National Safe Schools Framework 9-12
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Stand up and be counted
Everyone has the right to feel safe and to be safe at school.
When we directly experience bullying or witness others being bullied, it can affect how we feel about ourselves as well as our social and working relationships and our learning. There are skills and strategies that we can learn and use to ensure our safety and the safety of others.
Bystanders – that is, people who witness a bullying incident – play an important role in a bullying situation: they can proactively support the person being bullied by using words or safe actions to stop the bullying, making sure that their safety is not affected. Or they can (sometimes unintentionally) support the person doing the bullying by laughing along, watching in silence or walking away.
Working together, we can ensure that everyone at school is safe and free from bullying.
Get ready
You’ll need:
Focus
Focus question: How do the decisions I make and the actions I take affect others and me?
Focus statement: Some decisions I make can have ongoing effects that impact my wellbeing and the wellbeing of others.
Activity Steps
Step 1
Introduction
- How do the decisions I make and the actions I take affect others and me? Think about how your actions at school (particularly in social situations) can affect not only you personally but other people, including your friends.
- Share your reflections with other students in your class.
- Think about the focus statement and share your ideas with other students in your class: Some decisions I make can have ongoing effects that impact my wellbeing and the wellbeing of others.
In this activity you will explore these focus ideas by viewing and analysing scenarios.
Step 2
Immersion: What-if
- View part 1 of What-if^, pausing the clip half way through (when it begins to ‘rewind’).
- How do the decisions people make and the actions they take affect themselves and others? Consider the focus question from each character’s perspective:
- The instigator
- Her friend
- Annie
- The bystanders (the boys).
- Going deeper. Some decisions people make can have ongoing effects that impact their own wellbeing and the wellbeing of others.
Your teacher will guide you through a deeper analysis using the ‘effects wheel’ thinking tool. Through this analysis, you will identify the main decision that was made in the scenario, the immediate effect on all people involved and possible ongoing consequences (ie, the effects of each effect).- What was the main decision? (A person posted an image of a peer on social media.) Record this on the whiteboard and circle it.
- Who was involved? Draw four spokes radiating from the circle and label each with a ‘character’s’ name, circling each one.
- Beginning with Annie, consider the following question: How did this decision affect Annie?
- Draw a ‘spoke’ radiating from Annie’s name, record the response and circle it.
- How could [eg, feeling upset] affect Annie? What could this lead to? OR What could be a consequence of that? Draw a spoke radiating from the immediate (primary) effect (eg, feeling upset). Record the secondary effect and circle it.
- Continue this process until you can no longer think of rippling effects for Annie.
- Repeat this process for each of the remaining characters, identifying the multiple effects.
- Take time to read over the effects wheel and reflect on the impact and possible rippling effects of one decision on the four people involved in this scenario. Share your reflections with the group.
- View part 2 of What-if^.
- Complete an ‘effects wheel’ analysis (as described above) for What if someone spoke up?
- Reflection and discussion. Think about the two scenarios and share your comments with the class. The following questions could guide your thinking:
- How can bystanders influence a bullying situation?
- How can bystanders support the person being bullied?
- What influence can bystanders have on the person who is bullying?
Step 3
Tagged
- The short film Tagged centres around three main characters and the decisions they make in the movie. The main characters are Jack, Kate and Raz. What impact will their decisions have on them and other people?
- View the movie.
- Think: Working independently, complete an individual analysis. Select one of the main characters, select a decision that the character made, and complete an effects wheel about this decision and the impact on that character and the other main characters.
- Pair: Once you have completed your draft, explain and discuss your effects wheel with another student (this will help you to clarify and refine your ideas). Then record your effects wheel on A3 poster paper.
- Share: Along with the other students in the class, display your poster on one of the walls of the room. Once all posters are displayed, the teacher will invite you to participate in a ‘silent gallery walk’. This silent walk gives you the opportunity to read and reflect on everyone’s ideas.
Step 4
Reflection
Group discussion
- Your teacher will lead this reflective discussion.
- Share your responses to the effects wheels you read in the silent gallery walk.
- Consider the following ‘what if’ questions:
- What would have happened if Raz had told Kate not to upload the image?
- What would have happened if Raz had not told Jack about what Kate did?
- What decision could Raz have made to ensure the most positive outcome for all in this chain of events?
Personal reflection
Use the following questions to guide your personal reflection on the key ideas in this activity. You could record your reflections in your journal.
- How do the decisions I make and the actions I take affect others and me?
- How can bystanders make a difference?
- How can bystanders respond proactively to bullying situations, while ensuring their own safety? What strategies/options do they have?
- What will/can I do if I witness a bullying situation?
Resources
Australian Human Rights Commission, What-if^
^ indicates resource may be subject to Copyright Agency fees under a Part VB copyright licence. Refer to Terms of Use on the Safe Schools Hub website: www.safeschoolshub.edu.au/terms-of-use#links.
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