life dimensions.

Second building block: re-link-ing de-linq-uency (i) The facilitator explains the vision of Linkedness (see Resource 1 The fundamentals of Linkedness, Figure 1). (ii) The participants examine in small groups (colour of name cards will determine group assignment) the five life dimensions in their schools. (iii) Where and how do you recognise the quality of Linkedness in your school? (Use table immediately below). (iv) The session facilitator will sum up on a board/slide/flipchart.

The bond with

Concerning the pupils

Concerning the teacher (participants)

Oneself

(capacities, feelings and emotions of the child)

(capacities, feelings and emotions of the educator)

The other

(the parents, peers, teachers)

(colleagues, head teacher, parents, personal relationships)

The materials

(material context at school, home, )

(The materials in your class and school, the building, neighborhood )

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Group, society, culture

(cultural and social network of the pupil, background)

(teachers background, history, culture, )

Life environment, ecological context, life as a whole

What is really important for the pupil?

What is important for the teacher? What is the teachers aim?

Third building block: prevention, a fundamental approach (i) The facilitator explains the link with the global pedagogical and structural framework. This concerns the way in which the school team and the school administration communicate, school management, the infrastructure, and primarily also the pedagogical and didactic methods. Formulated positively, linkedness means a framework for experiential value education. Thus our project is very closely intertwined with the Centre for Experiential Education, (www.cego.be) which is responsible for a broad movement of pedagogical renewal in Belgium and in various other European countries. Central here is a pedagogy that starts from and is driven by the experiential world of the child. Its point of departure is a conviction regarding the urge to learn that is inherent in the child and the person. Children want to learn and a school must offer the right stimulation and tension that is closely connected to the learning needs. Linkedness departs from the idea that children are able to ethically flourish if they are given the chance to reflect upon deeply human experiences that present themselves in everyday life. (ii) The facilitator presents the Apple Tree diagram (Resource 1 The fundamentals of Linkedness, Figure 2) to the participants. (iii) Participants discuss in small groups how the roots of the Apple Tree can be fed starting from the experiential world of the child. They search for good practices of how those links can be fed: - the link with oneself; - the link with the other; - the link with the material; - the link with the group, culture and society; and, - the link with the life as a whole. In plenum (to the full group) they illustrate how those examples strengthen the quality of

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the personal life of the pupil/teacher and the school culture as a whole. (iv) The facilitator summarizes, as previously.

Fourth building block: establishing processes of change is based upon process oriented working (S.P.W. methodology) (i) The facilitator explains the activity principle and opens the discussion with the following question: How do teachers themselves take the initiative regarding the implementation? (ii) The following points should be discussed: - What baggage needs to be cleared away beforehand? - Which barriers (lack of motivation, resistance, shortcomings in the infrastructure and in the school management, etc.) need to be taken away? (iii) The facilitator emphasises the importance of open communication and participation in the school culture.

Fifth building block: the prevention pyramid, framework for a whole school approach (i) The facilitator presents the prevention pyramid diagram (see Resource 1 The fundamentals of Linkedness and Figure 3) to the group participants.

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Figure 1. The Prevention Pyramid (Deklerck, Depuydt, & Deboutte, 2001) (ii) Using Resource 2 The Prevention Pyramid, each small group is asked to place a total of at least five initiatives, proposals or measures within the prevention pyramid. This exercise illustrates at what level one wants to develop action, where the need is situated (and where it is experienced as less important). (iii) After each small group has accomplished the task, there is another exchange moment. The facilitator checks if all the various initiatives were placed correctly. Where necessary

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s/he will bring improvements. The large group is asked to formulate a few conclusions afterwards. These may involve the usability of the supplied framework and the results of the entire interpretation exercise. Debriefing: The facilitator lastly provides a slide that gives a place to all intervention models that form part of the VISTA project (see Figure 1 above). He or she then elucidates the how and why of the assigned positions within the prevention pyramid.

References
University of Stavanger: Centre for Deklerck, J., Depuydt, A., & Deboutte, G. (2001). 'Verbondenheid' als antwoord op 'de-link-wentie'? Preventie op een nieuw spoor. Leuven/Leusden: Uitg, Acco. Depuydt, A., & Deklerck, J. (2005). Religare als antwoord op delinquentie. Een aanzet tot een ethische, contextuele en ecologische criminology. KULeuven. Munthe, E., Solli, E., Ytre-Arne, E., & Roland, E. (Eds.) (2005). Preface to A report from the conference Taking Fear Out of Schools (pp. 35). University of Stavanger: Centre for Behavioural Research. O Moore, A. M. (2005). A guiding framework for policy approaches to school bullying and violence. In E. Munthe, E. Solli, E. Ytre-Arne, & E. Roland (Eds.), A report from the conference Taking Fear Out of Schools (pp. 38-51). Books and Articles Belova, N. (2000). Violence in school. Social Education, 5, 15-19. (In Bulgarian). Bey, T. M., & Turner, G.Y. (1996). Making school a place of peace. London: Sage Behavioural Research. UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989). Available directly on the world-wide web: hhtp://www.cirp.org/library/ethics/UNconvention World Health Organization. (2002). World report on violence and health. Geneva: Author.

Further reading and additional materials

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Publications. Dalin, P. (1993). Changing the school culture. London: Cassell. Damsgrd, H. L. (2003). Med pne yne. Observasjon og tiltak i skolens arbeid med problematferd. Oslo: Cappelen Akademiske Forlag.

by peers. Sofia: Paradigma. (In Bulgarian). McLean, A. (2003). The motivational school. London: Paul Chapman Publishing. Midthassel, U. V. (2003). Kollegaveiledning er det verd bruke tid p? Norsk Pedagogisk Tidsskrift, 3/4, 168-174. OMoore, A. M., & Minton, S. J. (2004).

Deal, T. E. (1999). Shaping school culture: The heart of leadership. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Derrington, C. (2004). A team approach to behavioural management. London: Paul Chapman Publishing. Drifte, C. (2004). Encouraging positive behaviour in the early years: A practical guide. London: Paul Chapman Publishing. Furlong, C., & Monaghan, L. (Eds.) (2000). School ethos: Cracking the code. Dublin: Marino Institute of Education. Gleeson, D., & Husbands, C. (Eds.). (2001). The performing school: Managing, teaching and learning in a performance culture. London: RoutledgeFalmer. Jensen, S. E., & Strksen, S. (2001). Refleksjon som metode i systemisk endringsarbeid, Skolepsykologi, 4, 11-21. Kalchev, P. (2003). Bullying and victimisation

Dealing with bullying in schools: A training manual for teachers, parents and other professionals. London: Paul Chapman Publishing. Peterson, K. D. (2002). The shaping school culture fieldbook. San Francisco, CA: JosseyBass. Prosser, J. (Ed) (1999). School culture. London: Paul Chapman Publishing. Watkins, C., & Wagner, P. (2000). Improving school behaviour. London: Paul Chapman Publishing. Websites www.cego.be www.citizenship-bg.org/en/programme.html www.dfes.gov.uk/bullying www.linkedness.be www.sacp.government.bg/index_en.htm

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www.stick2gether.com www.teachernet.gov.uk www.ukobservatory.com

An ecological approach to the problem of non-respectful behaviour at school takes into account the following five dimensions of the environment (see Figure 1 below): (i) the personal level (of perpetrator, victim,

www.verbondenheid.be

outsiders, adult players): own predisposition and growth process, self-image, knowledge, skills and attitudes, and interpretation of personal needs; (ii) the interaction level (me-you): quality of direct relationship with others (significant for recovery, and in help in preventative work); (iii) the material level: quality of the learning, working and living environment; taking care, and being responsible; (iv) the broad social environment: belonging to a family, group, social and cultural influencing; the experienced school culture with its ethos, the link between school and immediate school environment; (v) the natural living environment: how it contributes to health, experiencing meaning, and so on. Having said all of this, linkedness itself will be elucidated further within this resource by making reference to four key concepts: (a) the Five Circles diagram; (b) the Apple Tree diagram; (c) the Prevention Pyramid; and, (d) the SPW methodology.

Resource packs Resource 1 The Fundamentals of Linkedness


Non-respectful behaviour at school does not happen out of the blue; rather, studies show that it involves complex issues. Problematic behaviour arises from complex interaction between various factors (in other words, multicausal problems). In broad terms, it can be argued that it involves the interaction between person-related factors (both endogenous and exogenous) on the one hand, and contextrelated factors on the other. Hence, there is a need for a wider, all in approach and, by utilising an ecological approach, a more effectively complete picture of the problem is presented. It is logical that here only a multidisciplinary approach can be opted for: psychologists, educators, sociologists, criminologists, etc., complement each others analyses, and are able to seek solutions in consultation, which remain geared to concrete reality.

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A - The Five Circles diagram

Figure 1. The Five Circles The starting point for the research and practice of fundamental crime prevention is the conclusion of the research of Anouk Depuydt (Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium): namely, that de-linq-uency always has to do with the lack of a link, and consequently that re-link-ing is the logical answer (Depuydt & Deklerck, 2005). Linkedness thereby focusses on developing, strengthening and redressing of links with those five dimensions of the environment. The ethical and societal contextualisation of crime in general, and problematic behaviour in schools, have been central areas of focus. In researching the first of these, it was possible to conclude that 'delinquency' in general is always the expression of the lack of a link between the offender and (one or more dimensions of) the victimized environment. It is possible to speak of both symptomatic and fundamental approaches to problems. Tackling non-respectful behaviour treats symptoms (that sometimes have very deep roots) that can sometimes be of a broad societal and structural nature. Children that exhibit problematic behaviour are, from this perspective, bearers of symptoms of what is happening at their home, in their environment and in the broader society. This can be approached diagrammatically via the apple tree model (Figure 2), in which the concept of Linkedness ascends from the roots the fundamental and structural level. Our intention is to ensure fundamental changes via the Hence,re-linking, which is also the central aim of mediation, is the central issue of this concept.

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methods used that lead to a gradual change in the total school culture proceeding from the entire school team. Within this preventative

approach space is created, if required, for specific approaches to the problem.

B - The Apple Tree model

Figure 2. The apple tree Linkedness is thus a broad, fundamental approach, and includes a broad combination of initiatives, actions and measures (formal and informal), which together lead to a quality school context. To this end, attention is paid to task orientation and well-being. On the one hand, many components are manipulated at the same time (c.f. the ecological framework), and on the other, in-depth work is performed (high involvement and strong

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well-being). Thereby, one is simultaneously kept aware of the quality of the current process at the personal level (i.e., personal growth and development) and at the school community/group level (i.e., high levels of general well-being and an intensive learning process). If this is the case, all participants experience the school environment as safe, sound and pleasant. In other words, working, learning and living together is experienced with a high degree of satisfaction. There is an excellent atmosphere and there are few or no difficulties as regards interaction. If problems do arise, they remain limited and manageable. C - The Prevention Pyramid (Depuydt & Deklerck, 2005) Schools that wish to apply or maintain such a policy can make use of Johan Deklerck and colleagues (Deklerk, Depuydt, & Deboutte, 2001) prevention pyramid. This preventative model provides something to hold on to in the development of a formal structure and a school-wide policy. At the same time the model keeps an eye on the target towards

which each prevention policy aims to work: that is to say, the maintenance or safeguarding of quality of life. This shows four things: (i) that whole policy consists of the combining and gearing to each other of curative, preventive and social climatepromoting measures (and-and instead of oror); (ii) that the improvement of the context (school culture and school climate) provides an ideal basis for curative and preventive initiatives; (iii) that one may not bypass the need for person-oriented and structural measures; and, (iv) that the formal and informal levels complement each other significantly. It has to be self-evident that the whole approach to non-respectful behaviour at school is initially based on cooperation with the entire school team. Other partners (inside and outside the school) can then become involved.

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Figure 3. The prevention pyramid (Deklerck et al., 2001). In this prevention framework, a distinction is made between four levels at which schools can take measures or initiatives to tackle issues of disrespectful interaction (bullying, violence, vandalism, etc.). In short, it involves: (i) measures or initiatives that have a positive influence on the living climate within the school (level 1); (ii) general prevention measures (level 2); (iii) specific prevention measures (level 3); and, (iv) curative or remedying measures (level 4). Level 0 refers to social conditions that contribute to determining school operation. It involves policy measures, influencing trends and factors from social, cultural, political and ecological contexts. Level 1 - Fundamental prevention: measures that promote the living climate: All measures Level 2 - General prevention: Here, the emphasis is on what contributes to the strengthening of social competencies, special care, being able-bodied, capacity and problem-solving ability of children, teachers and parents. Structural measures such as better developed care structure also belong to this level. Typical to all measures at this level is that something constructive is happening. The focus is not on the problems but all that contributes to preventing these problems. that directly contribute to the living quality within the school belong to this level. These measures ensure that students, teachers and parents experience the school as a pleasant living, working and meeting place. The focus here is obviously not problem-oriented. This involves the creation and maintenance of a good basic climate.

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Level 3 - Specific prevention: Here, the school opts for the approach of clearly described problems such as bullying behaviour at school, depression among children, dealing with divorce, ADHD, dyslexia, highly gifted children, etc. The emphasis is on prevention every time. One either wants to avoid the problem occurring, or one wants to prevent it from happening again. What is important is safeguarding well-being. That is why teachers, students and parents will be suitably informed and made aware. Or else efforts are made that remove causes or risks. Certain initiatives are rather aimed at target groups among which the risk for problems is estimated to be higher. Level 4 - Curative or remedying measures: When a problem comes up within the school that affects well-being, the school team is sure to take action. Someone intervenes by immediately offering assistance; boundaries are set, and support is initiated. In order to avoid the case that the problem escalates or recurs, measures are preferably chosen that limit or repair the damage and also have a preventive value. A supporting measure should not be experienced as patronising by the student or parent receiving help; likewise, a sanction only makes sense if they are a solid foundation for better interaction. Each Level - Person-oriented and structural initiatives: Whoever wants to do something about the quality of life within the school will at the same time have to take two kinds of initiatives, namely (i) changing or supporting

people, and (ii) changing or supporting structures. That is why measures are required aimed at the knowledge, attitudes and skills of students, teachers and parents. Hanging up posters, setting up an exhibition, organising a discussion evening, genuinely and openly thanking people for their contribution, conducting performance interviews etc. are all part of this. On the other hand, structural measures should not be omitted. They express the individuality of school policy and typify school culture. Editing a school newspaper, weekly briefing of the school team, organised consultation with parents and students, redesigned playground, monthly breakfasts (with an information component) for parents of newcomers, homework support set up together with college students, etc., are initiatives of a structural nature. D - The SPW Methodology Finally, establishing the processes of change is based upon what is known as the S.P.W. methodology (School-team Based ProcessOriented Working). This means a gradual process of change towards a different school culture, working together with the entire school team. Thus, in addition to the inventory of problems, positive goals are formulated that simultaneously (i) are capable of being really implemented, and (ii) remain anchored in the school. With the activity principle as the point of departure, the teachers themselves take the initiative regarding its preparation and implementation. Previous research with the Linkedness project

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in Flanders has taught the authors that sometimes much baggage needs to be cleared away beforehand. This can include (but is not necessarily limited to) conflicts between students, conflict between members of the school team, and shortcomings in the

infrastructure and in the school management. Tackling these issues can also be approached through the implementation of Linkedness.

Resource 2 The Prevention Pyramid

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Working with Parents Objectives of Chapter 2.4

To understand and appreciate the key role that parents have in the application of the whole school approach in addressing school violence

Facilitation skills to be developed through this Chapter


Knowledge and understanding of:

the VISTA whole school approach the range of underlying causes of challenging, aggressive and anti-social behaviour

To be familiar with the skills involved in planning and conducting work with parents in school communities

the importance of creating a supportive and caring school community

To consider strategies for engaging parents in activities that will support them in taking their part in the promotion of non-violence and the reduction of violence

how to include parents/carers in decisions about their child up-to-date knowledge of current thinking in the area of the promotion of non-violence

To be able to motivate and support parents in developing an understanding of the central role that parents themselves and young people play in countering and preventing violent and bullying behaviour in schools

effective promotion of non-violence interventions, systems and management approaches

Personal qualities and attributes include:

To enable parents themselves to work productively at home with their children/teenagers in promoting antiviolence/pro-social attitudes

being an effective communicator being an effective trainer of and adviser to staff, governors, parents, carers and pupils

To consider, and to facilitate, parental


and school collaboration against violent and bullying behaviour amongst young people in school communities

being a strategic thinker having empathy for and providing specialist support to parents and carers

managing time effectively and being well organised being an effective communicator

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being able to facilitate and value parents opinions about their childrens/teenagers education

Norwegian Schools (Olweus, 1983), awareness and involvement on the part of adults was seen as the general prerequisite of the programme, and class parent-teacher association meetings and teacher and parent use of imagination were seen as highly desirable components of the programmes measures at the class and individual levels respectively (Olweus, 1999). Active work with parents has been a part of all subsequent whole school intervention programmes against school bullying and violent behaviour applied on a broad scale since (Ljungstrm, 1990; OMoore & Minton, 2004a; Ortega, 1997; Ortega & Lera, 2000; Roland & Munthe, 1997; Slee, 1996; Smith, 1997; Stevens, De Bourdeaudhuij, & Van Oost, 2000; see also Rigby & Slee, 1999; Roland, 2000; Smith, 2003; Smith & Brain, 2000; Smith, Pepler, & Rigby, 2004; Smith & Shu, 2000, for reviews). Every responsible parent is concerned for the protection, safety and well-being of his or her child. It has also been argued, that in order for whole-school intervention programmes to be effective, that along with school personnel, parents have a responsibility to ensure that their children/teenagers are not involved in inappropriate behaviours such as bullying or harassing other school students (OMoore & Minton, 2004b). Empirical research, too, has pointed to the critical role that parents have in a school communitys efforts to counter and prevent violent behaviour. Research into bullying behaviour evidences that bullied young people are more likely to report having been bullied to their parents rather than to

Pre-chapter reading
Elliot, M. (1997). 101 ways to deal with bullying: A guide for parents. London: Hodder & Stoughton. OMoore, A. M., & Minton, S. J. (2004). Dealing with bullying in schools: A training manual for teachers, parents and other professionals. London: Paul Chapman Publishing (chapter four). Rigby, K. (2002). New perspectives on bullying. London: Jessica Kingsley. Smith, P. K., & Thompson, D. (1991). Practical approaches to bullying. London: David Fulton Publishing.

Summary of current thinking and knowledge about working with parents


Work with parents may be correctly identified as being an absolutely essential part of a whole-school approach towards the prevention and countering of violence and bullying behaviour in schools. Indeed, in the first application of a whole-school approach to school bullying behaviour, the Nationwide Campaign Against Bully/Victim Problems in

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staff at their school (OMoore, Kirkham, & Smith, 1997). Nothing within the last twenty years literature concerning intervention programmes can convince us that parents do not have an important role to play in whole-school approaches against school bullying and violence, or that Olweus (1983, 1997, 1999; and, thereby, everyone since who has followed his general approach) was misguided in according parents an important position within such processes. Indeed, social scientists of every persuasion can at least find consensus upon the general rule that ones experience of being parented is a major influence upon ones childhood and subsequent attitudes and behaviour. Hence, the question whether parents should be involved within whole-school approaches against school violence is settled rather readily, in the affirmative. The question that remains, and one which is addressed by the rest of this Chapter, is how parents should be involved.

people. Activity 3 addresses the question that the authors, in their everyday professional capacity, have been asked most frequently by parents themselves: what can or should parents do if they find out that their child/teenager has been victimised? Activity 4 addresses the question that is far less frequently asked, but no less important to consider: what can or should parents do if they find out that their child/teenager has been involved in victimising others?

Responsibilities of the Chapter facilitators


Your tasks within this Chapter are to:

send to all participants information about when and where the session will be held and details of preparatory reading to be done

familiarise yourself with the Chapter text and the facilitators notes plan the session to meet the needs of the participants

Therefore, the purpose of this Chapter is to facilitate VISTA participants to work with parents in a variety of practical ways. In preparing to do this, it is essential that VISTA participants come to understand the concerns parents have around violence in schools (this is approached in Activity 1). Further activities include looking at how victimisation may manifest itself behaviourally in the home (Activity 2), which is deemed important because of the veil of secrecy that surrounds aggressor-victim problems amongst young

ensure that all relevant resources/materials are copied and/or prepared

lead the session and all the activities

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Sequence of activities for Chapter 2.4


Introduction The activities in this Chapter follow a logical sequence, and one that is based on the way in which the authors of this Chapter typically work with parents who are concerned about bullying behaviour in Irish schools. We would contend that in order to work effectively with parents who are concerned about violence in schools, VISTA participants should be prepared through the following phases: (i) Understanding and empathising with the parents unique position in the process of countering and preventing violence in schools (or, to put it into a potential parents question, What do I think?); (ii) Being able to meet the concern of parents that exists around understanding and recognising the patterns of behaviour that result in young people from having been victimised (How will I know?); (iii) Being able to meet the concern of parents that exists around helping and supporting a child/teenager who reports having been victimised to them (What should I do?); and, (iv) Being able to meet the concern of parents that exists around helping and supporting a child/teenager who has been involved in victimising others (How will I cope?). To this end, this Chapter has been divided into four sections (A D), each with an activity

(activities one to four) of around one hours duration designed to raise awareness and skills amongst VISTA participants concerning these points. This Chapter represents a oneday training plus breaks

Activity 1 Understanding Parents Concerns and Perspectives around Violence in Schools (around 60 minutes)
Purpose Introduction: Understanding the Parents Position: What Do I Think? As was reflected upon in the Summary of Current Thinking section of this Chapter (see above), parents have an important role to play in the countering and prevention of aggressive behaviour in schools. However, we have also argued that it is important to try and understand the problem of violence in schools from the parents own perspective. In other words, if we, as practitioners and policymakers, are to fully utilise parents as a resource in our efforts to tackle violence in schools, we must first attempt to put ourselves in the parents position. Because of parents natural protectiveness towards and responsibility for their offspring, we must be aware of the emotional component that the issue of violence in schools raises.

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This component, along with others, may be brought to the awareness of VISTA participants through the implementation of Activity 1 (directly below). This activity is designed for a group of approximately twenty to twenty-five participants. The purpose of the activity is to generate an understanding amongst the group participants of what parents concerns around violence in schools. In the first place, and through the first part of the activity, participants should come to recognise that how parents think about school violence for themselves is not necessarily how the research experts or school policy makers define it. In the second place, participants are put into a position of thinking about school violence from the perspectives of different parenting positions Materials The facilitator will require only the instructions for this acctivity, and a board or flipchart and appropriate marker for use in presenting written summaries of the groups responses. Procedure There are two parts to this activity. Part One: (i) The participants, working alone, should be given some time by the facilitator to adopt the role of a parent. As this may not be such a stretch for many participants, who will of course be parents themselves, the role could

perhaps be one of a typical parent at your school, or a typical parent of a school-going child in your area. (ii) Working from this role, and alone at first, each participant is asked to come up with a definition (of fewer than fifty words) of violence. (iii) The whole group can then be divided up into smaller sub-groups (of four to six members each). The members of the subgroups compare their definitions, and try to achieve consensus on how they believe that parents of school students would define violence. (iv) Each sub-group elects a spokesperson, who feeds the sub-groups findings back to the facilitator, who, using the board/flipchart, summarises the findings of the whole group. (v) The facilitator then relays the anti-bullying expert Dan Olweus definition of violence to the group: Aggressive behaviour where the actor or perpetrator uses his or her own body or an object (including a weapon) to inflict (relatively serious) injury or discomfort upon another individual (Olweus, 1999, p. 12). The whole group then discuss if, and then perhaps how and why, their definitions differ from this expert standpoint (see also Chapter 1.1). Part Two: (i) Four potential parenting positions are introduced to the group by the facilitator (these can be elaborated into mock case histories by the facilitator if this is likely to assist with the participants understanding):

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(a) a parent whose child who has been victimised at school; (b) a parent whose child has been indisputably identified as having been involved as having victimised others at school; (c) a parent whose child has been accused of having victimised others at school, although the parent is unsure as to the accuracy of his or her child being so identified; (d) a parent whose child is not involved in problems of violence at school, remains concerned about such problems within schools. (ii) The whole group (i.e., all the participants together) splits into four sub-groups of six or so members. Each sub-group is allotted one of the four parenting positions outlined above (point (i). (iii) Each sub-group has to discuss how their allotted parent might respond to the following prompts: - what is the role of external authorities in preventing and countering violence in schools? - what is the role of the school management authorities in preventing and countering violence in schools? - what is the role of the schools teaching and non-teaching staff in preventing and countering violence in schools? - what is the role of the schools parents in preventing and countering violence in schools? - what is the role of the schools students in preventing and countering violence in schools? - what should the school do in dealing with perpetrators of violence in schools? - what should the school do in dealing with

bystanders to/witnesses of violence in schools? - what should the school do in dealing with victims of violence in schools? (iv) Each sub-group then elects a spokesperson, who feeds the sub-groups discussion back to the facilitator. (v) After re-forming the whole group (i.e., all the participants together) from the smaller sub-groups, the facilitator should aim to summarise the outcomes of the activity (using the board/flipchart) and reflect upon its meaning. The facilitator should seek to address the following: - which concerns are constant between different parenting positions? - which concerns/responses differ between the different parenting positions? - what can be learnt (by the participants) from this type of activity? Debrief As a means of both debriefing and further reflection, a handy final think-piece for policymakers might be the discussion of the following question: - In terms of school policy and practice, how important is it for the different groups within the school community (i.e. policy-makers, school management, teaching and nonteaching staff, parents and students) to have a common understanding of school violence, and how may such a common understanding be fostered?

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Activity 2 Understanding the Signs and Symptoms of Being Victimised (around 60 minutes)
Introduction: Identifying the Effects of Victimisation: How Will I Know?

their son or daughter might be. So they adopt what the authors refer to as a detective role. Activity 2 (immediately below) is designed to help those in the position of working with such parents, and, subsequently, those parents themselves. Purpose

Although research demonstrates that bullied students are more likely to report having been bullied to their parents than they are to their teachers, it also shows that most bullied students are unlikely to report having been bullied at all (e.g., in OMoore et al., 1997). Indeed, much violent behaviour would seem to thrive under conditions of secrecy (be this school bullying, domestic violence or organised crime). Parents are, by and large, aware of this code of silence; and many parents consequently suspect or worry about their child or teenager having been victimised long before they are ever told (if indeed that ever happens). The authors of this Chapter have frequently been asked the question that heads this section how will I know? just as, we suspect, many of the VISTA participants will have been. Parents can find themselves worried about the violence in schools they read about in the newspaper, see on television, or hear about in their local communities, worrying about whether their child will have been victimised no matter how positive or open their relationship with

This is designed for a group of approximately twenty to twenty-five participants. The activity is based on the premise that much aggressorvictim behaviour, perhaps most especially bullying behaviour, is shrouded in secrecy. If parents do, as suggested above, find themselves in a position of having to play detective, this activity is an attempt to help them

Materials Following the research findings recorded in the text immediately above this activity (i.e., that young people are more likely to report having been victimised to their parents than to their teachers), in Dealing with Bullying in Schools, OMoore and Minton (2004b) presented a list of signs and symptoms of being victimised for parents, which is reproduced in condensed form below. This list can either be printed out on cards or worksheets, or else be projected overhead for the benefit of all the participants. - The young person looks distressed or anxious, and yet refuses to say what is wrong;

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- Unexplained cuts and bruises; - Damage to clothes, books, and school equipment; - Doing worse at school than before; - Requests for extra money, possessions, or even lunch vouchers; - Reluctance to go to school; - Changes in mood and behaviour; - Lower confidence and self-esteem; - Complaints of headaches and stomach aches; and, - Problems sleeping (OMoore & Minton, 2004b, pp. 5153). A further sign is that: - the child/teenager is likely to have very few friends and appears to be socially isolated from peers. As OMoore and Minton noted, this is not a fail-proof checklist (2004b, p. 53); however, it does present a reliable enough starting off point for this activity. Procedure (i) The facilitator presents this list to the entire group of participants, illustrating each point with examples (according to his or her experience), or elucidating responses from the group to illustrate each point (if this latter tactic is taken, more time should be allotted to this activity). (ii) The whole group can then be split into sub-groups of between four and six members, for the purposes of discussion and consequent

generation of ideas and examples (ten minutes should be allowed for this part of the activity). (iii) After re-forming the group, each point is discussed in turn. Discussion points can be along the lines of: - Why would this sign or symptom be likely to manifest? How does it make sense in terms of the childs/teenagers experience of having been victimised? - Precisely how is this particular sign or symptom likely to manifest itself in the home? Who is most likely to notice it? - What should one do if one notices such a sign or symptom? In ones capacity as an educator, what should one advise a parent to do who reported noticing this? - How one could rank these signs and symptoms, what criteria would you apply? If you feel you could, how would you rank them? If you could not, or would not, why not? Debrief The participants should be asked to bring their past experience to bear on answering the following question (which can be put to the entire group, and then discussed): - What did we miss? Are there any other patterns of behaviour/discernible effects on the individual that are consistent with being victimised?

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Activity 3 Considering what Parents Can Do if their Children/Teenagers Report Having Been Victimised (around 60 minutes)
Introduction: Helping Young People Who Have Been Victimised: What Should I Do? To find out that ones son or daughter has been victimised is a time when emotions are turbulent. There can be sadness, as one empathises with the injury, suffering or humiliation that ones offspring has had to endure. There can be guilt, as one blames oneself for not having realised that something was wrong, or not having done something sooner. There can be ones own residual pain, in the case that such a revelation re-opens ones own psychological wounds of having been victimised in perhaps a similar way. There is often anger at the perpetrators of the violence, or those in authority whom one believes should have acted to prevent or stop it. In short, a complex array of emotions none of which are pleasant is typically involved on a parent hearing such news. After this immediate emotional response, there is, on the part of a caring parent, an overwhelming urge to do something here, ones deep love for ones offspring (and deep protective instincts, as viscerally experienced

as in any lower mammalian species) kicks in one feels utter compulsion to protect, nurture (and even on a more negative slant, sometimes to revenge) our son or daughter. So when, as a researcher or practitioner within the field of school violence or bullying, a parent asks us, What should I do?, the advice we give must be concrete, individually formatted to the case at hand, and practically orientated, leading to an immediate alleviation of the suffering of the victimised child or teenager in the shortest possible timeframe. Activity 3 (immediately below this text) involves a review and a thinking-through for VISTA participants on some possible strategies that are sometimes recommended to parents of victimised children or teenagers. Purpose

The purpose of this activity is to encourage participants to think through the advice that is generally given to parents who find themselves in the distressing situation of their children/teenagers reporting having been victimised

Materials Resource 1 Answer grid, which should be copied and enlarged to approximately A3 paper size.

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Procedure In Dealing with Bullying in Schools, OMoore and Minton (2004b, pp. 5358, pp. 67-68) suggested six things that parents could do if their child or teenager was involved in bullying. They also added that an understanding of such strategies was something that should be included in practical sessions undertaken with parents (p. 96). The six strategies that were mentioned are as follows: (A) Finding out whats wrong; (B) Impressing the fact that the aggressor has the problem, not the victim; (C) Impressing the fact that one shouldnt fight back physically; (D) Teaching coping skills for verbal harassment at home through role play (the silent treatment, the use of humour, and assertiveness); (E) Building self-esteem at home; and, (F) Reporting the problem to the school (OMoore & Minton, 2004b, pp. 6768). (i) The facilitator should introduce these strategies by name to the participants. This can be done by copying the above list onto cards/worksheets, or projecting the list overhead. (ii) The group of participants should then split into pairs of work partners. (iii) The participants should then think about the following issues in relation to each of the above strategies (again, this list can either be

copied onto cards/worksheets, or projected overhead). (a) The skills that parents would need in implementing this (be precise); (b) Things which parents could find difficult in implementing this; (c) Objections young people could have if an attempt was made to implement this; (d) Decision point: Would you feel happy in implementing this, or advising someone else to do so? If yes, answer question (v); if no, answer question (vi), and return to the prechapter reading; (e) How I would implement this, or advise someone else to do so; or, (f) The information/skills I would need before attempting to implement this myself, or advising someone else to do so; (g) Then, regardless of whether you answered (e) or (f), answer the following: What other considerations could there be in recommending/implementing this strategy? (iv) Working alone, each participant should fill in the relevant (partner 1) sections of answer grid specified in the materials section of this activity (see Resource 1 Answer grid). Allow in the region of twenty minutes for this phase of the activity. Before they write anything, the participants must be made aware that part of the overall activity involves the swapping of these sheets with a partner, and the discussion of emerging group themes based on the feedback they have given. Therefore, they should only record what they feel comfortable recording.

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(iv) The participants swap their worksheets with a work partner, who fills in the relevant (partner 2) sections of answer grid specified in the materials section of this activity (see below). The idea is that each participant (a) constructively augments the suggestions made in his or her work partners responses to questions (i) and (v); and (b) comes up with constructive suggestions for overcoming the potential difficulties raised by his or her work partner in responses to questions (ii), (iii) and (vi). Allow in the region of twenty minutes for this phase of the activity. (v) The pairs of work partners then engage in a ten-minute dialogue with each other, about the feedback they have given each other and shared. (vi) The whole group (i.e., all the participants together) is re-formed. Debrief The facilitator leads a discussion of the activity, posing the following prompts: (i) What points of similarity were there between the partners? And, having fed this back to the whole group, what can be said concerning this about the whole group? (ii) What points of difference were there between the partners? And, having fed this back to the whole group, what can be said concerning this about the whole group? (iii) Speaking only for oneself, what is the most important/useful thing that the participants have learnt through undertaking this activity?

Activity 4 Considering what Parents Can Do if their Children Teenagers Have Been Involved in Victimising Others (around 60 minutes)
Introduction: Helping Young People Who Have Been Involved in Victimising Others: How Will I Cope? We have seen previously (see text of subsection C, above) that finding out ones son or daughter has been victimised is invariably an emotionally turbulent experience. It is sometimes the case that it is assumed that a parent of a child who is involved in victimising others is emotionally unaffected by hearing the news that his or her child is so involved. That is to say, that such a parent, by the very fact that he or she has produced a child who has been involved in victimising others, must be negligent, and therefore doesnt care, or will invariably lie, about his or her childs involvement. Quite simply, this is not the case. Although it is the authors experience that parents are far less likely to seek help from practitioners about their victimising offspring as opposed to their victimised offspring, those who fall into the former category have taught us that it is no less upsetting for a caring parent to have an aggressor for a child than a victim of violent behaviour.

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So in this case, a parent might feel anger at his or her child/teenager, or at the childs/teenagers behaviour; at the childs/teenagers friends, or friends parents (if the parent has formed the opinion, as is often the case, that their child/teenager has been somehow led astray by others). The parent might feel disappointment, or shame, at the child/teenager, or his or her own failure to instil his or her (say) democratic and peaceful values in his or her child. Or, if one feels (as many parents do) that ones child/teenager has been unjustly accused, one may feel a need to fight his or her childs corner. In short, it is neither a less complex nor a less negative array of emotions to cope with. If one is still in doubt that parents of children and teenagers who engage in perpetrating violence can also be caring parents, consider the fact that there are many more influences on a young persons peergroup behaviour than his or her parents. One could also answer for oneself a very simple question: Have you always acted in ways in which your parents would wish you to do so? Activity 4 (immediately below this text) is an intentional doubling of the previous activity, underlining the authors consistent message that .people who are involved in bullying, aggressive behaviour and harassment whether as victims or perpetrators (or indeed, both) need the support and intervention of the school community (OMoore & Minton, 2004b, p. 8). Activity 4 offers participants a thinking-through of advice that may be given

to parents of those young people who do engage in violent behaviour. Purpose

In an activity that deliberately parallels Activity 3 (see above), the purpose here is to encourage participants to think through the advice that is generally given to parents who find that their child or teenager has been involved in victimising others

Materials Resource 2 Answer grid, which once more should be copied and enlarged to approximately A3 paper size. Procedure In Dealing with Bullying in Schools, OMoore and Minton (2004b, pp. 59-67) suggested seven things that parents could do if their child or teenager was involved in aggressive, bullying or harassing behaviour. Once more, they also added that an understanding of such strategies was something that should be included in practical sessions undertaken with parents (p. 96). The seven strategies that were mentioned are as follows: (A) Creating an accurate awareness of what violent, bullying and harassing behaviour is; (B) Role-modelling positive behaviour; (C) Finding out whats wrong; (D) Building self-esteem at home;

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(E) Teaching skills of empathy at home; (F) Teaching respect for differences at home; and, (G) Facilitating energetic childrens catharsis (i.e., letting off steam in a positive way). (i) The facilitator should introduce these strategies by name to the participants. This can be done by copying the above list onto cards/worksheets, or projecting the list overhead. (ii) The group of participants should then split into pairs of work partners. (iii) The participants should then think about the following issues in relation to each of the above strategies (again, this list can either be copied onto cards/worksheets, or projected overhead). (a) The skills that parents would need in implementing this (be precise); (b) Things which parents could find difficult in implementing this; (c) Objections young people could have if an attempt was made to implement this; (d) Decision point: Would you feel happy in implementing this, or advising someone else to do so? If yes, answer question (v); if no, answer question (vi), and return to the prechapter reading; (e) How I would implement this, or advise someone else to do so; or, (f) The information/skills I would need before attempting to implement this myself, or advising someone else to do so; (g) Then, regardless of whether you answered (e) or (f), answer the following: What other

considerations could there be in recommending/implementing this strategy? (iv) Working alone, each participant should fill in the relevant (partner 1) sections of answer grid specified in the materials section of this activity (see Resource 2 Answer grid). Allow in the region of twenty minutes for this phase of the activity. Before they write anything, the participants must be made aware that part of the overall activity involves the swapping of these sheets with a partner, and the discussion of emerging group themes based on the feedback they have given. Therefore, they should only record what they feel comfortable recording. (iv) The participants swap their worksheets with a work partner, who fills in the relevant (partner 2) sections of answer grid specified in the materials section of this activity (see below). The idea is that each participant (a) constructively augments the suggestions made in his or her work partners responses to questions (i) and (v); and (b) comes up with constructive suggestions for overcoming the potential difficulties raised by his or her work partner in responses to questions (ii), (iii) and (vi). Allow in the region of twenty minutes for this phase of the activity. (v) The pairs of work partners then engage in a ten-minute dialogue with each other, about the feedback they have given each other and shared. (vi) The whole group (i.e., all the participants together) is re-formed.

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Debrief The facilitator leads a discussion of the activity, posing the following prompts: (i) What points of similarity were there between the partners? And, having fed this back to the whole group, what can be said concerning this about the whole group? (ii) What points of difference were there between the partners? And, having fed this back to the whole group, what can be said concerning this about the whole group? (iii) Speaking only for oneself, what is the most important/useful thing that the participants have learnt through undertaking this activity? Finally, it should be noted that some parents hopefully, a small minority - do not care about their childrens or teenagers behaviour. It is difficult to envision quite how one could work in an educational context with such parents, as they do not typically present themselves in a voluntary capacity within school systems. Indeed, many teachers Europe-wide have commented to the authors that one never sees the parents (say, at parent-teacher meetings) that one would most wish to see. Of course, a far larger proportion of parents are parents of those children and teenagers who are not involved at all in violent behaviour, which, in most European countries, comprises (thankfully) the majority of young people. Having said this, with a nationwide survey revealing that around one in three primary

school children is bullied within a school term (OMoore, Kirkham & Smith, 1997), there can be scarcely one school-going child in a hundred who has not at least witnessed the victimisation of another child. Hence, we have constructed this Chapter in a way that doesnt ignore apparent non-involvement, but instead makes the assumption that all parents will, or at least should, have an interest in the subject of violence in schools. We have attempted to cater for the needs of those who work with parents on this subject on this basis, and hope we have been effective in doing so.

References
Ljungstrm, K. (1990). Mobbaus koulussa. Ksikirja mobbaukesta ja sen selvittmisest Farsta-menetelmll. [Bullying in schools: A handbook on bullying and its treatment by use of the Farsta method]. Kauniainen, Finland: Jessica Lerche. Olweus, D. (1983). Bullying at school: What we know and what we can do. Oxford: Blackwell. Olweus, D. (1997). Bully/victim problems in school: Knowledge base and an effective intervention program. Irish Journal of Psychology, 18, 170-190. Olweus, D. (1999). Sweden. In P. K. Smith, Y. Morita, J. Junger-Tas, D. Olweus, R. Catalano, & P. Slee (Eds.), The nature of school bullying: A cross-national perspective (pp. 7-

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27).London: Routledge. OMoore, A. M., Kirkham, C., & Smith, M. (1997). Bullying behaviour in Irish schools: A nationwide study. Irish Journal of Psychology, 18(2), 141169. OMoore, A. M., & Minton, S. J. (2004a). Ireland: The Donegal primary schools antibullying project. In P.K. Smith, D. Pepler, & K. Rigby (Eds.), Bullying in schools: How successful can interventions be? (pp. 275287). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. OMoore, A. M., & Minton, S. J. (2004b). Dealing with bullying in schools: A training manual for teachers, parents and other professionals. London: Paul Chapman Publishing. Ortega, R. (1997). El Proyecto Sevilla Antiviolencia Escolar. Un modelo de intervencin preventiva contra los malos tratos entre iguales. [The Seville Anti-Violence in Schools Project: A preventative intervention model against bad relationships amongst equals]. Revista de Educacin [Educational Review], 313, 143-158. Ortega, R., & Lera, M.J. (2000). The Seville Anti-Bullying in School project. Aggressive Behavior, 26, 113-123. Rigby, K., & Slee, P. T. (1999). Australia. In P. K. Smith, Y. Morita, J. Junger-Tas, D. Olweus, R. Catalano, & P. Slee, P. (Eds.), The nature of

school bullying: A cross-national perspective (pp. 324-339). London: Routledge. Roland, E. (2000). Bullying in school: Three national innovations in Norwegian schools in 15 years. Aggressive Behavior, 26, 135-143. Roland, E., & Munthe, E. (1997). The 1996 Norwegian program for preventing and managing bullying in schools. Irish Journal of Psychology, 18, 233-247. Slee, P. T. (1996). The P.E.A.C.E. Pack: A programme for reducing bullying in our schools. Australian Journal of Guidance and Counselling, 6, 63-69. Smith, P. K. (1997). Bullying in schools: The UK experience and the Sheffield Anti-Bullying Project. Irish Journal of Psychology, 18, 191201. Smith, P. K. (Ed.) (2003). Violence in schools: The response in Europe. London: RoutledgeFalmer. Smith, P. K., & Brain, P. (2000). Bullying in schools: Lessons from two decades of research. Aggressive Behavior, 26, 1-9. Smith, P.K., Pepler, D., & Rigby, K. (Eds.) (2004). Bullying in schools: How successful can interventions be? Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Smith, P. K., & Shu, S. (2000). What good

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schools can do about bullying: Findings from a survey in English schools after a decade of research and action. Childhood, 7, 193-212. Stevens, V., De Bourdeaudhuij, I., & Van Oost, P. (2000). Bullying in Flemish schools: An evaluation of anti-bullying intervention in primary and secondary schools. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 70, 195-210.

og skole. Oslo: Pax. Humphreys, T. (1993). Self-esteem: The key to your childs education. Leadington, Co. Cork: T. Humphreys. Kristiansen, T. (2004). Foreldrene skolens nye ressurs: utfordringer til samtale mellom lrere og foreldre. Oslo: Damm. La Fontaine, J. (1991). Bullying: A childs view. London: Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation. Marr, N., & Field, T. (2001). Bullycide: Death at playtime. Oxford: Success Unlimited.

Further reading and additional materials


Books Besag, V.E. (1994). Bullies and victims in Schools. Buckingham: Open University Press. Byrne, B. (1993). Coping with bullying in schools. Dublin: Columba Press. Byrne, B. (1996). Bullying: A community approach. Dublin: Columba Press.

Roland, R. (1997). Mobbing: Hndbok til foreldre. Stavanger: Rebell forlag. Smith, P. K., & Thompson, D. (1991). Practical approaches to bullying. London: David Fulton Publishing. Sullivan, K. (2000). The anti-bullying

Dore, S. (2000). Bullying. NSPCC: Egmont World Ltd.

handbook.

Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Thomas, P. (2000). Stop picking on me: A Elliot, M. (1996). 501 ways to be a good parent. London: Hodder & Stoughton. Elliot, M. (1997). 101 ways to deal with bullying: A guide for parents. London: Hodder & Stoughton. , ., , . (p.) (2001). Ericsson, K., og Larsen, G. (2000). Skolebarn og skoleforeldre: Om forholdet mellom hjem . . first look at bullying. New York: Barrons Educational Series. Veleva, R., & Kolev, N. (Eds.) (2001). How to protect children from violence. Pazardgik.

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Voors, W. (2000). The parents book about bullying. Center City, MN: Hazelden. Zlatanova, V. (1995 ). Family and deviant behaviour of under age people. Sociological Problems, 2, 133-141.

Foreldreutvalget for grunnskolen. http://www.fug.no National Child Protection Helpline. http://www.nspcc.org.uk Parent Centre, The.

, . (1995). . , N 2, 133-141. Websites

http://www.parentcentre.gov.uk Parentline Plus. http://www.parentlineplus.org.uk Scottish Anti-Bullying Network.

Anti-Bullying Research and Resource Centre, TrinityCollegeDublin. http://www.abc.tcd.ie

http://www.antibullying.net VISYON. http://www.visyon.org.uk

BBC1 Schools: Bullying. http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/bullying Bullying in Schools and what to do about it. http://www.education.unisa.edu.au/bullying Bullying Online. http://www.bullying.co.uk Bully Online. http://www.successunlimited.co.uk Childline. http://www.childline.org.uk Department for Education and Employment. http://www.parents.dfee.gov.uk Welcome to the Dollhouse. (1995). (Produced by Donna Bascom & Todd Solandz). (Feature length movie: Cert. 15). Video Films Hands on Bullying. (1998). Tony Jewes Productions. The Trouble with Tom. (1991). Central Independent Television Productions.

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Resource packs Resource 1 Answer grid


Answer Grid for Activity Three. Emerging Issues a A (partner one) A (partner two) B (partner one) B (partner two) C (partner one) Strategies C (partner two) D (partner one) D (partner two) E (partner one) E (partner two) F (partner one) F (partner two) B c d E f g

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Resource 2 Answer grid


Answer Grid for Activity Four. Emerging Issues a A (partner one) A (partner two) B (partner one) B (partner two) C (partner one) C (partner two) Strategies D (partner one) D (partner two) E (partner one) E (partner two) F (partner one) F (partner two) G (partner two) G (partner two) B c d E f g

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Working with Teachers Objectives of Chapter 2.5

To understand and appreciate the key role that teachers have in the application of the WSA in addressing school violence

Facilitation skills to be developed through this Chapter


Knowledge and understanding of:

the range of underlying causes of challenging, aggressive and anti-social behaviour

To be familiar with the skills involved in planning and conducting work with teachers in school communities

designing improvement plans for individual pupils, groups and the school as a whole

To be able to motivate and support teachers in developing an understanding of the central role that teachers themselves and young people play in countering and preventing violent and bullying behaviour in schools

the range of provision for pupils whose behaviour causes concern the operation of school systems the requirements of legislation and formal procedures relevant to aggressive and violent behaviour

To consider strategies for engaging teachers in activities that will support them in taking their part in the promotion of non-violence and the reduction of violence

the importance of creating a supportive and caring school community

the importance of promoting nonviolence to enhance learning

To enable teachers to work


productively in the classroom with young people in promoting antiviolence/pro-social attitudes

Personal qualities and attributes include:

having an appropriate, pupil-centred set of beliefs and values which informs their decisions and actions

being able to influence the ethos in a place of work and effect and sustain change there

being an effective communicator

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being an effective trainer of and adviser to staff, governors, parents, carers and pupils

Summary of current thinking and knowledge about working with teachers


Work with teachers is central to the practical implantation of whole school approaches towards the prevention and countering of violence in schools. This sort of work, as was also the case with the role of parents (see Chapter 2.4), was established in the first application of a WSA to school bullying behaviour in the Nationwide Campaign Against Bully/Victim Problems in Norwegian Schools of 1983 (see Olweus, 1993; 2004). As well as awareness and involvement on the part of adults being seen as the general prerequisite of the programme, a school conference day, better supervision during break periods, class rules against bullying, regular class meetings with the students, serious talks with bullies and victims, serious talks with parents of involved students, class parent-teacher association meetings and teacher and parent use of imagination were seen as highly desirable components (Olweus, 1999). All of these factors put the classroom staff member at the very heart of anti-bullying and antiviolence intervention efforts (Olweus, 1999). Work with teachers usually around training them to deal with and to help prevent incidents of bullying and violent behaviour has been a part of all such whole school intervention programmes ever since (Ortega &

being a strategic thinker having a good understanding of and models effective behaviour management strategies

managing, motivating and supporting staff teams through empathy and understanding

managing time effectively and being well organised being able to establish effective partnerships with other relevant organisations

Pre-chapter reading
Beane, A. L. (1999). Bully free classroom: Over 100 tips and strategies for teachers. Minneapolis: Free Spirit Publishing. OMoore, A. M., & Minton, S. J. (2004a). Dealing with bullying in schools: A training manual for teachers, parents and other professionals. London: Paul Chapman Publishing. (Especially chapter three pp. 2848). Sullivan, K. (2000). The anti-bullying handbook. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

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Lera, 2000; OMoore & Minton, 2004b; Roland & Munthe, 1997; Slee, 1996; Smith, 1997; Stevens, De Bourdeaudhuij, & Van Oost, 2000; see also Rigby & Slee, 1999; Roland, 2000; Smith, 2003; Smith & Brain, 2000; Smith, Pepler, & Rigby, 2004; Smith & Shu, 2000 for reviews). Many researchers have come to rely upon teachers to deliver the content of anti-bullying programmes applied on a broad-scale, and even to act as trainers within those programmes (in so-called train-the-trainer models Olweus, 2003) (see Olweus, 2004; OMoore & Minton, 2004b; Roland & Munthe, 1997). In the day-to-day context, too, all teachers are and always have been very much in the front line in terms of having to deal with incidents of violent behaviour in their schools, and, as a professional body, have tremendous potential in the promotion of nonviolence (i.e., engaging in preventative practise). Very often, it seems, we rely on teachers to deal with and attempt to resolve problems located inside the school that society outside the school gates cannot or will not cope with through their potential means. Society, it seems, expects a lot from teachers; as researchers/practitioners, we should do our best to resource and equip them to make their contributions to anti-violence efforts in schools. The focus of this Chapter is to provide facilitators with the resources and information that will permit them to engage participants fully in efforts made against school violence.

Classroom staff members can subsequently be made aware of the issues of school violence, and be enabled to act positively against it through participation in school policy formation, and the conducting of classroom work with students. Activities 1 to 3 inclusively are designed to help the facilitator to raise participants awareness and tease out attitudes towards school violence and the educators role in intervention. Activity 4 allows teacher participants to generate their own practical ideas for classroom work. Each activity has been employed successfully many times in schools in the Republic of Ireland by the authors of this Chapter. Notes on the practical implementation of all resources and exercises have been included throughout the course of this Chapter.

Responsibilities of the Chapter facilitators


Your tasks within this Chapter are to:

send to all participants information about when and where the session will be held and details of preparatory reading to be done

familiarise yourself with the Chapter text and the facilitators notes plan the session to meet the needs of the participants ensure that all relevant resources/materials are copied and/or prepared

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lead the session and all the activities

The four activities that are included below provide content for use by the facilitator in such a session and represent a one-day training plus breaks.

Sequence of activities for Chapter 2.5


Introduction Teaching staff are in general, in the authors experience, less concerned (although not necessarily less interested) in the theoretical side of students involvement in aggressive and violent behaviour, than they are with learning practical ways by which such behaviour can be dealt with in the school in general, and in the classroom in the here-andnow in particular. Teachers are very much in the front line concerning the practical aspects of dealing with violent behaviour in schools, but unfortunately, teachers have sometimes (rather courageously) informed us that whilst their training has not always prepared them adequately for this role, concerned parents will often require that teachers do something about problems of aggressive and violent behaviour. The activities that follow could be used in a typical training session for a mixed group of educators (i.e., teaching and nonteaching staff, parents and policy makers), and are, whilst both reflective and discursive, ultimately very much geared towards the practical. Such a training session might last from half a school day to a school day in length, depending on the number of participants.

Activity 1 Teachers Attitudes and Beliefs around Intervening in Situations of Violence and Harassment (120 minutes if done in its entirety; however, the design of the exercise allows for it to be shortened if necessary (see instructions, point (ii) below).
Introduction What Do We Mean by Violence in Schools? Dan Olweus, the forefather of anti-bullying research, defines violence thus: Aggressive behaviour where the actor or perpetrator uses his or her own body or an object (including a weapon) to inflict (relatively serious) injury or discomfort upon another individual (Olweus, 1999, p. 12).

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He also notes that the dictionary definition of violence .is similar, implying the use of physical force or power, and that the definition of violent offences in criminal law .(including murder, homicide, aggravated assault, assault, robbery and rape) is based on a closely related understanding (Olweus, 1999, p. 12). Violence and bullying are both sub-categories of the more general concept of aggression, with the intersection between bullying and violence being characterised by physical bullying (Olweus, 1999). It should be noted that the first activity within Chapter A2 provides an opportunity for participants to think about what is meant by violence in schools. If this activity has not already been undertaken as part of that Chapter, it could be usefully included at this point. In this way, participants can raise awareness of and come towards a personal understanding of such definitional issues. Countering Strategies A comprehensive school policy should include directives for both countering strategies dealing with any current incidents of violent behaviour in the school and preventative strategies. It is important that a consensus is achieved amongst the classroom and management staff (that is to say, those involved in the practical and day-to-day implementation) as to all details of these strategies during the policy formation process and in subsequent work undertaken in the school. Countering strategies should include

means by which incidents of violent behaviour may be reported, investigated and recorded (see Chapters 2.1 and 5.1), and sanctions and supports for those involved in incidents of violent and aggressive behaviour. Activity 1 (immediately below) provides means by which VISTA participants may come to reflect upon how they themselves, their colleagues, and their respective institutions typically intervene in situations of bullying and violence, and what the assumptions (explicit or implicit) are that underlie these intervention strategies. Purpose

This activity is designed to tease out participants attitudes and feelings about interventions in situations of violent behaviour, and can usefully be employed (say) as a pre-cursor to the participants subsequent involvement in policy formation

Materials The materials consist of five hypothetical scenarios, which may be printed out on separate cards. These hypothetical scenarios are as follows: Situation One: Patrick, Alan, Colm and Sean are pupils who often play football together after school. Patrick is very good at football, but he gets cross with Sean, because Sean often misses the ball. When this happens, the

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game has to stop whilst the ball is fetched back. Patrick is always making rude remarks to Sean, who usually jokes back. But one day, after a particularly nasty remark from Patrick, Sean ran off to fetch the ball, but didnt come back with it. Sean then told his class teacher that he is being bullied. - In your opinion, does this behaviour constitute bullying? - If so, why, and what form of bullying is it? If not, how else might the behaviour be explained? - How do you think Sean feels about the situation? - Why might Alan and Colm not have stopped Patrick from calling Sean names? - What should the class tutor do now? Situation Two: Dean and Gerard are in the same class at school, and sometimes sit together. One day in art class, the teacher asks the two of them to share in the task of painting a picture. Unintentionally, Gerard knocked over the water they were using to clean their brushes, which spoilt the section that Dean was painting. Dean reacted by pushing Gerard off his stool, and a fight broke out. - How do you think Dean feels about the situation? - How do you think Gerard feels about the situation? - Do such incidents ever occur in your classroom? If so, how would you manage them?

Situation Three: Sinead was in the schoolyard one day, and two older girls asked her for money. Sinead said that she did not have any, and the older girls began to push her around. Whenever they saw her afterwards, they purposefully knocked into her, and called her nasty names. Mary told her mother about the bullying, and also her class teacher. An appointment has now been made for a meeting between Sineads mother and the class teacher. - How do you think Sinead feels about the situation? - What do the older girls think about Sinead, and about their own behaviour towards her? - How might Sineads mother feel about the meeting with the class teacher? - How should the class teacher handle this situation? Situation Four: A teacher who is new to the school, but has taught elsewhere in the area, is having a difficulty with some pupils in a class. At his former school, the teacher was given an unkind nickname by the pupils, which the pupils at his current school have heard about. Now, whenever he turns to write on the board, he hears the pupils repeat this nickname. A few of the pupils also use bad language whenever he has to discipline them, which has led to the suspension of one pupil, although the bad language continues. The teacher has approached the principal with a view towards resigning from his post.

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- Do such incidents ever occur in your school? If you heard such a thing was happening to a colleague, what would you do? - Should policies against harassment, bullying and aggressive behaviour exist to primarily serve the needs of pupils, teachers or both teachers and pupils? - How should the head teacher handle this situation? Situation Five: At staff meetings, Joseph often offers opinions that he thinks are helpful. However, being close to retirement, many of his colleagues feel that he is out of touch with current views in education. Every time he attempts to offer what he considers to be an informed view based on his lengthy experience, a group of younger teachers belittle it. One time after a staff meeting, Joseph, feeling angry and upset, attempted to challenge two of his younger colleagues, Rosie and Mark, when they are sitting in the staff room. Rosie and Mark got up to leave, with Rosie stating that she was upset with Joseph having raised his voice, and that she will complain to the principal about him. Mark said that he would back this up. Joseph entered the principals office feeling angry and upset, and told the principal about the incident.

Procedure (i) Divide the group of participants into subgroups of about four to six members. (ii) Present the sub-groups with the scenarios above. Each group can be provided with either one or a number of these, depending upon the overall number of participants and time available. (iii) Each sub-group should be allowed 10 20 minutes discussion time per scenario. (iv) The large group (i.e., all the participants together) should then be re-formed from the sub-groups. The facilitator should then lead a discussion of each scenario in turn in the large group. The best way of doing this is by allowing spokespeople from each sub-group to provide a summary of their groups discussion, and conducting feedback from the other subgroups. The emphasis should be on achieving (at the end of the discussion process) consent upon key issues around anti-violence intervention. Debrief In the whole-group situation, participants can be encouraged to reflect upon: - which they felt was the easiest scenario to

- What do Rosie and Mark think about Joseph, and about their own behaviour towards him? - Do such incidents ever occur in your schools? If you witnessed such an interaction between your colleagues, what would you do? - How should the principal handle this situation?

achieve consensus upon; - which they felt was the most difficult scenario to achieve consensus upon; - having aimed for consensus, is consensus important, and why; - what they feel they have learnt about

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themselves and each other, and the subject matter at hand, via undertaking the activity.

(for example) a zero-tolerance policy on bullying will not ensure that students do not engage in bullying! Instead, a concerted effort must be made by the school staff as a whole to explore their own values, beliefs, and roles as educators. Activity 2 is designed to bring out that much prized but often sidelined quality of reflective practice amongst mixed groups of educational professionals in a way that helps us build towards the promotion of pro-social behaviour, amongst staff and students alike, in our schools. Purpose

Activity 2 Elucidating Reflective Practice amongst Educators (The authors have found that the typical time taken for this exercise is between sixty and ninety minutes for a group of up to sixteen persons. However, if the number of participants exceeds this, the time allotted should be increased accordingly in certain sections of the exercise (see instructions, points (ii) and (iii), and the section on debriefing).
Introduction: Preventative Strategies

The purposes of this activity are various. The primary aim, as documented in this activitys title, is to promote reflective practice in general, through the facilitated experience of the same in the course of the exercise. What is reflected upon has a direct relationship to the idea of promoting pro-social relationships within the classroom. By promoting the pro-social, we take very positive steps in the direction of developing sound preventative practices

Materials The old adage goes that prevention is better than cure, and in the field of violence in schools, it is very obviously applicable. However, it takes more than good intentions and wishing away problems to work towards the non-occurrence of incidents of violence in schools. Merely stating that ones school has The following prompts can be printed out on separate worksheets (with ample room for the participants responses and notes), or projected overhead.

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(i) In your own experience as a school student, which of your teachers had a positive influence upon you? Why? (ii) Why did you choose to be an educator? (iii) How do you think that your professional role impacts upon young people under your care? (iv) How do you think that your professional role impacts upon your own feelings about yourself? (v)How do you think that the interpersonal behaviour of young people affects their levels of self-esteem? (vi) When you retire, how would you like to be remembered by your former students? Procedure (i) The participants first answer the questions alone (i.e., without consultation with other participants). (ii) The whole group of participants is then divided into smaller sub-groups (of between four and six members). The sub-groups are then given around twenty minutes to openly discuss their responses to the prompts. It should be pointed out to the participants that they need only discuss the responses that they feel comfortable discussing. It can be helpful for the facilitator to mobilize himself or herself around the sub-groups in tasks like these, in order to keep the participants on-task. (iii) In this, the second phase of small group of activity, the small groups each elect (i) a scribe, who will take notes on behalf of the sub-group, and (ii) a spokesperson who will relay the sub-groups responses to the group

facilitator. The sub-group then attempt to find similarities and differences in the individual members of the sub-groups responses. (iv) A large group (i.e., composed of all the participants) is reformed from the sub-groups. The facilitator then works through the prompts, giving each groups spokesperson a chance to relay their findings in turn. The facilitators task is to draw together the responses of the participants as a whole, paying attention to common emergent themes and points of dispute, offering tentative suggestions to the resolution of the latter. Debrief In the whole-group situation, participants can be encouraged to reflect upon: - which prompt they found most interesting; - which prompt their sub-group spent most time talking about; - which prompt produced, in their eyes, the most important type of discussion within (i) the sub-group, and (ii) the large group; - what they feel the purpose of each prompt was. Please note that there is no definitive answer to this one! However, our experience has been that participants enjoy discussing this point, and that the discussion can prove both lengthy and fruitful. Activity 3 is a shorter one, and is essentially a think-piece for policy makers:

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Activity 3 Thinking about Preventative Policy (in the region of 60 minutes)


Purpose

classroom; (v) The role of school management staff, classroom staff, parents/guardians, students and relevant others in the above; and, (vi) Measures for dissemination, evaluation and review. However, it has been the authors experience that school discipline policy will generally reflect the first three of these points, but be rather less clear concerning the last three of these points. So, with preventative practice in mind, and the relevant school policy documents in hand*, the participants (after being familiarized with the above comments) should discuss, as a group: (i) Is it the case that is true of our school(s)? (ii) How far have we moved towards preventative practice? (iii) How is preventative practice realised in the classroom(s) in our school(s)? (iv) What supports (in terms of policy, personnel, training, and physical resources) do the teaching staff of our school(s) need in order to engage further in preventative practice? Debrief The participants are given a simple discussion question: What else can be done? The facilitated discussion of this could take some time (!) as there is, as we (as educators and hopefully as a society) move away from tackling anti-social behaviour and towards promoting the pro-social behaviour, always

The purpose is essentially to review school policies on violence/bullying/discipline, in order to ensure that adequate provision is made for the promotion of preventative practice

Materials The relevant school policies, and the instructions for this exercise that follow below. Procedure Consider that OMoore and Minton (2004a, p. 92) deem that the following points are key to an effective anti-bullying policy: (i) How bullying is defined, and the forms it takes; (ii) How incidents of alleged bullying behaviour are to be reported, investigated and recorded; (iii) How incidents of bullying behaviour are to be dealt with, including support and intervention; strategies for those involved (both perpetrators and victims) and, where necessary, the specification of sanctions for perpetrators; (iv) Preventative strategies in the school and

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more to be done. As a variation, this simple question (What else can be done?) can be discussed at (say) the school, societal and international levels. * = The policy documents that are (i) compulsory and (ii) advised for a school to have will of course vary from country to country.

Materials The key prompts that follow in the instructions section below could be placed on individual worksheets, or projected overhead for the group. Procedure Working at first individually, and then in

Activity 4 is designed specifically for teaching staff in the planning of preventative work in the classroom.

groups (in the same manner as in Activity 2), a number of things may be considered. Firstly, in OMoore and Minton (2004a, pp. 3246), a variety of creative media are reviewed in terms of forming a methodological basis for preventative work in the classroom. These media are: - circle time group work; - mobility and introduce yourself games; - use of videos/DVDs; - posters, pictures, and sculpture; - music, drama, film-script and role-play; - class charters. For each of these media, participants should ask themselves: - how easy would it be to access this medium? - how comfortable am I using this medium? - how comfortable am I in facilitating young peoples use of such a medium? - how can this medium be used, as a tool, in a preventative session on violence in schools, with the young people that I teach? - how can I be sure that the medium doesnt take over as a creative task, but instead

Activity 4 Planning Preventative Work in the Classroom (for Teachers) (variable; for a group of twenty or so members, probably not less than ninety minutes)
Purpose

The purpose is to enable teachers to think through the planning of preventative sessions that are enjoyable and relevant to the young people whom they teach. Rather than merely providing resources, within this activity, we seek to skill the teacher as acting as his or her own resource generator

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serves to illustrate the anti-violence/pro-social message? (Hint: combining creative tasks with circle time discursive tasks usually provides a good framework). - what other physical equipment/would I need (if any) in implementing such a session? - what safety issues and concerns (both physical and psychological) would such a session raise? - how could such a session fit into the schools overall efforts to address issues of violence? - how could such a session fit into the general fabric of the school day/week/year? - what support can I expect from my colleagues and management in implementing such a session? Then either alone, or facilitated in small groups (as in Activities 1 and 2 above), participants can create lesson plans (say, of a single periods duration) using their responses to the prompts above, and their past teaching experiences. Debrief In a large group (i.e., all the participants together), can address a question in general discussion: How can an anti-violence message be imparted in my regular subject teaching? OMoore and Minton (2004a, pp. 45-46) make some tentative suggestions, but the group members own ideas would probably be more relevant!

References
Olweus, D. (1993). Bullying at school: What we know and what we can do. Oxford: Blackwell. Olweus, D. (1999). Sweden. In P. K. Smith, Y. Morita, J. Junger-Tas, D. Olweus, R. Catalano, & P. Slee (Eds.), The nature of school bullying: A cross-national perspective (pp. 727). London: Routledge. Olweus, D. (2003). A profile of bullying. Educational Leadership, March 2003, 12-17. Olweus, D. (2004). The Olweus Bullying prevention programme: Design and implementation issues and a new national initiative in Norway. In P. K. Smith, D. Pepler, & K. Rigby (Eds.), Bullying in schools: How successful can interventions be? (pp. 13-36). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. OMoore, A. M., & Minton, S. J. (2004a). Dealing with bullying in schools: A training manual for teachers, parents and other professionals. London: Paul Chapman Publishing. OMoore, A. M., & Minton, S. J. (2004b). Ireland: The Donegal primary schools antibullying project. In P. K. Smith, D. Pepler, & K. Rigby (Eds.), Bullying in schools: How successful can interventions be? (pp. 275287). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

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Ortega, R., & Lera, M. J. (2000). The Seville Anti-Bullying in School project. Aggressive Behavior, 26, 113-123. Rigby, K., & Slee, P. T. (1999). Australia. In P. K. Smith, Y. Morita, J. Junger-Tas, D. Olweus, R. Catalano, & P. Slee (Eds.), The nature of school bullying: A cross-national perspective (pp. 324-339). London: Routledge. Roland, E. (2000). Bullying in school: Three national innovations in Norwegian schools in 15 years. Aggressive Behavior, 26, 135-143. Roland, E., & Munthe, E. (1997). The 1996 Norwegian program for preventing and managing bullying in schools. Irish Journal of Psychology, 18, 233-247. Slee, P. T. (1996). The P.E.A.C.E. Pack: A programme for reducing bullying in our schools. Australian Journal of Guidance and Counselling, 6, 63-69. Smith, P. K. (1997). Bullying in schools: The UK experience and the Sheffield Anti-Bullying Project. Irish Journal of Psychology, 18, 191201. Smith, P. K. (Ed.) (2003). Violence in schools: The response in Europe. London: Routledge. Smith, P. K., & Brain, P. (2000). Bullying in schools: Lessons from two decades of research. Aggressive Behavior, 26, 1-9.

Smith, P. K., Pepler, D., & Rigby, K. (Eds.) (2004). Bullying in schools: How successful can interventions be? Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Smith, P. K., & Shu, S. (2000). What good schools can do about bullying: Findings from a survey in English schools after a decade of research and action. Childhood, 7, 193-212. Stevens, V., De Bourdeaudhuij, I. & Van Oost, P. (2000). Bullying in Flemish schools: An evaluation of anti-bullying intervention in primary and secondary schools. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 70, 195-210.

Further reading and additional materials


Textbooks and Resource Books Asher, S. R., & Coie, J. D. (1992). Peer rejection in childhood. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Beane, A. L. (1999). Bully free classroom: Over 100 tips and strategies for teachers. Minneapolis: Free Spirit Publishing. Besag, V. E. (1994). Bullies and victims in schools. Buckingham: Open University Press. Blagg, N. (1990). School phobia and its treatment. London: Routledge. Blatchford, P. (1993). Playtime in the primary

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school. London: Routledge. Byrne, B. (1993). Coping with bullying in schools. Dublin: Columba Press. Byrne, B. (1996). Bullying: A community approach. Dublin: Columba Press. Cattanach, A. (1995). Play therapy with abused children. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers. Cowie, H., Boardman, C., Dawkins, J., & Jennifer, D. (2004). Emotional health and well-being: A practical guide for schools. London: Sage Publications.

friendship. London: Kidscape. Field, T. (1996). Bully in sight: How to predict, resist, challenge and combat workplace bullying. Oxfordshire: Success Unlimited. Fried, S., & Fried, P. (1996). Bullies and victims. New York: M. Evans & Co. Fried, S., & Fried, P. (2003). Bullies, targets and witnesses. New York: M. Evans & Co. Frude, N., & Gault, H. (1984). Disruptive behaviour in schools. New York: John Wiley & Sons. Johnston, J. (1996). Dealing with bullying.

Cowie, H., & Wallace, P. (2000). Peer support in action: From bystanding to standing by. London: Sage Publications. Dore, S. (2000). Bullying. NSPCC: Egmont World Ltd. Einarsen, S., Hoel, H., Zapf, D., & Cooper, C. L. (2003). Bullying and emotional abuse in the workplace. International perspectives in research and practise. London: Taylor & Francis. Elliot, M. (1994). Keeping safe: A practical guide to talking with children. London: Coronet Books. Elliot, M., & Shenton, G. (1999). Bully-free: Activities to promote confidence and

New York: Rosen Publishing Group. Jones, N., & Jones, E. B. (1992). Learning to behave. London: Kogan Page. La Fontaine, J. (1991). Bullying: A childs view. London: Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation. Klette, K. (Ed.) (1998). Klasseromsforskning p norsk. Oslo: Ad Notam Gyldendal. Kozhuharova, P. (2003). Experimental model of a system for preventive and corrective educational work in elementary school. Collection of scientific articles from an international conference: Preventive pedagogy as scientific knowledge, Sofia: SU, 304-315.

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, . (2003). - . : , : , 304-315. Lane, D. A. (1990). The impossible child. Staffordshire: Trentham Books. Lee, C. (2004). Preventing bullying in schools. London: Paul Chapman Publishing. Marr, N., & Field, T. (2001). Bullycide: Death at playtime. Oxford: Success Unlimited.

Learning Development Aids. Ogden, T. (2001). Sosial kompetanse og problematferd i skolen. Kompetanseutviklende og problemlsende arbeid i skolen. Oslo: Gyldendal Norske Forlag. OMoore, A. M., & Minton, S. J. (2004a). Dealing with bullying in schools: A training manual for teachers, parents and other professionals. London: Paul Chapman Publishing. Pearce, J. (1989). Fighting, teasing and bullying. Wellingborough: Thorsons Publishing. Pinteva, E. (2005). School commissions for

McMahon, A., & Bolam, R. (1990a). A handbook for primary schools. London: Paul Chapman Publishing. McMahon, A., & Bolam, R. (1990b). A handbook for secondary schools. London: Paul Chapman Publishing. Murray, M., & Keane, C. (1998). The ABC of bullying. Dublin: Mercier Press. Newman, D. A., Horne, A. M., & Bartolomucci, C. L. (2000). Bully busters: A teachers manual for helping bullies, victims and bystanders. Illinois: Research Press. Nicholas, F. M. (1992). Coping with conflict: A resource book for the middle school years.

prevention. Social Education, 3, 36-40. , . ( 2005). . , 3, 36-40. Randall, P. (1997). Adult bullying: Perpetrators and victims. London: Routledge. Rigby, K. (1996). Bullying in schools and what to do about it. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers. Rigby, K. (2002). New perspectives on bullying. London: Jessica Kingsley. Robinson, G., & Maines, B. (1997). Crying for help: The No Blame Approach to bullying. Bristol: Lucky Duck.

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Roland, E. (1995). Elevkollektivet. Oslo: Rebell Forlag A/S. Ross, C., & Ryan, A. (1990). Can I stay in today, Miss? Staffordshire: Trentham Books. Samuelsen, A. S., Ertesvg, S., & Sandhaug, J. (2004). Kompetanseheving p fagomrdet sosiale og emosjonelle vansker. Evalueringsrapport. http://www.statped.no/trondelag Scherer, M., Gersch, I., & Fry, L. (1992). Meeting disruptive behaviour. London: Routledge. Smith, P. K., & Sharp, S. (1998). School bullying: Insights and perspectives. London: Routledge. Smith, P. K., & Thompson, D. (1991). Practical approaches to bullying. London: David Fulton Publishing. Solomon, M. (1990). Working with difficult people. London: Prentice Hall. Sullivan, K. (2000). The anti-bullying handbook. Oxford University Press. Sullivan, K., Cleary, M., & Sullivan, G. (2002). Bullying in secondary schools: What it looks like, and how to manage it. London: Paul Chapman Publishing. Tattum, D., & Lane, D. (Eds.) (1989). Bullying in school. Staffordshire: Trentham Books.

Todorova, L. (2000). Preparation of pedagogical specialists for work with children with deviant behaviour. Pedagogy, 12, 32-40. , . (2000). . , 12, 32-40. Varma, V. P. (1991). Truants from life. London: David Fulton Publishers. Varnava, G. (2002). How to stop bullying in your school: A guide for teachers. London: David Fulton Publishers. Vulchev, R. (2003). Education for democratic citizenship. Teacher's book. Sofia. , . (2003). . . . Warren, H. (1984). Talking about school. London: London Gay Teenage Group. Websites Anti-Bullying Research and Resource Centre, TrinityCollegeDublin. http://www.abc.tcd.ie BBC1 Schools: Bullying. http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/bullying Bullying in Schools and what to do about it (Dr Ken Rigbys pages). http://www.education.unisa.edu.au/bullying

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Bullying Online. http://www.bullying.co.uk Bully Online. http://www.successunlimited.co.uk

Robinson, G., Sleigh, J., & Maines, B. (1995). No bullying starts today: An awareness raising pack. Bristol: Lucky Duck. Scottish Consultative Council on the

Field Foundation, The. http://www.thefieldfoundation.org Scottish Council for Research in Education. http://www.scre.ac.uk Scottish Executive. Lets Stop Bullying: Advice for Parents and Families. http://www.scotland.gov.uk/library2/doc04/ls bp-00.htm

Curriculum. (1992). Speak up An antibullying resource pack. Dundee: SCCC. Scottish Council for Research in Education. (1993). Supporting Schools Against Bullying. Edinburgh: SCRE. Slee, P. (1997). The P.E.A.C.E. Pack: Reducing bullying in our schools. Adelaide, South Australia: School of Education, Flinders University. Video Packs Brown, T. (1993). Broken toy. Bristol: Lucky Duck. Brown, T., Robinson, G., & Maines, B. (1998). But names will never hurt me. Bristol: Lucky Duck. Department of Education and Employment. (2000). Dont suffer in silence: An antibullying pack for schools. London: HMSO. Robinson, G., & Maines, B. (1992). Stamp out bullying. Bristol: Lucky Duck. Video Films Hands on bullying. (1998). Tony Jewes

Resource packs Resource Packs & Videos for Schools


Policy & Awareness Raising Packs Besag, V. (1992). We dont have bullies here! 57 Manor House Road, Jesmond, Newcastleupon-Tyne, NE2 2LY. Browne, K. (1995). Bully off: Towards a whole new ball game of relationships in schools. First and Best in Education Ltd. Foundation for Peace Studies, Aotearoa / New Zealand. (1994). Cool Schools Mediation Programme. Auckland: Foundation for Peace Studies.

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Productions. The trouble with Tom. (1991). Central Independent Television Productions. Welcome to the dollhouse. (1995). (Produced by Donna Bascom & Todd Solandz). (Feature length movie: over 15s).

Facilitation skills to be developed through this Chapter


Knowledge and understanding of:

the difference between school violence phenomena and other phenomena that increase the risk of violence and that are sometimes confused with it

Dealing With Indiscipline and Disruption

educational interventions that are recommended in order that these problems do not lead to violence

Objectives of Chapter 2.6

To explore and understand the different problems relating to interpersonal relationships that can occur in schools and classrooms, and that entail a risk for school violence

strategies for coping with interpersonal conflict, disruption and indiscipline

Personal qualities and attributes include:

keeping a reflective and critical attitude to the analysis of conflicts, lack of discipline, disruption and problems with poor levels of motivation

To distinguish between interpersonal conflict, lack of discipline and disruption

To develop an awareness of the educational strategies available to prevent these kinds of problems

taking an active part in the task of working in the cooperative and plenary groups

To acquire the self-confidence to solve these kinds of problems appropriately

adopting a constructive position when faced with other participants opinions

To reflect on the different ways of


teaching in response to this diverse reality

adapting the knowledge acquired during the Chapter to specific contexts where participants professional activities are developed

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Pre-chapter reading
Cotton, K. (2001). Schoolwide and classroom discipline. School Improvement Research Series. Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory. Retrieved May 3, 2006, from (http://www.nwrel.org/scpd/sirs/5/cu9.html) Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation. (1995). Children and violence: Report of the Commission in Children and Violence convened by the Gulbenkian Foundation. London: Author. del Rey, R., Snchez, V., & Ortega, R. (2004). Resistencias, conflictos y dificultades de la convivencia. In R. Ortega & R. del Rey (Eds.), Construir la convivencia (pp. 193-203). Barcelona: Edeb. Scherer, M., Gersch, I., & Fry, L. (1992). Meeting disruptive behaviour. London: Routledge. Skiba, R.J. & Peterson, R.L. (2000). School discipline at a Crossroads: From Zero Tolerance to Early Response. Exceptional Children, 66, 335-347.

Summary of current thinking and knowledge about dealing with indiscipline and disruption
In recent decades, there has been an increase in research into aggressive behaviour in schools. Research has highlighted this as an issue for schools with children of all ages, including preschoolers (e.g., Monks, Smith, & Swettenham, 2003; Ortega & Monks, 2005; Perren & Alsaker, 2006). In some countries, educational programmes have been developed to address school violence and bullying and have resulted in the appearance of local and national educational policies against violence in schools (Smith, 2002). The majority of these educational policies focus on prevention by means of improving the school climate and the relationships among all of the members of the school (see Chapter 1.1). To carry out this goal, it is important to understand the school as a complex context of interpersonal relationships. Sometimes, problems among school community members (e.g., teachers, students, families) can facilitate the appearance of violence in schools. For this reason, it is important to know and to understand what kinds of problems may exist in our schools and the ways to address them in order to prevent violence. The scientific literature has commonly highlighted three main problems that can be related to violence in schools, namely

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interpersonal conflicts, lack of discipline and disruption problems (Cotton, 2001; Dwyer, Osher, & Warger, 1998; Elliot, 1991; Gottfredson, Gottfredson & Hybl, 1993; Lawrence, Steed, & Younth, 1977; McManus, 1995; Ortega, 1998; Skiba & Peterson, 1999, 2000). When these problems affect schools, there is a feeling of unrest among the teachers. Daily life in schools becomes more difficult and behavioural problems, such as lack of motivation, start to become mixed with academic ones. When these things happen in schools, it is very easy to understand the difficulty of analysing the real origin of all of the problems the teachers mention. Instead of looking for the causes, sometimes it is better to concentrate all efforts on finding the solutions to these problems. Furthermore, as Smith, Rigby and Pepler (2004) note, it is important to start dealing with these problems from the point when children begin school or preschool and to continue to address these interpersonal and behavioural issues throughout schooling. The way in which they are dealt with will depend on the developmental level of the children involved. However, we feel that it is possible to work with pupils of all ages in tackling conflicts, lack of discipline and disruption. The first step to address conflicts, lack of discipline and disruption problems is to differentiate them clearly because causes, consequences, and lines of intervention, are different depending on the case. One of the basic principles for the functioning of an educational intervention is the identification of

the situation or behaviour that is going to be the focus of that intervention. This first point, that on many occasions may seem obvious, may, in the case of school violence, be a difficult task that can be confounded by other phenomena that occur in classes and that, although they can be a risk for violent behaviour by the pupil, we cannot view them as being the same as school violence. As well, these behaviour problems in class can, on many occasions, be involved in the origins of school violence, which manifests itself in education centres or in the educational task itself. With the objective of helping to make the training session more dynamic, in this summary we tackle the differentiation between conflict, discipline, indiscipline and disruption. Conflict Conflict is inherent in the social life of human beings, since on many occasions our interests and personal positions, with relation to a need, a situation, an object or an intention, are in contrast with the interests and the positions of others. This confrontation, in our opinion and that of others, can be resolved through nonviolent means through dialogue and negotiation, under which we encounter the socio-moral disposition and the possibility of ceding or changing our interest or personal position for the other or for something between the two. However, on occasions conflict is not resolved by dialogue and negotiation, rather the tools that we use to resolve it are aggressive behaviours. In this case, conflicts can be considered as a risk for

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school violence (del Rey, Snchez, & Ortega, 2004; Ortega, 1998). Therefore, conflict can be considered as a dichotomous element of growth and lack of growth of social relations, since faced with a tension of interests we can resolve the conflict through different means: negotiation or conflict. In this way, conflict is not negative in itself, completely the opposite; it can be the starting point for pupils personal and social development, when they are taught adequate means to resolve their own conflicts. That is to say, that conflict needs to be considered as an opportunity to advance together towards understanding, from a basis of mutual respect. In order that a good resolution of conflict exists, it is not always necessary that both parties take an intermediate position or that one of them cedes and agrees with the other. A good resolution of conflict is also based on the fact that it is not necessary for anyone to cede in order to resolve the conflict, but that the resolution of conflict is found through negotiation and dialogue. Knowing how to enter a dialogue with others about divergent interests is already a positive advance in conflict, even if a consensus is not reached, since non-violent tools are being used to solve differences. In summary, it is not always necessary to be in agreement with the other person. On the other hand, we must know that on many occasions, pupils resolve their conflicts with violence, because they have learnt that the best way of resolving disagreements with

their peers is by using aggressive behaviours. That is to say that the strongest or most socially skilled individuals impose themselves on the other in the confrontation. It is in this moment when conflicts can provoke school violence, since pupils learn to resolve their differences using aggression. What is important is to know that conflict is not negative in itself, but that the form of resolving it can be. Conflict in classrooms can be useful to develop the abilities of dialogue and negotiation and at the same time to learn how to control aggression. Discipline To analyse discipline is to understand much about the conflicts and behaviour problems that are encountered in the school and how they relate to order and control. In general, it is possible to identify two ways of considering discipline depending on your main purpose: the control of pupils or the training of them. In the first, discipline is considered as a necessity for controlling the behaviour of pupils (the teachers want the pupils to be still and quiet in the classroom) or for the need to establish control as a necessary condition for the development of learning in the classroom (a certain order is necessary to establish the process of teaching and learning). In the second, discipline is considered as a means of fostering the training of pupils. That is to say that the way of managing discipline teaches the pupils ways of behaving, values and coping strategies. In this way, depending on the type of disciplinary management that is established

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in the class, we can foster different effects in the development and learning of the pupils. Using discipline as control is translated into the establishment of norms and rules to regulate the behaviour of the pupils by adults, as well as the corresponding sanctions for the transgression of these norms and rules. On the other hand, with discipline as a way of training, order and control are promoted in each subject as a process of development of their critical thinking, seeing discipline as the means to facilitate this development. That is to say that while the first view is based on the external control of behaviour, the second treats it as an internal process. From this perspective, and merging the different approaches, we have defined school discipline as a complex phenomenon of an instrumental character that pursues two objectives, that is, both the order and the control of the behaviour of the members of an educational community, fundamentally of the pupils, for which, educational strategies are necessary. Furthermore, discipline looks for the necessary conditions with which to establish the process of teaching and learning, including the sociomoral education of the student body, in order for their social integration in a responsible, critical and civic manner. Indiscipline The complexity of the analysis of discipline disappears when we tackle school indiscipline.

Indiscipline refers to the behaviours of pupils which do not comply with the norms and rules established within control and order. Therefore, indiscipline is the individual behaviour of a pupil who transgresses the norms of behaviour. The scientific literature on school indiscipline identifies two main types of cause: on one hand causes centred on the individual and on the other, causes centred on the group dynamics. The causes centred on the individual study the characteristics and personal circumstances of each of the pupils who breaks the norms and rules of behaviour in the classroom. Among the most important factors that we encounter are a lack of motivation, low self-esteem, level of cognitive development that is not reasonable for the demands of self-control on the part of the disciplinary system, family instability, and finally the low quality of the surroundings in which the students live. The causes centred on the group dynamic consider the analysis of discipline from a systemic perspective, defining the vicious circle of indiscipline (Lawrence, Steed & Younth, 1977). These authors argued that incidents of indiscipline generate a malaise in the teacher who reacts by taking more control, which in turn has the potential to make pupils undisciplined behaviours reappear. Another of the key elements in the group dynamic is the poor relations between the teachers at the centre since there may not be a clear agreement about the management of discipline amongst the teaching staff. The

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pupils do not know how to behave and, in addition, on occasions they take advantage of these differences for their own benefit, provoking more confrontations between the teachers, who in turn react with more control or with greater differences in control. Another of the factors within the group dynamic is the lack of preparation of the teacher to cope with discipline in the classrooms (Barrett & Davis, 1995; Pilarski, 1994), principally in new teachers (Emmer, 1994; Kearney, Plax, Sorenson, & Smith, 1988) managing problems of indiscipline in an authoritarian manner, which increases the problem.

control over their pupils by introducing security measures at the entrance of the schools (Dwyer, Osher, & Warger, 1998; Skiba & Peterson, 2000). In this way, they have reinforced and expanded the surroundings of the centres. There are metal detectors, CCTV, police officers, etc. However, until now, this increase in measures of control has not demonstrated effectiveness in decreasing violence or indiscipline and disruption of pupils in these educational centres. Disruption Disruption alludes to those behaviours of a

The relation between discipline and indiscipline Scientific reviews about discipline show us that in the majority of cases, teachers use punitive responses as sanctions in situations of indiscipline (Skiba & Peterson, 1999). Punitive responses (expulsion or punishment) provoke an increase in the episodes of indiscipline by pupils, who react with more aggression and rule breaking in the face of punishment. The use of punitive responses does not produce more control and order in the classroom, since it increases the difference in power between the teacher and the pupils. This large differentiation provokes an authoritarian climate within the classroom, resulting in an increase in conflicts between the teacher and pupils. On occasions, disciplinary sanctions appear before the occurrence of problems. For example, schools in the United States of America have developed a plan of maximum

group of pupils in the classroom that impede the normal development of the class. The behaviours that can be considered as being disruptive range from a lack of cooperation, disobedience and provocation to aggression (Tattum, 1989). These behaviours principally affect the process of teaching and learning, that is to say being able to carry out academic tasks within the class (Ortega & del Rey, 2001). The teacher cannot teach and the pupils cannot learn. This means that disruption becomes an academic problem in the classrooms where it occurs. On the other hand, it also affects discipline since disruptive behaviours are transgressions of the norms and rules of behaviour in the classroom, which the teacher has to use time to control. This means that on numerous occasions the teacher increases disciplinary control. However, the origin of most of the problems of disruption is the lack of motivation by the student body to learn. If a child or adolescent

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Cowie, H., Jennifer, D., Chankova, D., Poshtova, T., Deklerck, J., Deboutte, G., Ertesvg, S. K., Samuelsen, A. S., O'Moore, M., Minton, S. J., Ortega, R. & Sanchez, V. (2006)

does not have any interest in what they are doing in class and are there for five or six hours in a row, this means that they invent things to occupy this time. Usually, these forms of occupying their time provoke a malaise in the teachers and the rest of the student body, not only because of the lack of involvement in learning, but also because they usually negatively affect the process of teaching and learning of others. The aim of this Chapter is to develop a deeper understanding of interpersonal conflicts, lack of discipline and disruption in school and to reflect upon the ways of intervening.

Sequence of activities for Chapter 2.6


In a similar vein to Chapter 1.1, different tasks will be carried out in which we will ask for participants active collaboration and participation. This sequence considers the conception of teaching-learning processes as a social construction. To support this kind of learning we propose that participants start with an individual task and continue with cooperative work in small groups. This will be followed by a plenary session to enable participants to share the conclusions of the small group work with the rest of the participants. Finally, the facilitator will clarify and close the Chapter with a summary of the work carried out. This Chapter represents a one-day training plus breaks.

Responsibilities of the Chapter facilitators:


Your tasks during the Chapter are to:

Send information to all participants about when and where the sessions will be held and a copy of the prereading texts

Activity 1 Speaking With Ourselves (30 minutes)


Purpose

Read and understand the contents of the Chapter and the material you have for the development of the Chapter

To enable participants to identify the behaviour problems that can be found in schools and classrooms that entail a risk for school violence

Plan the session to meet the needs of the participants Ensure that all relevant resources/materials are copied and prepared

Materials Notebooks Pens

Lead the session and all of the tasks

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Cowie, H., Jennifer, D., Chankova, D., Poshtova, T., Deklerck, J., Deboutte, G., Ertesvg, S. K., Samuelsen, A. S., O'Moore, M., Minton, S. J., Ortega, R. & Sanchez, V. (2006)

Procedure Ask each participant to think about and to write down two to four examples of behaviour problems that he or she has come across in school and in the classroom and that, according to him or her, might be risk factors for the appearance of school violence. Ask participants to identify the behaviour that each example represents, that is, to label each behaviour interpersonal conflict, lack of discipline or disruption. Ask participants to document their examples in detail (e.g., where and when it happened, location, who was involved, what happened next) since this will make the following tasks of the small group and the plenary group easier. If anyone is having difficulty with the task, the facilitator can give participants guidance. For example, the facilitator could ask him or her, What do your pupils sometimes do, either to interrupt the class or to provoke the teacher and classmates that leaves you feeling either disturbed or offended? Debrief See Activity 5.

Activity 2 Speaking and creating with others (90 minutes)


Purpose

To enable participants to identify the features of behaviour problems in school and the reasons why they might pose a risk factor for school violence

To distinguish between conflict, lack of discipline and disruption

Materials Resource 1 Behaviour problems, features and risks Overhead transparencies Overhead pens Procedure The groups of participants can be composed of four or five members, but it is advisable that the members of the groups do not work at the same institution or have too many things in common for the work to be more fruitful. In this way, calculate how many groups you will be able to form depending on the total number of participants. For example, you would have six groups of five people each if you had a total number of participants of 30. In this case, you should number the participants from one to six, and once each person has been given a number, ask them to form a group

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Project 129352-CP-1-2006-1-DE-COMENIUS-C21 www.vistop.org

Cowie, H., Jennifer, D., Chankova, D., Poshtova, T., Deklerck, J., Deboutte, G., Ertesvg, S. K., Samuelsen, A. S., O'Moore, M., Minton, S. J., Ortega, R. & Sanchez, V. (2006)

with others who have the same number. Ask each participant in turn to share the results of their individual task work, including the labels that he or she has assigned to each problem behaviour, with the rest of their group. Each of the other participants should write down whether or not he or she agrees with the way the example has been labelled. Once all members of the group have shared their individual task work, after about 30 minutes, they should debate the features of each of the examples and try to make a list of the behaviour problems that can lead to school violence, as well as the reasons why this risk is supposed using Resource 1 Behaviour problems, features and risks. Participants should be encouraged to challenge each other if they disagree with how another participant has labelled a particular behaviour problem. At this point, it would be a good idea for the group to choose a coordinator to present the work of the small group work in the plenary task. This person will write everything down in detail to present to the plenary session later. If it is possible, it would be very useful to have transparencies and pens for transparencies, so that each group can make their table on transparencies to show during the plenary task. Debrief See Activity 5.

Activity 3 Matching Behaviour Problems with Strategies for Prevention (60 minutes)
Purpose

To encourage participants to think critically about the different strategies for coping with interpersonal conflict, disruption and indiscipline

Materials Completed Resource sheets from Activity 2 Resource 2 Behaviour Problems and Strategies for Prevention Procedure Taking the completed Resource 1 sheets from Activity 2, this activity will continue the work of the small groups. Taking the behaviour problems identified in Activity 2, ask each group to identify which strategy or range of strategies would be effective for addressing and/or preventing each of the behaviours and ask them to note them down using Resource 2 Behaviour Problems and Strategies for Prevention. Encourage groups to reflect upon the wide range of strategies available, that might include classroom based, school based, pupil led, teacher led, agency led, government led, for example. The coordinator for each small group should add their findings to the

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Cowie, H., Jennifer, D., Chankova, D., Poshtova, T., Deklerck, J., Deboutte, G., Ertesvg, S. K., Samuelsen, A. S., O'Moore, M., Minton, S. J., Ortega, R. & Sanchez, V. (2006)

transparencies from Activity 1 for the presentations in the plenary session. Debrief See Activity 5.

groups cooperative work. Once the explanations are completed, the facilitator (as Chair) will open a debate about issues raised, drawing out the agreements and disagreements, to which the rest of the participants (the audience) will be invited to take part. In addition to discussing points raised from the small group work presentations, the debate should include a discussion about the role of the educational response to these kinds of problems and the lines of preventive intervention available to address and prevent the risk of school violence. Each coordinator will have about ten minutes to explain his or her group work and the rest of the time will be dedicated to the global debate. The facilitator needs to ensure that each coordinator does not take more than ten minutes for their cooperative group presentation and that the contributions during the following debate are not too long in order to allow as many people as possible to participate. If individual participants are reluctant to participate, the facilitator can ask the coordinators to justify or explain some of their conclusions slowly, and ask the rest of the participants if they agree or disagree. The facilitator must ensure the debate does not focus on one problem, rather they must encourage discussion of a variety of behaviour problems that entail a risk for school violence and their causes. The facilitator should ensure that the debate ends with a discussion about the most convenient lines of intervention to prevent the risk of violence in schools. For support in this, the facilitator can use the

Activity 4 Sharing and building our knowledge, ideas and values (90 minutes)
Purpose

To enable participants to debate the different behaviour problems that present a risk for school violence

To enable participants to discuss the role of educational strategies available to address these kinds of problems

Materials Overhead projector Procedure The facilitator should arrange the chairs to ensure that each small group coordinator sits in front of the plenary group, since the activity simulates a television debate about the different behaviour problems that pose risks for school violence. Each of the coordinators sitting in front of the rest of the participants will explain one by one the conclusions of their

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Cowie, H., Jennifer, D., Chankova, D., Poshtova, T., Deklerck, J., Deboutte, G., Ertesvg, S. K., Samuelsen, A. S., O'Moore, M., Minton, S. J., Ortega, R. & Sanchez, V. (2006)

presentation slides from Activity 4. Debrief See Activity 5.

in the cooperative group work and the debate, and making links with the theoretical issues raised in the pre-reading and the summary. Following the presentation, participants will have the opportunity to raise any questions or make any comments regarding the presentation and the results of the activities.

Activity 5 Consolidating Meanings (Debrief) (60 minutes)


Purpose

References
Barrett, E. R., & Davis, S. (1995). Perceptions of beginning teachers inservice needs in classroom management. Teacher, Education and Practice, 11(1), 22-27. Cotton, K. (2001). Schoolwide and classroom discipline. School Improvement Research Series. Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory. Retrieved May 3, 2006, from (http://www.nwrel.org/scpd/sirs/5/cu9.html) del Rey, R., Snchez, V., & Ortega, R. (2004).

To present a synthesis of the behaviour problems that entail a risk for school violence, their features, the reasons they propose a risk and the range of strategies available to address these problems

To debrief participants on the work of the Chapter

Materials Overhead Projector Resource 3 Presentation (or facilitators own) printed onto overhead transparencies

Resistencias, conflictos y dificultades de la convivencia. In R. Ortega & R. del Rey (Eds.), Construir la convivencia (pp, 193-203). Barcelona: Edeb. Dwyer, K., Osher, D., & Warger, C. (1998).

Procedure During this activity, the facilitator will present the presentation outlined in Resource 3 Presentation, or a presentation they have themselves created. It is important that the facilitator synthesises the results of the activities, drawing upon the examples arising

Early warning, timely response: A guide to safe schools. Washington, DC: Department of Education. Elliot, J. (1991). Action research for educational change. Buckingham: Open University Press. Emmer, E. T. (1994). Towards an

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Cowie, H., Jennifer, D., Chankova, D., Poshtova, T., Deklerck, J., Deboutte, G., Ertesvg, S. K., Samuelsen, A. S., O'Moore, M., Minton, S. J., Ortega, R. & Sanchez, V. (2006)

understanding of the primacy of classroom management and discipline. Teaching Education, 6(1), 65-69. Gottfredson, D. C., Gottfredson, G. D., & Hybl, L. G. (1993). Managing adolescent behavior: A multiyear, multischool study. American Educational Research Journal, 30, 179-215. Kearny, P., Plax, T. G., Sorenson, G., & Smith, V. R. (1988). Experienced and prospective teachers selections of compliance-gaining messages for common student misbehaviours. Communication Education, 37, 150-164. Lawrence, J., Steed, D., & Younth, P. (1977). Disruptive behaviour in a secondary school. Educational Studies, Monograph 1. London: University of London, Goldsmiths College. McManus, M. (1995). Troublesome behaviour in the classroom. London: Routledge. Monks, C. P., Smith, P. K., & Swettenham, J. (2003). Aggressors, victims and defenders in preschool: Peer, self and teacher reports. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, 49, 453-469. Ortega, R. (1998) ndisciplina o violencia? El problema de los malos tratos entre escolares. Perspectivas, XXVIII(4), 645 - 659. Ortega, R. & del Rey, R. (2001). Aciertos y desaciertos del Proyecto Sevilla Anti-violencia Escolar (SAVE). Revista de Educacin, 324,

253-270. Ortega, R., & Monks, C. P. (2005). Agresividad injustificada entre preescolares: un estudio preliminar. Psicothema, 17, 453458. Perren, S., & Alsaker, F. D. (2006). Social behavior and peer relationships of victims, bully-victims, and bullies in kindergarten. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 47, 45-57. Pilarski, M. J. (1994). Student teachers: Underprepared for classroom management? Teaching Education, 6(1), 77-80. Skiba, R. J., & Peterson, R. L. (1999). The dark side of zero tolerance: Can punishment lead to safe schools? Phi Delta Kappa, 80, 372-382. Skiba, R.J., & Peterson, R.L. (2000). School discipline at a crossroads: From zero tolerance to early response. Exceptional Children, 66, 335-347. Smith, P. K. (2002). Violence in schools: The response in Europe. London: RoutledgeFalmer. Smith, P. K., Rigby, K., & Pepler, D. (Eds.). (2004). Bullying in schools: How effective can interventions be? Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Tattum, D. P. (1989). Disruptive pupil

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Cowie, H., Jennifer, D., Chankova, D., Poshtova, T., Deklerck, J., Deboutte, G., Ertesvg, S. K., Samuelsen, A. S., O'Moore, M., Minton, S. J., Ortega, R. & Sanchez, V. (2006)

management. London: David Fulton Publishers.

performance. Educational Psychology, 25(2 3), 183198. Marchesi, A. (2001). Los alumnos con escasa motivacin para aprendera, en A. Marchesi, C. Coll y J. Palacios. Desarrollo psicolgico, vol. 3. Madrid: Alianza.

Further reading and additional materials


Books and Articles

Midthassel, U. V. & Bru, E. (1998). Hndbok i Damsgrd, H. L. (2003). Med pne yne. Observasjon og tiltak i skolens arbeid med problematferd. Oslo: Cappelen Akademiske Forlag. Deur, J. L., & Parke, R. D. (1970). Effects of inconsistent punishment on aggression in children. Developmental Psychology, 2, 403411. Nordahl, T. (2005). Lringsmilj og Ekstrom, R.B., Goertz, M. E., Pollack, J. M., & Rock, D. A. (1986). Who drops out of high school and why? Findings from a national study. Teachers College Record, 87, 357-73. Ortega, R., & del Rey, R. (2003). La violencia Hristov, N. (2002). Children at Risk, Sofia. , . (2002). , . Osler, A. (2000). Childrens rights, House, A. (2005). Managing challenging behaviour. Ofsted: London. (http://www.parentscentre.gov.uk/_files/D560 E97E737C5AD26907F24B27D7A4F2.pdf) Oswald, K., Safran, S., & Johanson, G. (2005). Luiselli, J. K., Putnam, R. F., Handler, M. W., & Feinberg, A. B. (2005). Whole-school positive behaviour support: Effects on student discipline problems and academic Preventing trouble: Making schools safer places using positive behavior supports. Education & Treatment of Children, 28, 265279. responsibilities and understandings of school discipline. Research Papers in Education, 15(1), 49-67. escolar. Estrategias de prevencin. Barcelona: Gra. pedagogisk analyse En beskrivelse og evaluering av LP-modellen. Oslo: Rapport 19/05, NOVA. , . (2004). , , 4, 15-20. Mirazchiiski, P. (2004). Calculation of Risk, Social Education, 4, 15-20. klasseledelse. Stavanger, Hgskolen i Stavanger, Senter for atferdsforskning.

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Pancheva, E. (2002). Alternative Models of Work with Children with Deviant Behaviour, Social Education, 1, 43-45. , . ( 2002). , 1, 43-45. Psunder, M. (2005). Identification of discipline violations and its role in planning corrective and preventive discipline in school. Educational Studies, 31, 335-345. Rangelova, G. (2005). Student Teams for Prevention, Social Education, 3, 4-7.

Vermont Taskforce on School Violence. Vermont Department of Education http://www.state.vt.us/educ/new/pdfdoc/pgm _safeschools/pubs/school_violence_98.pdf Tinnesand, T. (in press). Tiltaksutvikling basert p forstelse og kunnskap. Analysemodeller som stimulerer refleksive lreprosesser. Statpeds skriftserie. Vaaland, G. S. (Ed.). (2003). Hyt spill om samspill: snu vanskelige klasser. Stavanger, Senter for atferdsforskning, Hgskolen i Stavanger. Websites

, . ( 2005) , , 3, 4-7. Samuelsen, A. S. (in press). Lrerfokus i klasseromsobservasjon. Norsk skolepsykologi. Thoms, P. W. (1998). Preventing and responding to school disruption and violence. Recommendations and guidelines of the http://www.state.vt.us/educ/new/html/pgm_s afeschools.html http://sitc.education.ed.ac.uk/Dealing_With_D isruption/ http://www.teachernet.gov.uk/wholeschool/be haviour/exclusion/gettingitright/

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Cowie, H., Jennifer, D., Chankova, D., Poshtova, T., Deklerck, J., Deboutte, G., Ertesvg, S. K., Samuelsen, A. S., O'Moore, M., Minton, S. J., Ortega, R. & Sanchez, V. (2006)

Resource packs Resource 1 Behaviour problems, features and risks


PROBLEMS Lack of motivation REASONS TO BE A RISK FOR SCHOOL VIOLENCE When pupils do not find reasons to study and they remain in school for many hours, they can use violent acts to stop the normal development of the class. Not solving conflicts among individuals in the school can be a focus for school violence Conflicts not solved because during this time small misunderstandings begin to grow. In this way, communication and dialogue are each time more difficult to address and the probability of the appearance of school violence is higher. Disruption Sometimes traditional or monotonous didactic methods are the origin of disorder behaviours, which at the time can be causes of school violence episodes. Rules are necessary in a school community and should be known and accepted by all Lack of discipline individuals. When pupils do not understand the reasons for some specific rules, they tend to disrespect them. These kinds of situations are sometimes the origin of school violence events.

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Project 129352-CP-1-2006-1-DE-COMENIUS-C21 www.vistop.org

Cowie, H., Jennifer, D., Chankova, D., Poshtova, T., Deklerck, J., Deboutte, G., Ertesvg, S. K., Samuelsen, A. S., O'Moore, M., Minton, S. J., Ortega, R. & Sanchez, V. (2006)

Resource 2 Behaviour Problems and Strategies for Prevention


Behaviour problem Strategies for prevention

Resource 3 Presentation
For the presentation of the conclusions of the session, the facilitator can make use of the following guide, which summarizes the work carried out in Chapter 2.6. Why is it important to clarify behaviour problems in class?

Behaviour problems are the face of other issues which are diverse in nature and are usually hidden Behaviour problems have a diversity of origins, and therefore need different responses

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Cowie, H., Jennifer, D., Chankova, D., Poshtova, T., Deklerck, J., Deboutte, G., Ertesvg, S. K., Samuelsen, A. S., O'Moore, M., Minton, S. J., Ortega, R. & Sanchez, V. (2006)

It is necessary to dominate theoretical principles in order to be successful in practice If we do not confront pupils behaviour problems, as teachers we may feel disillusioned with the process of education, we may lose our enthusiasm, lose support, and feel depressed, anxious, among other consequences

What are the behaviour problems that we can find in the classroom?

The behaviour problems must be analysed within interpersonal relations Different interpersonal relations are established within the school environment

o o o

Between teachers Between pupils Between pupils and teachers

If we focus on the last two, we can encounter behaviour problems such as:

o o o o o

Conflicts Discipline Indiscipline Disruption School violence

What are conflicts?

Conflict assumes a confrontation between the interests and positions of two or more people Conflict can be resolved in a positive and negative way The positive or negative aspect of the resolution is related to the use of dialogue and negotiation or aggression It is positive when it means that the parties who are in conflict have the possibility to move together towards an understanding or definition of the relation they have. Thanks to putting in play: Respect Empathy Dialogue Negotiation The possibility of conceding

o o o o o

It is negative when one of the parties or both use aggression to resolve it

If we analyse aggression it can be:

Verbal or physical

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Cowie, H., Jennifer, D., Chankova, D., Poshtova, T., Deklerck, J., Deboutte, G., Ertesvg, S. K., Samuelsen, A. S., O'Moore, M., Minton, S. J., Ortega, R. & Sanchez, V. (2006)

Manifested by the imposition of an opinion or criteria Learning that aggression solves conflicts Etc.

Aggression assumes that:


What is discipline?

Not knowing how to resolve conflict in a positive way Not respecting others Being selfish Imposing your opinion on others or hurting them Etc.

It is the complete process that assumes the establishment of norms and rules for control and order within the classroom Discipline can have two objectives:

o o

The order and control of pupils Training of pupils

Both objectives have, at least, as a final purpose to establish the necessary conditions in the classroom so that the teacher can teach and the pupils can learn

What is indiscipline?

It is individual behaviour by pupils who transgress the norms of behaviour There are two main types of cause:

Individual

Studying the personal characteristics and circumstances of those pupils who break the norms and rules of behaviour in the classroom Among the most important factors are:

o
Group dynamic

Lack of motivation Low self esteem A level of cognitive development that is not adjusted to the demands of self control Family instability Low quality of surroundings where the pupils live

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Cowie, H., Jennifer, D., Chankova, D., Poshtova, T., Deklerck, J., Deboutte, G., Ertesvg, S. K., Samuelsen, A. S., O'Moore, M., Minton, S. J., Ortega, R. & Sanchez, V. (2006)

A vicious circle of indiscipline: the problems of indiscipline provoke malaise in the teachers who react with more norms and rules and more sanctions Poor relations between the teachers: there is no one unique criteria of norms and rules of behaviour Lack of preparation of the teacher: insecurity provokes the teacher to impose more norms and rules to control the pupils

What is disruption?

It is behaviour by a group of pupils in class that impedes the normal functioning of the classroom Disruption means that it is not possible to teach or learn in the classroom It is a behaviour problem, but it also becomes an academic problem It means that teachers increase disciplinary control The main cause is a lack of motivation in the pupils It is not aggression towards the teacher

Why can conflict, indiscipline and disruption be a risk for the appearance of school violence?

They mean an increase in poor interpersonal relations Most of these problems are displayed as aggressive behaviours towards others Pupils learn to use aggression to get what they want It leads to a deterioration of the convivencia within the school The pupils do not learn to resolve problems in a constructive and peaceful manner Etc.

What strategies can we use to resolve these problems?

Conflicts:

Strategies can be very different from each other, what is important is that they aim to develop respect, dialogue and negotiation as tools to resolve conflicts. For example:

Establishing cooperative group dynamics so that the pupils have to work with dialogue and negotiation Promoting debates in the classroom with social contents and cultural relevance

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Cowie, H., Jennifer, D., Chankova, D., Poshtova, T., Deklerck, J., Deboutte, G., Ertesvg, S. K., Samuelsen, A. S., O'Moore, M., Minton, S. J., Ortega, R. & Sanchez, V. (2006)

Carrying out debates with contents that are proposed by the pupils themselves Establishing a context from within which to resolve conflicts in a social way. Very clear rules should be established so that those pupils who have a conflict can present it to their classmates so that they can also give an opinion

Establishing a mediation programme for conflict resolution. In many of these mediation programmes the pupils themselves are mediators

Discipline-Indiscipline:

The best strategy to prevent indiscipline is based on improving discipline, that is to say, how do we develop a good system of norms and rules?

Norms and rules have to be clear and unambiguous The teachers also have to respect the norms and rules The teaching team have to try to have the same norms and rules, at least in those groups that share teachers The norms have to be revised so that they are appropriate to new circumstances One must not impose more norms and rules as a response to the problems of indiscipline In as many ways as possible, the pupils must participate in the development of the rules and norms. Participating does not mean deciding them all. Other than the basic norms, the students can contribute by adapting and negotiating them

We must attempt to ensure that the pupils themselves agree the corresponding sanctions to each broken rule. Pupils are usually more strict than the teachers


Disruption:

Do not vary the sanctions from one student to another: the sanctions must be justified by the undisciplined behaviour or not of the pupil Etc.

The strategies for preventing disruption problems are oriented to give the response to problems of lack of motivation of the pupils. For this, we recommend:

Carry out an analysis about who is not motivated and why Evaluate whether the type of teaching is motivating, above all the methodological resources that teachers are using Know what the pupils are interested in learning

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Cowie, H., Jennifer, D., Chankova, D., Poshtova, T., Deklerck, J., Deboutte, G., Ertesvg, S. K., Samuelsen, A. S., O'Moore, M., Minton, S. J., Ortega, R. & Sanchez, V. (2006)

Be flexible in the curriculum

Negotiate the contents with the pupils so that they feel that they are participants Give a sense to the learning that pupils have to carry out, principally within the social reality in which they are living Eliminate competition in the process of learning Use many reinforcing techniques Their self esteem Their capacity for frustration Their attributions of success and failure

At the level of the pupils we must work on:

Create spaces, activities and tasks that allow the pupils to be able to express their competencies and abilities

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