U.S. Department of Education Provides Guidance to Help Classroom Teachers Combat Bullying
The U.S. Department of Education has released a free, two-part training toolkit designed to reduce incidents of bullying, for use by classroom teachers and educators. The toolkit was developed by the Safe and Supportive Schools Technical Assistance Center, supported by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Safe and Healthy Students, in collaboration with the NEA and the American Federation of Teachers.
Teachers care about bullying in the classroom, but many don’t know how to effectively intervene and prevent it, according to data collected by the National Education Association (NEA). The toolkit is designed to provide classroom teachers with the knowledge and skills to intervene in bullying behavior and to de-escalate threatening behaviors at school. It includes two modules: “Understanding and Intervening in Bullying Behavior” and “Creating a Supportive Classroom Climate.”
“Teachers play a critical role in identifying, addressing, reporting and intervening in bullying behavior in their classrooms,” David Esquith, director of the Office of Safe and Healthy Students, said. “These modules will certainly help those teachers who don’t know what to do when these situations arise, and will strengthen the skills of those who do.”
Module 1 consists of step-by-step instructions, including a preparation guide and trainer’s outline, for conducting workshops with teachers, educators and school personnel who work with students in a school environment. Materials for the workshop focus on:
- Understanding what bullying behavior is and is not
- Understanding what bullying behavior may look like in the classroom
- Exploring ideas for responding to bullying behavior and
- Becoming equipped with specific strategies for addressing and reporting bullying behavior.
Module 2 provides state-of-the-art information on how to build a supportive classroom climate. Research shows that classrooms that have strong relationships and are respectful of diversity have less bullying. Participants in the module will:
- Consider what a supportive classroom climate looks like and how it can prevent bullying
- Examine the role of teacher-to-student and student-to-student relationships in building a supportive classroom climate
- Explore strategies for preventing bullying in the classroom, including establishing a culture of respect for differences among students
- Consider how a web of positive support among students and other adults across the school community can help prevent bullying.
“Teachers often get frustrated because they truly do care about their students and want to help stop bullying in their classrooms, but they don’t know what to do,” Deborah Temkin, the Department’s bullying prevention coordinator, said. “These modules are based on the best available research and practices to give teachers effective tools to not only respond to bullying, but also to stop it before it starts.”
