November 10th 2017
Workshops for Years 5 and 6
Carys Jenkins from The Education Group came to lead an anti-bullying workshop for Years 5 and 6 this week. This was in preparation for national Anti-Bullying Week, which starts on Monday 13th November.
After an initial discussion, the boys were given Virtual Reality headsets to watch a scene in which a group of young teenagers act out an incident of bullying. The bullying takes various forms including cyber bullying, taunting over how someone is dressed and threats. The scene also demonstrates a variety of ways in which a group dynamic - particularly the balance of power within a group - can impact upon bullying behaviour for the perpetrators, the target and the bystanders.
After an initial discussion about what they had seen, the class then watched the scene again before further discussion. The boys then had the opportunity to “interview” the characters to find out more about their perception of the incident and the other people involved.
The resulting discussion explored issues such as factors that may lead to bullying behaviour, how support can be given to the targets of bullying, encouraging better choices, why young people are reluctant to report bullying, and what can be done to help.
