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Created by: Jennilyn Kirkpatrick
…
that cyberbullying is a female
student issue.
 In fact, cyberbullying affects male
and female students at near equal
rates.
 Male adolescents are significantly less
likely than females to report
cyberbullying to a trusted adult.
 The ultimate goal of this presentation
is to engage you in helping to
prevent the cyberbullying of males.
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Overview of Cyberbullying
o The Story of Ryan Halligan
o Cyberbullying Definition
o Specific Types of Cyberbullying
o Prevalence of Cyberbullying
o Characteristics of Cyberbullies and Cybervictims
o Gender Differences (Li and Katz Studies)
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School Measures for Prevention of Cyberbullying
o Cycle of Bullying Prevention: A Five-Stage Program
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School-wide Assessment of Bullying/Cyberbullying Behavior
Student Peer Support Surveys
Lesson Plan on Cyberbullying Prevention Targeting Boys
Additional Cyberbullying Resources for Educators
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To provide an overview of cyberbullying, including its definition,
prevalence, characteristics of both cyberbullies and cybervictims, and
gender differences.
To review school measures for cyberbullying prevention that middle
school teachers can become involved with to assist in the curtailing of
male early adolescent students becoming cybervictims. This review
will encompass five stages of cyberbullying prevention (Katz, 2012):
o Raise Awareness and Consult
o Plan Policy and Strategy
o Inform, Train, and Implement
o Prevent, Respond, and Monitor
o Evaluate and Adjust
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In
starting middle school, Ryan
had a new “friend” who began to
cyberbully him by sending threats
via instant messages that were
shared with other students
through e-mail and cell phones.
Due to cyberbullying, Ryan
ended his young life on October
7, 2003 as a result of the pain and
suffering he had experienced
from his middle school peers.
 Ford
(2009) defines cyberbullying as “… the use of
information and communication technologies to
support deliberate, repeated, and hostile behavior
by an individual or group, [which] is intended to
harm others” (p. 535).
 In contrast to other traditional forms of bullying,
cyberbullying is intentional behavior that is carried
out repeatedly over time but with utilization of
electronic devices (Patchin & Hinduja, 2010).
 Hiding
or closing computer screens from others
(i.e. teachers, parents, etc).
 Using computers or smartphones late into the night
 Becoming agitated if he or she is denied to access
to a computer
 Displaying excessive laughter while using the
computer, and
 Not discussing what he or she is doing on
technological devices
 Experiences
anxiety when e-mail or instant messages
appear on the computer screen
 Appears upset or depressed after using computer
 Suddenly stops using computer
 Appears anxious about going out in public including
school
 Tries not to engage in conversations about what he or
she is doing on the computer, and
 Seems withdrawn from social and family support
systems
 According
to Li (2006), male students are more likely
to be bullies and cyberbullies than females.
 In addition, female cyberbully victims are more likely
to inform adults than males.
 When male and female students’ experiences were
considered separately “… it was found that over 22
percent of males and close to 12 percent of females
were cyberbullies. However, 25 percent of males and
25.6 percent of females reported that they were
cyberbullied” (p. 163).
 Katz
(2012) performed a three-year study with both
males and females in middle school to find out who
was more likely to experience cyberbullying.
 In all three years, girls were more likely than boys to
report being cyberbullied.
 The boys stated they were “not bothered” or “took it
as a joke” by the cyberbullying experience.
 By not filing a cyberbullying claim, boys are generally
avoiding the label of being a “cybervictim.”
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 Stage
1 - Raise Awareness and Consult: Awareness
of the issue of cyberbullying and the need for
acceptable use of the internet and mobiles across
the whole school community is raised. Students,
parents and staff members should be consulted or
surveyed to construct a picture of the position in
the school.
 During this stage, it is vital for teachers to assist in
gathering data on how cyberbullying is affecting the
student body.
 According
to Kowalski, Limber, and Agatston
(2012), one effective method for a school-wide
assessment is having teachers distribute anonymous
questionnaires to their students about cyberbullying
experiences.
 Please refer to your packet for a sample school-wide
assessment of cyberbullying (adapted from Mark &
Ratliffe, 2011) to be completed anonymously by a
student population.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6lBeN8OmS4
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Stage 2 - Plan Policy and Strategy: Teachers can collaborate with
school counselors and administration on current school policies
regarding cyberbullying. The focus questions should include
following data analysis of the school-wide assessment:
o Has the school’s Anti-Bullying Policy been updated or reviewed
recently?
o How well does it address cyberbullying?
o Is the acceptable use policy (AUP) adequate and up to date, bearing
in mind new developments in technology?
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Stage 3 - Inform, Train and Implement: Parents, staff, students
should be informed of assessment data and updated policies. If
possible, universal e-safety sessions for all students should be run.
 If
you would like to volunteer to be an e-safety instructor, the
following should be emphasized:
o model positive and exciting use of technology
o involve students as co-researchers and peer teachers
o consider the age and gender of the audience
o ask for feedback on what they have learned
o poll students to keep up with trends and their view of risk
o monitor the effectiveness of what is done
o engage with parents and ensure they are kept up to date
 Another
important component of Stage 3 is the
implementation of a peer mediation program on campus
that trains responsible student leaders in assisting their peers
discuss their personal-social issues.
 “Cyber Bullying: A Prevention Curriculum for Grades 6-12”
by Limber, Kowalski, and Agatston (2014) features an eightweek program of fifty-minute lessons. If you have any male
students whom you feel would be an outstanding peer
mediator to other male students for two months, please let
the counseling and administrative staff know as soon as
possible after this presentation.
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Stage 4 - Prevent, Respond and Monitor: Prevention describes
all the proactive work of the school and covers the
implementation of the overall strategy as well as a variety of
specific activities that embed the work across the curriculum.
These include workshops, assemblies, poster campaigns, drama,
e-safety sessions, and assignments.
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The Ophelia Project (2010) provides a detailed lesson plan on
cyberbullying that is focused specifically on male adolescents in
middle school.
Based on the results of the “Student Peer Support Survey”
discussed earlier, those male students who have the greatest
number of “peer nominations” indicating they may have
experienced cyberbullying as a victim will be invited to
participate in this one-day morning workshop.
However, if you feel that there any male students that could
benefit from attending this workshop, please alert counseling and
administrative staff as well.
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Stage 5 - Evaluate and Adjust: The final stage of the cycle is regular
evaluation. Student surveys should be repeated, with an added
question: ‘Does the school deal effectively with cyberbullying?’
Check how many of the students say they have experienced
cyberbullying but have not reported it.
If they did report their cyberbullying incident, how good was the
help they received from school staff?
There
is a wealth of recently-published
information available in terms of
cyberbullying resources. In your
packets, there is a list of books, websites,
media, and lesson plan ideas to help
prevent cyberbullying at the middle
school level.
Thank you for your time
and participation!
Any questions???