Course:EPSE308/Case Studies/Bullying Prevention

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Case Study 1: Elementary and Secondary Version

Introduction

Mina is a teacher candidate in the first semester of her program. She visits her practicum classroom once a week on Thursday in a school where 56 languages are spoken by children and their families. She did not grow up in this community, but is excited to learn. She recently moved to British Columbia and most of her education in K-12 was in a private school where students and families shared many religious and cultural values, language, and mores. Her parents are both professionals and encouraged her desire to become a teacher. Her practicum school is a middle school (grades 6-8) and she will be teaching core subjects in a grade 7/8 multiage classroom.

Framing the problem

Mina has visited the class three times now and shared with her carpooling partner, Raman, that she cannot figure out why "there is so much bullying in the classroom." When Raman asked what kind of behaviours Mina is observing, she described the following: name calling, spreading rumours, some students socially isolating others, and subtle microaggressions like eye-rolling, shoulder shrugging, and dismissive comments. Three students in particular are puzzling to her, as they seem to pick on a different student each time they are there. Raman asked,"Why do you think the group of students were targeting these other students? I wonder what needs they were trying to fulfill?"

Context/Background

On her third visit, Mina was left alone with the class for 20 minutes. Within the first five minutes, the trio of students circled their intended target for the day. In an attempt to address the situation, Mina called across the room and firmly communicated that the students needed to leave the other 13-year old alone and get back to work immediately. One student, Tony, turned his back to her and another, Charmin, bumped directly into the student they had been teasing. And, as she walked away, the third student yelled back, "We were just talking."

On her next visit, Mina taught a mini-lesson to the class. Eager to promote the hands-on, cooperative learning described in her coursework, she provided the students with math manipulatives (tangrams) that were not intended to be airborne. Shortly after starting the lesson, the same three students,  joined by two additional students began to propel tangrams toward their new target, Manny, a 13-year old boy with social anxiety. Mina called out each of these students by name and asked them to stop. About ten minutes later she noticed that one of the students, Tony, was now sitting beside Manny poking him with the tip of his pencil. She asked Tony to stop what he was doing and apologize. Although Tony complied, he sounded insincere and then knocked Manny's tangrams off of his desk. Mina took a deep breath, wrote Tony's name on the board and threatened to report him to his teacher if he did not return to his table. Tony glared at her, but returned to his table. After class, Manny walked up to Mina and asked her why she had made such a big deal about the situation. He told her that things will only get worse for him now.

Implications

Over a period of time, things also got worse for Mina. The three students deliberately created issues whenever she taught in the class. Mina tried starting a reward system for students to encourage them to be focused, on-task, and respectful of others, but it was in vain as the students were not motivated by it. Other students in the class developed the perception that Mina was incapable of managing the students' behaviour. Even worse, it appeared the trio of students were gaining social status and recruiting new members to join their mission. The tone of the class had become chaotic. Mina spent most of her time redirecting students' behaviour and protecting intended targets. Therefore, she was left with little time to engage students in lessons. As students' behaviour escalated, Mina became hesitant to experiment with teaching techniques she was learning about in her coursework (e.g., self-regulated learning). Rather, in her attempts to maintain order, she became increasingly controlling in her communication with students and teaching techniques, firmly providing directives (e.g., "Sit down!", "Stop that!"), establishing strict classroom rules (e.g., assigned seating charts, limited student to student collaboration), and relying on independent seat work (e.g., assigned text pages and questions). Students and their parents began to voice concerns about events in the classroom. Riding home from school with her carpool partner, Mina shared that she doubted her teaching abilities and was concerned about the well-being of students in the class. She was beginning to wonder if teaching was the right career for her.

Questions

  1. How do you think Mina handled the classroom situation? What would you do differently in this case?
  2. Why did the behaviour issues escalate in the class instead of getting better? What features in the scenario, or externally might be contributing to the escalating behaviour issues?  
  3. How does this situation connect to research related to challenging behaviour and/or bullying?
  4. Drawing from your understanding of SEL, how might Mina support students in the class to develop respect and empathy?
  5. How could Mina move forward using SEL strategies/tools? What restorative steps might Mina consider to address the harm inflicted on certain students in this scenario? #How might Mina facilitate the reparation of relationships, and feelings of community and safety within the classroom?
  6. List some activities that Mina could have employed proactively to build a positive class environment.    

Suggested Readings

  • Allen, K.P. (2010). Classroom management, bullying, and teacher practices. The Professional Educator, 34(1), 1-15.  https://www.bullyingcanada.ca/
  • https://bcforhighschool.gov.bc.ca/en/tile/bullying-and-harassment/
  • Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2012). Motivation, personality, and development within embedded social contexts: An overview of self-determination theory. In R. M. Ryan (Ed.),  The Oxford handbook of human motivation (pp. 85–107). New York, NY, US: Oxford University Press.
  • Hymel, S., Low, A., Starosta, L.,  Gill, R., and Schonert-Reichl, K. Promoting Mental Well-Being Through Social-Emotional Learning in Schools: Examples from British Columbia
  • Sierens, E., Vansteenkiste, M., Goossens, L., Soenens, B. and Dochy, F. (2009), The synergistic relationship of perceived autonomy support and structure in the prediction of self-regulated learning. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 79: 57-68.

Case Study 2: Elementary and Secondary Version

Introduction

Pierre is a new teacher. He has been teaching a blended class with a mix of online and face-to-face learning for students with significant social anxiety who struggled to come to school. Pierre so appreciated the opportunity to work with students in this way. A key part of his role is to help students transition back into their home school. One student in particular is a puzzle for Pierre. Maria has not been engaging in online lessons and meetings, and does not submit assignments on time or even at all. Pierre is concerned because at her previous school Maria rarely attended face-to-face learning due to social anxiety. As Pierre works with Maria's neighbourhood school to reintroduce her to in-person learning, many questions swirl in his mind.

Framing the Problem

On contacting Maria's mother, Pierre learns that Maria has recently opened up about her gender identity. She identifies as transgender and has asked to be called Martin with pronouns he/him. Martin is experiencing significant stress at the idea of returning to in-person learning. Although an intelligent, engaging individual who used to enjoy others' company, particularly in regards to participating on sports teams, he has withdrawn from most social activities, and has become a disengaged learner. Martin's parents are doing their best to support Martin and respect his decision; however, they don’t feel completely prepared to deal with the situation. Martin will be going back to school for full-time, face-to-face learning next year and the classroom teacher, as well as his parents, are extremely concerned about Martin's well-being at school. Currently, Martin has only one friend at school who he feels connected with. The parents' primary concern is to ensure that Martin is not bullied at school. A 2015 UBC study of 923 transgender youth living in Canada found that more than one in three younger participants had been physically threatened or injured in the past year (36 per cent) and nearly half of older youth reported various types of cyberbullying.

Implications

Given that the population in the area in which Martin attends school tends to hold traditional values and there have been recent cases of hate crimes in the area, there is a great deal of concern on the part of Martin and his family as they rejoin the school community and anticipate potential bullying. This concern is magnified due to Martin's recent social anxiety. To help address their concerns and worries, Pierre is working with the School Based Team (SBT; i.e., group of knowledgeable school- and district-based professionals, student and parents included) to put in place counselling and other required supports to help Martin successfully return to school. The school team has been educating themselves, but also feel nervous about supporting Martin, his family, and the school community (particularly other parents). Pierre needs to work with the SBT to make a plan to welcome Martin back to school.    

Questions    

  1. What kind of challenges do you think Martin could face once he resumes school?
  2. What is social competence?
    • How is it taught and maintained?
    • How is it applicable in this particular case?
  3. If you were the classroom teacher, what measures would you take at the start of the year to create a safe space for Martin?
    • Consider how classroom tasks might be developed to foster students' development of empathy, respect and inclusion.    
    • How might classroom structures (e.g., the structure of assignments, tasks, expectations) foster      prosocial behaviour within the class?
  4. What resources would you access as a classroom teacher to equip yourself to support Martin academically and emotionally?
  5. How can Pierre and the SBT coordinate their efforts and supports for Martin, his family, and the school community?  

References

Case Study 3: Elementary Version

Introduction    

After working as a Teacher on Call (TOC) for September and October, Cam is hired to teach a grade 3 class in a British Columbia school beginning October 31st. That was quite the day to start teaching class! Cam has a strong personality, is well organized, and has structured routines and activities in the classroom. After two weeks, the class works well and enjoys predictability. However, there is one student, Jase, who engages in name calling and disruptive behaviour when Cam is not in the room. Like the other students, Jase is mostly well-behaved when Cam is in the class and he completes his work and activities as instructed by the teacher.

Framing the Problem   

Jase is very capable academically. But interpersonal relationships are a stretch for him. Jase doesn’t have friends in the class and he often gets into conflict with his peers. He does not feel a sense of attachment to other students, or his teacher. Lunch and recess are particularly challenging for Jase. Due to his limited social skills, peers avoid him. Frequently misinterpreting others' actions, for instance if you accidentally bump into Jase he assumes the action was intentional,  and gets into physical fights and verbal altercations with other students. His classmates often complain to the teacher about Jase's behaviour when they get back from recess and lunch. After several visits to the office and multiple verbal warnings, the principal decides Jase will stay indoors during lunch and break times.

Context/Background    

Cam is new to the school and only started to work with this class three weeks ago. He does not know that Jase loves outdoors, has keen interest in dirt biking, and is an excellent baseball player. Nor is he aware that Jase's mom left the family after his birth and he lives with his dad who struggles to support Jase develop his social skills. Every time there is a complaint about Jase, Cam gives Jase a warning and limits his participation in classroom and school activities. Jase's father has encouraged him to put on a "tough front" when faced with adversity. Jase projects confidence, and seems defiant when adults and peers intercede.  At this time, no one in the school has a strong connection with Jase.

Implications    

When asked about his social connections, Jase said, "I have many friends at school." However, in a moment of despair he verbalized to his father that he is lonely and feels excluded by the other students. His frustration is evident in his actions. Living only with his dad, he looks forward to school and seeks social attachment with kids his age. However, unsuccessful in building connections and friendships with others, he expresses his frustration in maladaptive ways. Due to conflicts with students at school, Jase has started to engage in bullying behaviours and no one wants to play or engage with him in the class or outdoors.

Questions   

  1. What could the classroom teacher do or do differently to help Jase at school?
  2. How can we move beyond positioning students as bullies and victims toward thinking about the development of knowledge and skills to function effectively, respectfully, and inclusively with others? What are the challenges of adopting this stance? What are the benefits?
  3. What is the difference between an authoritarian and authoritative approach to teaching?
    • How are these approaches related to teaching students who demonstrate maladaptive social behaviours (e.g., "bullying" behaviours) to value and adopt adaptive social/emotional behaviours?
  4. Could Cam adopt a focus on SEL or SRL rather than an authoritative teaching style?  
  5. How might promoting SEL or SRL support his relationships with students and their relationships with one another?
  6. What resources and supports could the teacher access at school/district in order to engage Jase?

References

Case Study 3: Secondary Version

Introduction 

After working as a Teacher on Call (TOC) for September and October, Cam is hired to teach grade 10 English in a British Columbia school beginning October 31st. That was quite the day to start teaching class! Cam has a strong personality, is well-organized, and creates a structured classroom with opportunities for collaborative work. After two weeks, his classes are running fairly smoothly. However, there is one student in one of his classes, Jase, who engages in name calling, swearing, and disruptive behaviour when Cam is busy with other students. Jase is mostly well-behaved when Cam is focused on the whole class, and he completes his work and activities as instructed by the teacher.

Framing the Problem    

Jase is very capable academically. But interpersonal relationships are a stretch for him. Jase doesn’t have friends and he often gets into conflict with his peers. He does not feel a sense of attachment to other students, or his teachers. Breaks and lunch are particularly challenging for Jase. Due to his limited social skills, peers avoid him. Frequently misinterpreting others' actions, for instance if you accidentally bump into Jase he assumes the action was intentional, and gets into verbal altercations with other students that sometimes result in aggressive physical behaviours (e.g., pushing or hitting). His peers often complain to each other about Jase's behaviour, and teachers are starting to notice as well. After several visits to the office and multiple verbal warnings, the principal decides Jase will eat lunch in the library.

Context/Background

Cam is new to the school and started teaching English there three weeks ago. He does not know that Jase loves outdoors, has keen interest in dirt biking, and is an excellent baseball player. Nor is he aware that Jase's mom left the family after his birth and he lives with his dad who struggles to support Jase to develop his social skills. Every time there is a complaint about Jase, Cam gives Jase a warning and limits his participation in classroom activities. Jase's father has encouraged him to put on a "tough front" when faced with adversity. Jase projects confidence, and seems defiant when adults and peers intercede. At this time, no one in the school has a strong connection with Jase.

Implications  

When asked about his social connections, Jase said, "I have many friends at school." However, in a moment of despair he verbalized to his father that he is lonely and feels excluded by the other students. His frustration is evident in his actions. Living only with his dad, he looks forward to school and seeks social attachment with peers his age. However, unsuccessful in building connections and friendships with others, he expresses his frustration in maladaptive ways. Due to conflicts with students at school, Jase has started to engage in bullying behaviours and no one wants to spend time or engage with him in the classroom or elsewhere.

Questions  

  1. What could the English teacher or other school staff do differently to help Jase at school?
  2. How can we move beyond positioning students as bullies and victims toward thinking about the development of knowledge and skills to function effectively, respectfully, and inclusively with others? What are the challenges of adopting this stance? What are the benefits?
  3. What is the difference between an authoritarian and authoritative approach to teaching?
    • How are these approaches related to teaching students who demonstrate maladaptive social behaviours (e.g., "bullying" behaviours) to value and adopt adaptive social and emotional behaviours?
  4. Could Cam adopt a focus on social and emotional learning (SEL) or self-regulated learning (SRL) rather than an authoritative teaching style? How might promoting SEL or SRL support his relationships with students and their relationships with one another?
  5. What resources and supports could the teacher access at school/district in order to engage Jase?

References

Case Study Sent in to EPSE 308 class (W1 2021)

This morning a friend (and fellow teacher) got in touch with me about a problem that might interest you both. It might also serve as a thought-provoking case study for our course, especially because it touches on theories of behaviourism, cognitivism, and constructivism. I've included her dilemma below. (A little bit of context: my friend is an English Language Arts teacher currently working in a high school in New York City, a notoriously challenging school district.)

"I have one class that is really defiant and seems to enjoy provoking me. I've rearranged their seating plan, but four students just get up out of their chairs when my back is turned. They switch seats, sit on each other's laps, etc. Managing these four students takes up the entire period... I definitely should have done a better job of establishing stricter management tactics on the first day! I had to call in the principal for reinforcement this morning. I'm thinking I might need to install a reward system? Positive reinforcement is better than negative! I'm not a yeller so it's hard for me. Do you have any tactics that have worked?

It's my first time solo-managing 30 students who don't want to be there. Also, they mostly speak Spanish which I have only a basic comprehension of, so I feel even more disconnected/over my head."

Attribution Statement

When re-using this resource, please attribute as follows:

This UBC EPSE 308 Behaviourism Open Case Study was developed by Charlotte Brenner, Hina Rohira, and Leyton Schnellert and it is licensed under a under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License

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