Cyberbullying Package
Dear Educators,
The National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) is pleased to partner with Cybersmart! to bring the CyberSmart! Cyberbullying Package to teachers and other educators concerned with keeping students safe.
Focused on age-appropriate skills building and improved dialogue between adults and students, these free lesson plans bring together research-based strategies and a flexible format designed to fit easily within existing curricula.
CyberSmart did their homework
Their carefully developed cyberbullying package
- uses a social constructivist learning approach to allow students/educators to construct their own knowledge, defining the problems and issues themselves and thus “owning” them. Without this ownership, no behavioral change can occur
- focuses on developing critical thinking and decision-making skills rather than teaching about technologies that change monthly
- recognizes that research shows that getting tough on the bullies themselves is not an effective intervention
- addresses research that reveals most youths do not disclose online harassment to adults for fear of adults overreacting and cutting off online access. Students need to have a student-initiated mechanism for confidential reporting to adults.
- focuses on the critical role of the bystander, recognizing research that students do not want to identify themselves as either bullies or targets
- enables discussions with students about online safety and cyberbullying to be easily sustained throughout the school years, similar to the ongoing programs advocated by cyber security experts
- emphasizes the core character values of caring, honesty, fairness, responsibility, and respect for self and others as the underlying message of cyberbullying education
- recognizes that issues regarding cyberbullying are intertwined with those associated with Internet safety, security, free speech, tolerance, and cyber citizenship
Tell us what you think
We encourage you to try the CyberSmart! Cyberbullying Package and tell us what you think. We listen very carefully to your feedback and appreciate you taking time from your busy day to contact us.
Warm regards,
Susan Gorin, CAE
Executive Director,
The National Association of School Psychologists
School psychologists can work with teachers to incorporate these lessons into class work as well as into school-wide bullying prevention programming. The companion parent resources equip parents with valuable information on cyberbullying prevention and can help improve home-school collaboration around the effort to improve children's safe, ethical use of the Internet.
Susan Gorin, CAE
Executive Director,
The National Association of School Psychologists.