1. Alisha Vaughn, Professional School Counselor
OBPP Staff Training
Deerfield Elementary
Alisha Vaughn, Professional School Counselor
Welcome!
Invite BPCC members to stand &/or introduce themselves.
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3. Program Developer, Dan Olweus US Developer, Sue Limber
OBPP Staff Training
Program Developer, Dan Olweus
US Developer, Sue Limber
Intro Dan Olweus (Ol-VEY-Us):
Program developer
Considered the “father” of bullying research
Sue Limber—Clemson University, directed 1st implementation & evaluation of OBPP in US, early 1990’s.
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4. Program Components Parents Classroom School Community Individual
OBPP Staff Training
Program Components
Classroom
School
Parents
Community
Research shows bullying prevention needs to happen on multiple levels to be effective. The 4 Olweus program components are based on this & consist of:
+ school-level components
+ classroom-level components
+ individual-level components (working w/ individual students & their parents),
+ community-level components
CLICK MOUSE so that “parents” flies in.
Parents are very important for success of the Olweus program & are involved at all 4 levels.
Each of these components will be discussed.
Individual
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5. The Olweus Bullying Prevention Program IS...
OBPP Staff Training
The Olweus Bullying Prevention Program IS...
Designed for ALL students
Preventive AND responsive
Focused on changing norms and restructuring the school setting
Research-based
NOT time-limited: Requires systematic efforts over time
OBPP is a universal, school-wide effort-- involves all adults & students in school community (not just teachers, but admin., counselors, caf. staff, custodial staff, bus drivers, librarians, parents, & members of community who interact w/ school).
Focused on school as SYSTEM (& aspects of system that support or discourage bullying) & also on INDIVIDUAL behavior.
Concerned w/ preventing bullying, AND dealing w/ bullying problems that arise.
Focused on changing climate, social norms so that bullying isn’t “cool” & no children are marginalized or left on the “outside.”
Has strong & growing research base.
Importantly, has no end-date. Should be woven into the fabric of the school.
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6. Olweus Definition of Bullying:
OBPP Staff Training
Olweus Definition of Bullying:
“Bullying is when someone repeatedly and on purpose says or does mean or hurtful things to another person who has a hard time defending himself or herself.”
In the Teacher Guide & Schoolwide Guide, this is how bullying is defined….(SLIDE)
This definition also appears in parent program materials.
Be careful to avoid using terms “bully” & “victim” as much as possible when describing students. We want to avoid labels & focus on behavior.
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7. Three Key Components of Bullying Behavior
OBPP Staff Training
Three Key Components of Bullying Behavior
Involves an aggressive behavior
Typically involves a pattern of behavior repeated over time
Imbalance of power or strength
Bullying is characterized by 3 key components: (SLIDE)
Bullying is a form of aggression
Behavior is often repeated—though adults often are not aware of patterns until a serious event occurs. BUT, DO NOT wait for a pattern before responding! Address all negative behaviors immediately!
Unlike other forms of aggression, there is an imbalance of power or strength between child who is bullying & child who is being bullied.
Imbalance can be physical, but often is emotional or verbal & can be quite subtle.
Result: child who is being bullied is likely to have a difficult time defending himself or herself physically, verbally, emotionally…
References: SWG, p. xii; TG, pp , SWG CD Doc. 1, pp. 3-5; SWG DVD Pt. I & II
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8. Effects of Being Bullied
OBPP Staff Training
Effects of Being Bullied
Lower self-esteem
Depression & anxiety
Absenteeism & lowered school achievement
Thoughts of suicide
Illness
Bullying may seriously affect: (1) psychosocial functioning, (2) academic work, (3) health of children who are targeted—effects can be both short & long-term
Being bullied related to lower self-esteem, higher depression, loneliness, anxiety
Victims more likely to report wanting to avoid school, higher absenteeism rates (Rigby, 1996)
Report disliking school & received lower grades (Eisenberg et al., 2003)
Early peer exclusion (Kindergarten) leads to decreased classroom participation, & in turn to lowered academic achievement in 5th grade. (Buhs, et al., 2006)
Report more suicidal ideation than non-bullied peers. Though relatively rare, suicide has been linked to persistent bullying.
Suicidal ideation & depression appear more common among children experiencing indirect bullying (e.g., being ignored) than direct bullying (van der Wal et al., 2003)
Depression & low self-esteem can persist into adulthood.
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9. Effects of Bullying on Bystanders
OBPP Staff Training
Effects of Bullying on Bystanders
Bystanders may feel:
Afraid
Powerless to change the situation
Guilty for not acting
Diminished empathy for victims over time
We know bullying affects students who are bullied & those who bully others.
Why else be concerned? One other compelling reason is the effect that bullying may have on bystanders or witnesses to bullying, who make up a much larger proportion of students in a school.
Children who observe bullying going on around them may feel…(SLIDE).
Note: Reduced empathy can result in bystanders joining in/siding w/ child who bullies, rather than intervening to help or support bullied students.
Reference: TG, pp xii-xiv.
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10. School-Level Components
OBPP Staff Training
School-Level Components
Refer participants to chart, TG, p. 3
There are 8 school-level components of the Olweus program. Each will be discussed briefly.
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11. about bullying We will not bully others.
OBPP Staff Training
about bullying SP
(TG Doc #8)
We will not bully others.
We will try to help students who are bullied.
We will try to include students who are left out.
If we know that somebody is being bullied, we will tell an adult at school and an adult at home.
All schools have rules governing student behavior, but many do not explicitly address bullying.
Existing rules may not use the term, “bullying” & frequently omit indirect/subtle forms (e.g., social exclusion)—need to include full range of behaviors.
OBPP recommends schools adopt these 4 rules: (SLIDE)
Show Poster & table tents (SWG CD Docs ; TG CD Doc. 8).
Highlight info from SWG pp :
Only 1st rule addresses children who bully; remaining 3 focus on bystander behavior.
Expectation is that ALL students won’t bully AND will take action to help students who are bullied.
Rule #4 applies to students being bullied themselves (not just bystanders.)
Post in all areas & discuss in detail w/ staff, students & parents. These rules supplement not replace other school rules.
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12. Classroom-Level Components
OBPP Staff Training
Classroom-Level Components
Second “piece of puzzle”: classroom-level components.
This component is critical to program success & is why so many teachers need to participate on the BPCC!
W/out this piece, we won’t expect to see much change in bullying—so we’ll spend a fair amount of time here, focusing on your roles & the supports that the program & Committee can provide to help make this successful & not overwhelming.
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13. Classroom-Level Components
OBPP Staff Training
Classroom-Level Components
Post and enforce schoolwide rules against bullying
2. Hold regular class meetings
3. Hold meetings with students’ parents
School rules that we went over earlier will be posted & consistently enforced in the classroom, using positive & negative consequences, so they can be reinforced consistently by all adults.
We expect that Class meetings should be held weekly for full class period. Research findings: teachers who systematically held class meetings saw larger reductions in bullying after 1 year, than those who used them less, or not at all. Much more info. to follow.
Parent meetings The program recommends that teachers hold classroom-level (or grade/team-level) meetings w/ parents periodically during the year. We have begun working on how to do this & will be getting input from you about how to make this successful.
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14. Classroom-Level PARENT Meetings
OBPP Staff Training
Classroom-Level PARENT Meetings
Build connection and community
Helps parents learn more about OBPP
Hold meetings 2-3 times/year
Teachers in elem. grades hold classroom-level parent meetings; teachers of MS/jr. high grades may want to hold team-level or grade-level mtgs.
Purpose? (SLIDE, first 2 bullets)
Frequency? (SLIDE, 3rd bullet) Recommend 2-3x/yr at elementary; less freq. in MS. While there are certainly challenges for scheduling these, teachers should strive to do all they can to facilitate these sessions, as they can greatly improve both sense of “community” in the classroom, & parent commitment!
What should be discussed? Specific content is up to teachers. Sample outline for 1st meeting on TG CD Doc A list of additional topics listed in TG ( p. 112), along w/ tips for leading these meetings (pp )
Reference: TG, pp
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15. Community-Level Components
OBPP Staff Training
Community-Level Components
The original OBPP had 3 only components.
In the US, we have found it important to involve the community in the program—& this is now a key component of the program. WHY?
The community can help support your school’s efforts;
Bullying does not cease at the school’s front doors. It happens anywhere children gather. Students should receive consistent anti-bullying messages in all areas of their lives.
Bullying in the community can affect students at school.
Strong community support can also help to insulate your school from possible criticism.
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16. Remember…… Stopping bullying takes a team effort.
OBPP Staff Training
Remember……
Stopping bullying takes a team effort.
You play a critical position on the team.
Change happens in small increments but can have positive long-term impact for us all!
The success of the OBPP depends upon active involvement of ALL adults in the school community!
(SLIDE)
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17. For further information, please contact:
OBPP Staff Training
© 2012 Susan Limber, PhD; Vicki Flerx, PhD; Nancy Mullin, MEd;
Jane Riese, LSW; and Marlene Snyder, PhD This presentation is based on the work of Dan Olweus, PhD
Use of this presentation is restricted to persons trained by the authors in the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program and groups they work with for the express purpose of training schools, parents and community groups about the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program model.
Appropriate credit to the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program, US, must appear on all presentation materials No other use or changes are permitted without prior written permission from the authors.
For further information, please contact:
Marlene Snyder, PhD at
or call
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