When I was a kid, bullying happened on the playground at recess. Today, however, much of the bullying between kids is happening online. The Cyberbullying Research Center reports anywhere from 10 to 40% of teens experience cyberbullying. The anonymity of the Internet poses great problems for kids online. Many kids verbally assault other kids online, hiding behind a nameless wall.
Mashable recently published an article called "How Shakespeare & Social Media Are Fighting Cyber Bullying." The article is written by Zachary Sniderman, and it highlights a new attempt to combat cyberbullying and engage students in classical literature at the same time by having students engage in Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing.
"Much Ado About Nothing will be presented on a special page through status updates, posts, pictures and videos. The students helped create separate pages for their characters complete with pictures, in-character bios and likes. The project is meant both as an educational resource and a tool to combat cyber bullying. People have long modernized Shakespeare by dressing actors in current clothing and trying to adapt the sometimes dense, complicated language. This project marks a quantum leap in format, as well, updating not only the characters but the way in which they interact. The play will be set in modern day, with dialogue and issues that are relevant to students. The play revolves around issues of hearsay and verbal abuse, making it a perfect segue to talking about online abuse."We have talked a great deal in this class about the dangers of anonymity online and about the crude things people say when their names aren't connected to their words. Kids are not exempt from this, and in order for us to create a more civil forum online, we must stop the trend with the next generation. We must educate them about the importance of civil discourse and promote healthy interactions. Shakespeare is just the first step.
How would you stop cyberbullying?
I feel that an important step in the elimination of cyber bullying is educating young children about its dangers. Children should be taught that there are serious consequences for cyber bullying. Perhaps if kids were more aware of what happens as a result of cyber bullying they would be less likely to participate in it.
ReplyDeleteI think that the Shakespeare production is a fantastic type of pedagogy to combat cyberbullying. There have been studies done that show simply lecturing kids about ethical dilemmas don't actually change their viewpoints much (I feel that this also rings true for a majority of adults as well). Although cyberbullying has its unique features, in many ways, it's still an extension of old fashioned recess bullying. Instead of reacting to it, a new educational pedagogy should be developed to take proactive steps against bullying. In the grand scheme of things, our current public education system is still relatively young. Consequently, I think it's still possible to have a complete paradigm shift in the way we educate students (from Pre-K to College Super-Seniors). Our educational methods currently don't do a very good job of opening our minds and freeing us from Plato's cave (this creates a type of geocentric view that I feel is conducive to bullying). I feel that as a result, much of the learning that happens isn't very transformative. Socrates got it right. He never claimed to have anything to teach. Instead, his pedagogical method was to use transformative conversations to make his students realize that in some respects, all of our grand worldviews in one way or another fall short. The Shakespeare production is a right step forward, but it's not close to being enough.
ReplyDeleteThis is a tough issue. Sure, you can warn children of the issues that arise when you say whatever you want in an online setting because there is no person to back up the words. However, there are children who are bullies in "real life," and they can be held accountable for their actions. I don't know what types of people are cyber-bullies and what types of people are in-person bullies, but I have a feeling that somewhere there is an overlap of both.
ReplyDeleteI think SNSs and online forums could be a good solution. Imagine a simplified SNS community for kids who have been the victims of cyber bullying and where they could discuss anything they wanted without fear of reprisal. There is strength in numbers, and a whole, whole lot of kids have been victimized by cyber bullies at one point or another. They need to know how to find each other for friendship and for mutual support... but also because they will be in a better position than anyone to actively address the problem, if not as children than as adults... and ideally, as both.
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