When Is It Bullying?
May 5, 2010
A recent article on bullying emphasized the importance of knowing just what bullying really is! Sounds simple, doesn’t it?
“Bullying is the repeated, constant, oppressive physical and/or psychological behavior towards one person who is seen as less powerful.” There is ALWAYS an imbalance of power.
“Teasing involves a situation where there is a balance of power. It is not constant and oppressive. Professionals and community members have spent a great deal of time working with bullies in hopes of curtailing their behaviors. There is now a more popular and widely used approach internationally. The school of thought now is to assist the victim in using social skills that will assist them in not allowing themselves to be victimized. When a bully sees that he of she can push the victim’s buttons, they will continue to do so simply because they can. Bullying is less about what is wrong with the victim. The reason it continues is because the victim does not know strategies to stop the bully from bullying.”
Once again, the value and need for an Integrated Character Education Program is indicated. If an entire campus, even better an entire district is emphasizing the importance of character, modeling, openly discussing inappropriate situations, and exhibiting mutual respect in all situations, it will and DOES make a difference in the school climate!
Is your school/district implementing
CHARACTER EDUCATION?
Proof- Integrated Character Education Programs Work!
January 23, 2010
I was recently very encouraged to read a recent report in Journal of Research in Character Education that provides sound evidence indicating the effectiveness of including the character education teaching and modeling of values into all aspects of the school day.The integration of character education into the “whole” student experience is the vital difference that Building Good Citizens for Texas promotes.
Find out more how Building Good Citizens uses the very same techniques to integrate Character Education that the Journal of Research in Character Education recommends.
http://www.txchared.com/benefits/character-education-works/
Differences in Elementary and Secondary Character Education
September 14, 2008
Teacher efficacy, that is an individual’s belief in his or her ability to act in a manner that will produce desired outcomes, has been shown to differ significantly between elementary and secondary educators. According to the Journal of Research in Character Education, Vol. 1, Number 2, 2003,
Dr. Andrew Milson concludes that the rationale for character education may resonate more strongly with elementary and middle school teachers who tend to view character formation as an important component of their jobs.
High school teachers, however, are more likely to view their primary role as the delivery of content knowledge from an academic discipline.
There are at least three explanations for this: “1) high school teachers do not feel confident implementing the activities associated with high school level character education, 2) high school teachers do not feel that character education is part of their job, and 3) high school teachers doubt their ability to have an impact on students’ character.”
According to three different studies cited in this Milson article, “The results indicate that teachers who have received staff development training or who have attended conferences in which character education issues were presented have higher levels of efficacy than those who received coursework through their undergraduate or graduate programs.
More intriguing is the finding that those who received university-based coursework do not differ significantly from those who received no training at all.”
While this discussion covers only a fraction of research results, it is enough to allow us to draw several conclusions:
Staff development sessions in character education should be offered
to current staff members, as well as teachers-in-training.
These sessions should include specific implementation strategies demonstrating how character traits can be integrated into the curriculum.
Identify, especially for secondary teachers, successful character education models in their area to help these teachers increase their efficacy for the character education message.
Provide opportunity for staff to discuss character education issues
relevant to the local situation, and design activities to address
those issues consistently across campus/district.
In conclusion, teachers who experience staff development opportunities focusing on integration of character education into all activities of the school day are more likely to experience a positive classroom environment, as well as increased academic achievement.
Find out how Building Good Citizens for Texas can easily implement an integrated Character Education Program in your High School by contacting Evelyn Weilert at eweilert@txchared.com.