A Multi-focus Primary School Prevention Model
Sue Cahill (St Charles Borromeo Primary School, Templestowe)
Professor Helen McGrath (Deakin University)
Videoclip: WE COULD BE HEROES
Mr. White’s Year 5 Class (Bunscoil Mhuire Primary School in Ireland)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CK3gt-H_WNk
This multi-focus prevention model is designed to:
1. Contribute to a supportive & inclusive school culture
2. Prevent bullying
3. Encourage supportive bystander behaviour
4. Identify students who need additional social support
Superhero Academy
Students create their own superhero character with ‘powers’ to provide active
bystander support to someone who is being bullied
Buddy Teaching
Year 6 students work with Prep buddies to teach specific skills that promote
inclusion, kindness and support
Playground Bus-stop
• Year 5/6 students conduct organised playground games
• Students feel included and can make friends
Other structured lunchtime activities
• Chat Room
• Games Club
• Other types of clubs
Picture Books: Buddy reading time
Grade 3/4 students read picture story books (with themes such as kindness &
inclusion) to their Grade 1/2 buddies and then conduct a discussion about the
story
Teaching Parents
 Students in Years 3 and 4 learn about cybersafety.
 Then they plan & conduct an evening for parents to teach them what they
have learnt about cybersafety.
When children meet virtuous characters in stories, they want to be good
people too
 Life includes making moral decisions –
 it’s not always easy to make the right choice.
 The Cheshire cat offers moral advice to Alice in Wonderland to support her to
make choices
 Jimminy Cricket was Pinocchio’s moral guide
Case Study Research ((Johansson & Hannula, 2012)
 16 Grade 3 students in a primary school in Finland
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Children were asked about the type of ‘moral voice’ they would express if they
had the infinite powers and means of superheroes to support those who are
bullied
Children created masks, posters, and flags for ideal superheroes and
described their personalities.
They drew comic strips about the skills they wanted to teach new hero
students when they enrolled in ‘superhero school’.
The results indicated that children’s moral voices were divided into the two
main categories of ‘justice’ and ‘care’
Superhero case study findings
The concept of superheroes offers a potential tool for educators that can assist
children to contemplate and discuss the role of being a protector and a defender
of children who are being bullied (Johansson & Hannula, 2012)
Characteristics of ‘everyday heroes’
Children turn personal virtue, integrity, moral courage, and compassion into
meaningful social actions when the opportunity arises (Zimbardo, 2010)
Everyday heroism is about peace, love, generosity of spirit, acts of kindness, and
making others feel included, understood, and important (Johansson & Hannula,
2012)
Marvel comics
In 2014 Marvel Entertainment enlisted its biggest superheroes for ‘National
Bullying Prevention Month’ in the USA
‘The centre of Marvel's storytelling history is the eternal struggle between good
and evil, with many of its greatest super heroes having to contend with – and rise
above – bullying, in all its forms’
(Editor in Chief of Marvel Comics.)
What is a ‘superhero’?
In modern popular fiction, a superhero is an heroic character who :
 possesses extraordinary talents and/or access to supernatural phenomena
and/or superhuman powers
 They are dedicated to a moral goal or protecting the public.
HERO
Helping
Everyone
Respect
Others
A superhero is expected to:
 Pursue a moral goal
 Be brave
 Be fair
 Be kind
 Be merciful
 Be responsible
 Be skillful
Refer to the ‘Superhero Activity’ on the Kids Help Line (Australia)
Website
https://kidshelpline.com.au/grownups/news-research/teacher-resources/kidshelpline@school/classroom-activities/bullying.php
How ‘Superhero Academy’ works
 Innovative and imaginative materials to stimulate & discuss moral and
practical issues about bullying and bystander behaviour (‘what if you really
did have these powers?)
 Teaches (in a fun way) the values and skills that make it more likely that
students will behave in ways that show respect, kindness, support and
inclusion
Ideas for superhero names (girls)
 Princess Kindheart
 Angel of hope
 Bluebird
 Bright Star
 Glitter girl
 Blue Tornado
 Guardian Girl
 Kitty Kind
 Lady Liberty
 Miss Magic
 Miss Marvel
 Pink Guardian
 Power girl
 Star girl
 Shadow cat
 Playground ranger
Ideas for superhero names (boys)
 Prince Kindheart
 Bronze Tiger
 Lord Justice
 Green guardian
 Playground ranger
 The Eagle
 Night Star
 Red Tornado
 School Spirit
 Sparkler
 The Shield
 Captain Liberty
 Metamorpho
 Numbuh One
 Kid Flash
 Sir Speedy
Ideas for superhero ‘team’ names
 Super-friends
 Green Guardians
 Team Fair; Team Kind
 Kindness Crew
 Neo-knights
 Justice League
 Support Angels
 Care Force
Examples of superhero ‘powers’
(violence is unacceptable in any Superhero activity)
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Invisibility
Sending ‘mind messages’
Reversing time
Becoming very very small
Super-speed or flying
Enhanced hearing or vision
Creation of a protective shield around someone
‘Teleporting’ oneself and others; time travel
Super-strength
Healing
‘Freezing’ a situation
Having immediate access to very wise people
Examples of activities
 Individually? In groups?
 Make a list of all the superheroes you know.
 Make a class list. Sort them into categories
 What do they have in common?
 What is your character’s ‘back’ story?
 Before each activity, play the song ‘We could be Heroes’ (by Alesso)
Examples of Products to Design/Make
 Cape, cloak; boots
 Shield
 Mask
 Cap, belt, badge, symbol/logo
 Posters
 Story writing
 Dramatic skits (e.g. in class, at assembly or for younger children)
 Drawings and cartoons (4 frames)
Examples of subjects at ‘Superhero Academy’
 Courage
 Kindness; comforting someone who is distressed
 Self-control and self-calming
 Checking to see if anyone is in trouble
 Staying protectively close when necessary
 Including others; befriending; getting to know
 Moving someone away from a difficult situation
 Telling someone to stop being unkind
Context: St Charles Borromeo
 Solid values foundation-explicitly & implicitly taught
 Better Buddies and eSmart school
 Start up program to begin the school year
 Restorative Practice accredited school
 School Wide Positive Behaviour Support
 Mindfulness meditation
 Dedicated social emotional teaching and learning time
 We value student voice
Whole-school approach
 All students participate in Values Education, SEL teaching and learning, Better
Buddies, eSmart, Start up program and SWPBS
 Small groups may need some extra support through small social groups,
playground bus stop, lunch time clubs
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One-on-one intervention and support is sometimes needed to reinforce our
school expectations and support those who have made poor choices
Buddy Teaching
• Using the Better Buddies Framework
• Grade 6 students are allocated a Foundation buddy the year before the
Foundation student starts school
• Relationships start here and continue through the Foundation year
• Buddy time is planned and facilitated by the Values Captains
• Always starts with a picture story book with a friendship theme
• Discussion between the buddies about the theme of the story before the
activity starts.
•
Playground ‘Bus Stop’
 Organised and run by senior SRC members once a week
 Set up in playground at our ‘Friendship Seat’
 Any student can join at any time
 Art, craft, board games, ball games, lego
 Includes ‘getting to know you’ activities and skills for being part of a group.
Structured Lunch Time Activities
 Takes place twice a week
 Facilitated by staff
 Can be quiet reading, board games, small discussion groups around areas of
interest, chess, lego, programmers club, art club, choir
 Great down time for our children on the spectrum when the playground may
become overwhelming
 Important to be aware of regular attendees-these are followed up by Student
Wellbeing Leader.
Buddy Reading Time
 Buddy time takes place across the school
 Foundation with grade 6
 Grade 1/2 students with 3/4 students
 Timetabled
 Picture story books with a theme read by older buddy and then discussed with
younger buddy using an activity;
 Circle time discussion for sharing of what the children have learnt
Students Teach Parents/Carers about Cybersafety
 3/4 students take part in 3 cybersafety workshops followed by Family Forum.
 They teach their parents about bullying, cyberbullying & keeping safe on line
 Student Action Teams = pedagogical tool
 5/6 leaders support and help mentor the students in 3/4
 Students in 3/4 present to the whole school on bullying, cyberbullying &
online safety
Sue Cahill [email protected]
Helen McGrath [email protected]