How can we recognize bullying?
SCENARIO: It’s November, and you have observed that since September, Student 1 always plays alone during recess, and Student 2 consistently disrupts his play, grabs his toys and sometimes breaks them. The interaction always ends in tears and is upsetting for both students.
This situation has some of the characteristics of bullying but it may also be a conflict. You know you need to intervene but you are not sure how.
That conclusion is possibly correct, but it is impossible to be certain with the available information. It may be either bullying or conflict. Young children often find themselves in this kind of situation and it is difficult to assess. In a situation involving very young children with a limited ability to express themselves, it may be even more difficult to assess.
Based on your assessment of the situation, conflict resolution strategies would most likely be recommended to bring about a positive change and to support the students in developing their social skills. Such strategies will be effective IF you have correctly assessed the situation.
If your assessment of the situation is incorrect, conflict resolution strategies will not decrease, but will more likely increase the bullying, causing more harm to Student 1. In that case, Student 2 will miss an important learning opportunity, as will the other students who are no doubt observing his behaviour.
2You determine that Student 2 is targeting Student 1, intending to hurt him and to cause him distress. In your opinion, this is a situation of bullying.
That conclusion is possibly correct, but it is impossible to be certain with the available information. It may be either bullying or conflict. Young children often find themselves in this kind of situation and it is difficult to assess. In a situation involving very young children with a limited ability to express themselves, it may be even more difficult to assess.
Those who bully often believe their behaviour is justified. It is not always easy to get to the bottom of the situation. It is important to provide an opportunity for each student – individually and in a safe environment - to describe the situation, either verbally, in writing or by drawing.
If the situation is one of conflict, and you have implemented strategies for dealing with a bullying situation, the students will not have the opportunity to learn skills related to conflict resolution. For example, they will miss an opportunity to learn how to: listen and seek to understand someone else’s perspective; communicate their own experience and perspective; seek an agreement based on mutual understanding in order to resolve the conflict. Furthermore, the students may perceive the outcome as unfair and they may feel misunderstood.
3You are unable to determine exactly what is going on. You decide to ask questions to seek additional information so that you will be better able to assess whether this situation constitutes bullying or conflict.
The situation is very difficult to assess. There are many pitfalls.
By seeking and obtaining additional information, you will most likely be in a better position to accurately assess the situation. You can try to obtain information by speaking to the students involved, to your colleagues and to the administrative staff, and by making use of the school’s resources, such as any relevant protocols. Subsequently, you can take the appropriate steps to resolve the situation, based on the information you have gathered.
✓Explanation of the recommended response.
Recommended response and explanation:The third answer is the recommended response. The first and second answers both make some assumptions without fully exploring the situation. Taking action based on a misunderstanding of the situation leads to intervention with negative consequences. Given the lack of information gleaned from observing the situation, further exploration of the situation is recommended in order to determine whether there is a power imbalance, an intention to harm, and other elements of a bullying situation.
Note: For more information about the elements that characterize and help to identify a bullying situation, see Step 2 of this module. For more information about different ways of responding in a bullying situation (for example: effective protocols, procedures, and strategies for intervention and prevention), see Modules 6, 7, 8 and 9.