Peer attitudes to violence
(middle / senior years)
This collection of activities responds to adolescent perceptions about peer attitudes to violence.
Caution students against disclosing personal information during class discussions and suggest they rephrase e.g. "Suppose
someone..." or "Someone I know..." and approach their teacher or guidance officer with any concerns. Smaller groups are better if
possible.
Choose one or more activities from each phase.
What's going on?
- Find out about broad issues, approaches and skills to help students challenge bullying and harassment and support targeted students. Use the Bullying. No way! Information sheet (with links to school case studies).
- Use /design surveys that identify types of violence, assess
how students feel about different types of violence, if they have witnessed it happening to others, and if they think
that these situations would bother their friends.
Use these surveys from Qld Dept of Education Training and the Arts to find out about what's going on at your school. - Ask school staff to talk to students who witnessed an incident of verbal or physical abuse in a school setting, and record the bystanders' feelings about what happened.
- Monitor the media over a set period of time and note every story involving violence. List stories under different headings e.g. violence in sport, schools, at home, in a public space, between strangers, between people that know each other, etc. Note any patterns which emerge.
Think about it
- Brainstorm and list action and feeling words that are related to violence e.g. anger, outrage, force, control, threaten, injure, harm, harassment, intimidation, hate, hitting someone, abuse of power, intent, verbal abuse, physical abuse, unhappy, poor communication, isolated, desperate, fault, blame.
- Discuss what violence is, and is not: What comes to mind when you see or hear the word violence? Which anti-social behaviours would you categorise as violent and which would you categorise as not violent? Do you think things like punching and kicking are violent? What about abusing someone verbally or putting someone down? Is bullying a type of violence? Why do you think people use violence? Do you think it is ever acceptable to use violence to resolve problems? In what other ways can people express anger? What does domestic violence mean? What types of violence can you think of that might happen at school? What types of violence can you think of that might happen in the wider community? Do you think some sports could be classified as violent? Why? Why not?
- Generate definitions of violence e.g. the use of power or force to control, coerce, dominate, harass or intimidate; abusive behaviour towards another person; a person's choice; it is intentional and not genetic or hormonal; domestic violence is violence that occurs between people who are or have been married, in a de facto or same sex relationship; domestic violence can be physical, sexual, emotional, social or financial; violence causes one partner in a relationship to be afraid of another.
- Use blank cards for writing descriptions of how you feel when you find out about incidents of bullying or violence. Collect the responses, shuffle them, and read them aloud. Collect a number of examples and discuss them to reveal that most of our peers, perhaps contrary to our assumptions, are uncomfortable with such behaviour. Encourage group discussion..
- Discussion and mind-mapping of what the words "power and "empowerment" mean. E.g. being able to do things; taking control of your own life; power can refer to having control over other people, but empowerment is about yourself; having strength and courage; standing up to other people if you are not being treated respectfully; giving strength and encouragement to others.
- Use this set of exercises designed to help teach and promote healthy, equal relationships among boys and girls - specifically formulated for use with children from grades 5-8 but the activities can be adapted for all grades.
Make a difference
-
Break into single sex groups of five or six people. Each group is to brainstorm 2 lists:
1. Alternative ways to deal with your own aggressive behaviour (for example, you feel like hitting your younger sister because she is annoying you when your friends are over)
2. Ways to deal with other people being aggressive or violent towards you - Devise step by step plans for dealing with both of these potentially violent situations, considering the outcomes that you would want to achieve.
- Locate local community resources that provide support for victims and perpetrators of violence.
- Invite community workers to present to parents, teachers and students at your school.
- Present findings to classmates, in school forums and in school publications and websites.
Links to more classroom activities
Tasmanian Department of Education. Construction of gender: violence and school culture by Margaret Clark and Carolyn Page
http://www.education.tas.gov.au/school/health/inclusive/gender/
support/construction
/violence_and_school_culture/
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