The research evidence is growing that cyberbullying on cellphones and in social sites is more symptomatic of what's going on at school than a separate problem on the Internet. The US Department of Education's report for the 2008-'09 school year shows a high correlation between cyberbullying and physical bullying at school: "A higher percentage of students ages 12 through 18 who reported being … [Read more...] about Cyberbullying’s offline roots: Research
cyberbullying
How teens view ‘the drama’
I've written a lot about "the drama" at school as a context for bullying and cyberbullying, suggesting that we can help our kids build resilience and avoid trouble by helping them get a little emotional distance from it. A commentary in the New York Times by social media researchers danah boyd and Alice Marwick clarifies what teenagers themselves think of drama. First, it's not all bad. It's … [Read more...] about How teens view ‘the drama’
Kids deserve the truth about cyberbullying
When Justin Patchin, professor and co-director of the Cyberbullying Research Center, talks to high school students in school assemblies, he asks them to give him an estimate of what percentage of teens have cyberbullied someone. "Somebody will shout out a number like 60 or 70%. Then I ask them, ok, raise your hand if you think it's higher than that, and the vast majority will raise their hands, … [Read more...] about Kids deserve the truth about cyberbullying
Practical steps on the way to a school culture of respect
We hear a lot about the need to change school culture in order to defeat bullying and cyberbullying. But how? PBIS does not cut it for middle school teacher Daniel Witz. In a commentary in the Washington Post, Witz critiques the well-known Oregon-based anti-bullying program PBIS (Positive Behavioral Interventions & Supports) as practiced at his school, then offers an alternative: "10 steps to … [Read more...] about Practical steps on the way to a school culture of respect
Help for parents of kids dealing with bullying
"When a child mentions schoolyard dialog that sounds almost surreal, or reveals an eyebrow raising text message and asks, 'ok, so what would you say to THIS?' I want to be able to apply calm, social emotional learning rather than have analysis paralysis with stunned, kneejerk reactions to blunt, crude one-liners, thinking 'wth? did they really just say that? Yougawdabekiddinme' More often than not … [Read more...] about Help for parents of kids dealing with bullying