Bullying is an age-old phenomenon that negatively impacts students’ learning and wellbeing, and technological advancements give space to the rise of new forms of harassment. The new course “Bullying – Not in my class!” helps to gain insight into different types of bullying and cyberbullying, and empowers participants to put actions in place to prevent and tackle bullying in the classroom and at school.
Bullying in schools remains a persistent phenomenon, despite efforts of teachers across Europe and the commitment of the 47 member states of the Council of Europe to “combat all forms of discrimination and violence, especially bullying and harassment”. Moreover, bullying is recognised by the United Nationas as a major factor in damaging the overall well-being of students, causing early school leaving or even suicide. New forms of bullying – enabled by technological advancements and the introduction of social media – are adding to the problem, making imperative the need for teachers to find ways of preventing and combating it at school level.
The course provides teachers with a better understanding of different types of bullying and cyberbullying, and empowers them to identify strategies and put actions in place to prevent and tackle bullying in the classroom and at school. To that end, the course discusses the roles of different players in a bullying scenario (bullies, bystanders and victims), explores the most prominent forms of bullying, and covers the key ingredients to creating a safe learning environment.
