How is this connected to the issue of bullying? Your Turn: Pretend it is the middle of the school term.

Posted: February 25th, 2022

Violence has become so engrained in our society many of us do not even blink at some of the horrifying images that come across our screens daily. Seeing these images is one thing, but would you commit these acts? What determines who will act in a violent manner? Behaviors: As a parent or role model, we can be educated about the many factors that can increase helping behaviors and decrease aggression. Violent Media: Consider how exposure to violent media could create violent tendencies among some people. Remember the Bobo doll experiment? Aggressive Behaviors: When thinking about aggression consider the quote from the text, “we humans are born with the capacity for aggressive behavior, but how, whether, when, and where we express it is learned and depends on our circumstances and culture.” Countering Effects: How might the culture of honor play a role? Now consider: What can someone do or say to counter possible negative effects of exposure to violence? Exposure: How will you as a parent or role model for a child or young person decide what is “okay” to be exposed to? How is this connected to the issue of bullying? Your Turn: Pretend it is the middle of the school term. You have been appointed as the substitute teacher to teach a class of fifth graders for the rest of the semester. The previous teacher left the school for health reasons triggered by this classroom, which is full of aggressive children. There are five distinct explanations for why exposure to violence might increase aggression in these vulnerable fifth grade “media consumers.” NORMS: If someone else is doing it, it must be okay. OBSERVATIONAL LEARNING: Oh, so that’s how you do it; I think Ill try. MISATTRIBUTION: Those feelings I am having must be real anger rather than merely my reaction to a stressful day HABITUATION: Ho-hum, another brutal beating. What’s on the other channel? SELF FULFILLING PROPHECY: I had better get him before he gets me! Think about how these explanations may have helped to create the current classroom environment in this fifth grade example and in a post share at least one example of how you imagine a child may be acting aggressively in the classroom based on one of the explanations. Share an example of how the reactions became reality in shaping this classroom environment.