This document discusses integrating social and emotional learning into teaching practices to address bullying. It provides an overview of approaches to ending bullying and using SEL to prevent future incidents. The objectives are to define bullying, identify types and risk factors, evaluate anti-bullying programs, and design an intervention for a specific school. A story illustrates relational and cyber bullying experienced by a new student from Pakistan and her efforts to get help from teachers and other students.

1. Learning to Get Along
How to integrate social and emotional learning
into your teaching practice
Slide commentaries and stories
Created by Spectacle Learning Media
Content developed by Jean Bernard and Alysoun Johnston
Narration and sound design: Jean Bernard, Alysoun Johnston, Eliot Johnston, Michael Johnston
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International
License. To view the terms of this license, please go to:
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/

2. 1
Slide 1 Introduction
Bullying is a global phenomenon that is shaped
locally and experienced personally. In a recent
study covering 144 countries, UNESCO reported
that 1 in 3 students (or 32%) had been bullied by
their peers during the previous month.
Addressing bullying effectively within the culture
of a school community involves stakeholders
putting together informed solutions that target
local issues. To help guide the process, this
module offers a general overview of the causes,
impacts and responses to bullying.
You will begin by examining a variety of
approaches for bringing the scourge of bullying to
an end in real time and consider the role of social
and emotional learning in preventing it from
ocurring in the future. From this foundation, you
will begin to shape a treatment for bullying that
works in your school and your community, taking
into consideration both short and long term
needs.
Slide 2 Inspiration
”I allowed myself to be bullied because I was scared
and didn’t know how to defend myself. I was bullied
until I prevented a new student from being bullied.
By standing up for him, I learned to stand up for
myself. ”
Jackie Chan
Actor, martial artist, film director
Slide 3 Objectives
Upon completion of this module, you will be able to:
• Give a general definition of ‘bullying’.
• Describe four main types of bullying and give
an example of each one.
• Identify risk factors for bullying and
victimization.
• Evaluate treatments for bullying in light of
your school’s learning environment.
• Explain how SEL can help to reduce and
prevent acts of bullying.
• Design an intervention program for bullying
that will work in your school and community.

3. 2
Slide 4 Asma’s story
Asma is a new student at Manchester
Junior High. She arrived recently to the
United States with her father and two
brothers from Islamabad, Pakistan and
was placed in the 9th
grade halfway
through the school year. Everything about
living in an American city is strange and
new for her, but the school is her worst
nightmare. In Pakistan, she was an
excellent student and had many friends,
but at Manchester Junior High, she
struggles with American English and is
exhausted from trying to catch up in all of
her subjects. The teachers are kind and
helpful, but Asma feels lost in the crowded hallways and sprawling campus. All she can think of is
how she misses chatting and laughing with her friends as they walked home from school in Pakistan,
sharing their snacks and stories. “This is America”, her dad says, “You have to work harder.”
Somehow, her brothers are getting good grades and fitting in faster than she is.
On top of all this, two popular girls in her history class, Ashley and Emma, have become increasingly
hostile towards her. Whenever they think the teacher is not looking, they exchange secretive
glances and stare at Asma’s headscarf.
“Good morning, class” says the history teacher, “today, we are going to begin by reading aloud the
one of the greatest speeches in American history. Asma, would you please begin?” Asma stands up
reluctantly. “Yes, Mrs. Gilbert.” Behind her, Ashley groans softly while Emma stifles a giggle. The
teacher shoots both of them a disapproving look and waits patiently for Asma to begin. She tries
desperately to hold the book steady in her trembling hands. Softly, almost imperceptibly, the words
start to tumble out of her mouth. Her heart is racing, “Fourscore and seven years ago, our fathers
brought forth on this continent….” Asma’s voice trails off into silence.
“You’re doing fine” says Mrs. Gilbert encouragingly.
“I am sorry, I don’t understand,” says Asma. “What is the Gettysburg Address? What is fourscore
and seven years?”
At this, the girls erupt into open laughter, along with most of their classmates. “Those are both very
good questions,” replies Mrs. Gilbert, ignoring the reaction of the class. She writes the word
‘address’ on the board, explaining that the word has two meanings, in this case it means a formal
speech delivered to an audience, in this particular example it was a famous speech delivered by
President Lincoln at a battlefield near Gettysburg, Pennsylvania during the Civil War.
“Emma,” directs the teacher, “please go to the map and show the class where Gettysburg is. Then
you can explain to all of us when, why and to whom Lincoln delivered this famous speech.” Emma
sulks, but does as she is told while Asma remains standing, nervously awaiting a nod from Mrs.
Gilbert to continue.
As Mrs. Gilbert focuses on listening to Asma, Ashley secretively pulls out her cell phone and videos
Asma as she makes her way through the rest of the speech. One of Ashley’s friends sees the phone,
laughs and gives a dramatic fake yawn for the video when Asma finishes.

4. 3
Slide 4 Asma’s story (continued)
Mrs. Gibson looks straight at the yawning boy disapprovingly. “That was very disrespectful,
Nicholas. You know that you are breaking our class’s ground rules, don’t you?”
“But, but…” stammers Nicholas.
“No buts,” says Mrs. Gibson firmly. Emma, Ashley and Nicholas. I will talk to all three of you after
class.
Asma sits down quickly, her face warm as the teacher moves on with the day’s lesson. She is the
first one to leave when the class ends, grabbing her cell phone from the drop basket on the way out.
As soon as she can, Asma rushes outside to a quiet spot near the sports field and checks her
Instagram account., hoping to hear news from her friends in Pakistan or some encouraging words
from her Mom. Instead, the video Ashley took of her in history class flashes onto her screen with the
words “Pakistani Lincoln, hahahaha’ typed underneath. As she watches, Asma clenches her teeth
and swallows as her eyes begin to swell with tears.
Saba, another student from Pakistan who is two years older than Asma, sees her sitting alone,
crying. “What’s wrong, sister?” she asks gently in Urdu. “Look at this,” replies Asma, holding up her
phone. “These girls don’t even know me, but they hate me and they’re out to get me all of the time.
They’re so mean! How many other kids are watching this now? I hate it here and I just want to go
home.” Asma trembles and buries her face in her hands.
“You are being bullied,” says Saba as she slips an arm around Asma’s shoulder. Those girls are
totally out of line. Have you talked to anyone else about what’s going on? Does your family know
about it?
“No,” Asma shakes her head, “my brothers are happy here and my dad works so hard to support us,
I don’t want to seem ungrateful.”
“It’s not about that! You need some help with making a new life in a new school and we all know
what it’s like to be on the outside in one way or another. It’s really important to help make the
school better by speaking up against bullying.”
Saba smiles knowingly and continues, “You have the evidence in your hand. You should file an
anonymous report about this post to the main office. You’re not even supposed to have a phone in
class. It’s school policy and this kind of stuff is why they’re banned! I can show you how to make a
report if you like.”
“Maybe…”Asma says slowly. “What would happen to those girls? What if they found out it was me
who reported them?”
“Don’t worry,” says Saba reassuringly, “you won’t be found out- besides, YOU haven’t done anything
wrong, THEY have. Like the principal says, there is no room in this school for bullying, and reporting
them can help them change for their own good, and for the good of everyone.”
“By the way,” continues the older girl, “I don’t think you’ve met Jorge- he’s on the student council
and president of the photography club. Did you know there are all kinds of clubs you can join?
Come on, I’ll introduce you. When I first came here, I felt really weird, too, but being part of a club
really helped me to make friends and to feel more comfortable here. Don’t be afraid to talk with
the counsellor or the teachers about what you’re going through, too－the adults here are really
supportive.”

5. 4
Slide 5 What is ‘bullying’?
Bullying behavior is generally defined as
‘unwanted aggression by one person against
another that is, or has the potential to be,
repeated over time’. Bullying is often viewed
from the different perspectives of researchers
who study human behavior, mainly in the fields
of social psychology, behavioral psychology,
sociology and anthropology.
• From the perspective of social psychology,
bullying is a relationship problem involving
peer abuse. In simple terms, bullies act
against people they do not respect or like.
• From the behavioral psychology point of
view, bullying is exploitation of a perceived
power imbalance. That is, the bully feels stronger than his or her victim.
• And from the perspective of sociology and anthropology, bullying is taking advantage of
another person using methods that are beyond socially acceptable rules, such as direct physical
abuse, name-calling or ridicule.
From all three perspectives, bullying is a form of unwanted aggression that is, or has the potential to
be, repeated over time.
Slide 6 What does bullying look like?
Most people think of bullying as a form of
physical violence like hitting, punching, biting
or kicking but this is only one of four distinct
types of bullying behaviors. Bullying is often
physical, but it can also be verbal, relational or
cyber--or some combination of these, as in the
example of Asma’s story, in which bullies use a
social media platform (Instagram) to bully her
relationally. Verbal and physical bullying are
usually direct, while relational bullying; for
example, ignoring or making fun of someone
behind her back, are almost always indirect.
Bullying behaviors happen in or near virtually
all places of learning, even in well regarded
institutions of higher learning, but they can look very different in a well-resourced school in an
affluent community than they might in an overcrowded, under-resourced school in a community
living with poverty, domestic violence, civil conflict or all of these. Bullying behaviors are also
influenced by culture. For example, direct verbal abuse is less prevalent in societies where it is not
normal for people to confront each other directly but may surface in equally devastating ways by
purposefully humiliating or isolating someone indirectly.

6. 5
Slide 7 Bullying is a global problem
Bullying is not a modern phenomenon, and
it happens all over the world, although in
different forms and with different degrees of
harm to both individuals and societies. In
recent years, international organizations
have begun to gather and track evidence of
bullying and report that it is on the rise in
schools and other institutions of learning,
and, as a result, presents serious obstacles
to fulfilling children’s human right to
education. In 2017, UNESCO reported that
worldwide, 246 million children and
adolescents are exposed to bullying or some
form of violence at school every year.
In reality, in the number is likely to be much
higher, as many cases are simply not reported. Research by the World Health Organization
concludes that bullying has significant impacts on children’s physical heath, mental health and
quality of life.
Slide 8 Causes and effects of bullying:
What does the research tell us?
Why do people bully? Who are the victims?
What is the long term impact of bullying on
individuals, communities and societies?
Answers to these questions, especially the
first one, are complex. So, let’s begin with
the ‘why’. Is bullying internally motivated
－that is, is it part of human nature? Or is it
socially driven, in other words is it
behavior that children learn from peers,
families and others they come into contact
with. Unfortunately, bullying appears to be
part of the human experience that
manifests itself to some degree in most, if
not all, cultures. But that, in itself, does not
explain why some children and adults engage in bullying behavior and others do not. Some
researchers, based on their observations, conclude that certain individuals in any group are naturally
more aggressive than others while other researchers argue that bullying is a learned behavior that is
driven by such factors as poverty, prevalence of violence in the family or a set of shared values that
glorify power and strength over cooperation and inclusiveness. Current thinking tends to explain
bullying through the eyes of the perpetrators as a way of gaining social status and power, not as a
psychological abnormality. In other words, bullies do it because it works for them in their social
group.

7. 6
Slide 8 Causes and effects of bullying: What does the research tell us? (continued)
Who are the victims? In most cases, the victims of bullying those that are perceived by the dominant
members of the social group as weak or different－different in physical appearance, in the way they
dress, their personalities, their hairstyles, race, gender identity or sexual orientation. The victims of
bullying, whichever group they fall into, can be damaged for life in terms of health, self-esteem,
academic and career success. There is also a negative impact on the perpetrators, because unless
they are able to change their bullying behaviors, they may fail to benefit from the lifelong rewards of
building empathy and healthy social relationships.
In addition to the devastating impact of bullying on individuals, there is a profound social and
economic cost to tolerating bullying, as many victims simply drop out; therefore, are not enabled to
reach their full potential as contributing members of society.
Slide 9 Why bullying is especially prevalent at school
What is it about school cultures that
seems to invite bullying behaviors?
Even children and teenagers who are
not exposed to agressive behaviors at
home may become bullies at school.
Some say that this is because of their
desire to ‘fit in’ to a social group or,
worse, submitting to peer pressure to
join exclusive cliques or gangs that
require new members to exhibit violent
behaviors in order to be accepted.
Generally, bullying at school has been
attributed to four major factors:
• Learner characteristics－that is,
what they bring with them from
home and community influences,
including exposure to media
violence.
• Physical environment of the school that fails to prevent acts of bullying.
• A social climate that tolerates, even rewards, aggressive attitudes and behaviors.
• General approach of school management in recognizing and treating the problem through, for
example, a bullying prevention policy, school wide ground rules for teachers and school staff, a
reporting system for victims and bystanders, and anti-bullying intervention program(s).
Although such policies and programs may not stamp out bullying altogether, they do establish an
authoritative position and set of regulations for members of the learning community to live by and,
when necessary, take action. Some of the policies, actions and interventions that schools around
the world have put into practice to address bullying and other forms of school-based violence will
be discussed next. As you listen, think about how social and emotional learning is connected to
prevention of bullying, what actions your school has taken and how well they have worked, AND
what more can be done over both the short and longer term.

8. 7
Slide 10 What works? Urgent care
In schools where bullying is endemic and
cited as the cause of physical abuse,
depression, dropout or, in worst case
scenarios, self-harm or suicide, there is a
critical need for need ‘urgent care’ that
prioritizes immediate and forceful action to
respond to and prevent repeated incidents.
In these situations, the first step is to carry
out a quick landscape assessment that
provides answers to questions like ‘what is
going on?’ ‘Who are the perpetrators?’ Who
are the victims? Where does the bullying
take place?’ ‘How often?’
On the basis of this basic situational
snapshot, an ‘urgent response action plan’ can be set into motion to reduce incidents of bullying at
school using tools such as video cameras and adult monitoring, increased counseling services, and
teacher-let classroom discussions. In addition to these immediate interventions, the school
counselor can train teachers, school personnel, and upper level students as mentors using methods
and tools such as bystander training and ‘friendship benches’ so students who have been victimized
can choose to seek help from a variety of sources. It is critical for victims to have someone they can
talk to, and who can offer support and options.
The second step, and the one that is most often overlooked once visible signs of bullying have begun
to decline, is to lay the ground work for a longer term, sustainable anti-bullying program by putting
into place data gathering tools such as student surveys, testimonials, and anonymous reporting
systems (ARS) to collect hard evidence on the nature, frequency and severity of the problem.
Slide 11 What works? Long term solutions
Research on anti-bullying interventions in
schools around the world shows that
‘urgent care’ responses have a very limited
impact. While some programs claim to
significantly reduce incidents of bullying
over the short term, there is scant
evidence to show that it has been
prevented from recurring over the longer
term.
Ideally, in schools that may be said to be in
crisis mode, planning for urgent care is
quickly followed by (or takes place at the
same time as) planning for a long term,
sustainable solution that not only reduces
bullying incidents at the moment of
intervention, but gets at the roots of the problem and sets into motion remedies that aim to change
the culture of the school community into one where bullying is no longer ‘cool’ or acceptable.
To make this happen, use the results of the data collection to inform plan development, e.g. in deciding
what to prioritize and how to sequence interventions. If a school policy to prevent bullying is already in
place, use the information to strengthen and reinforce implementation of the policy.

9. 8
Slide 11 What works? Long term solutions (continued)
If there is no policy in place, work with community leaders and parents to develop one. Then designate
concrete steps to set into motion a complete transformation of the school environment, for example
through the creation of a schools ‘safe space’, and support to related activities such as music, art and
poetry. Also, introduce inclusive team sports, peace building clubs and other after school activities.
When causes are clearly related to problems in the surrounding community, such as gang v violence,
drugs, high crime rates, home, lack of safe recreational areas and social and economic inequalities,
consider establishing a school-community outreach program to help dampen the bullying trend. A
program might include, for example, interventions by religious and secular community leaders, parent
outreach, high profile performances, or school and community cleanups. Within the school buildings
and grounds, conditions may call for a complete transformation of both the physical and social
environment, together with the implementation of measures that call for building specific SEL skills, like
resilience and self-esteem.
Slide 12 What does NOT work?
Obviously, ignoring the symptoms and root
causes of a growing and damaging problem
hoping that somehow it will go way does
not work. Yet, little or no response from
school authorities and staff has long been
the norm, largely because of the widely held
assumption in many societies that bullying is
normal, especially among adolescents, and
it is simply a part of growing up.
Nor, generally, does relying solely on
external solutions such as ‘comprehensive’
and often expensive anti-bullying programs
that claim to reduce incidents of bullying in
any context—not driven by objectively
collected evidence from the local context
on, for example, frequency and types of bullying and socio-economic data from the surrounding
community.
Interventions that have been shown NOT to work include those that are delayed, inappropriate or
weak; for example, supervised conflict resolution between perpetrators and victims is ill conceived,
because conflict resolution assumes two equal sides in a dispute. In bullying, only one side is the
transgressor. Examples of other measures that do not work, and may even have a reverse effect,
include severe disciplinary measures such as expulsion for minor incidents that could be dealt with
constructively, and ‘urgent care’ measures such as slogans, signs, or motivational speakers that are
not followed up with long term, sustained actions, as discussed in the previous slide.

10. 9
Slide 13 What do classroom teachers
need to know and be able to do?
• Become familiar with:
o national and state (or district) legal
frameworks and official policies
o your school’s policy on bullying.
o teacher guidelines and other
relevant resources
• Reach out to families and community
leaders.
• Work in teams with other teachers,
specialists and parents to understand
the root causes of bullying.
• Emphasize course content and methods
that promote core SEL concepts and
related behaviors.
• Make time for open discussions on
bullying. This best happens as a regular,
recurring sharing time at the beginning or the end of the day.
• Create an inclusive learning environment (see LtGA Modules 2 and 5).
Slide 14 Peace from within: connecting
SEL with anti-bullying programs
What matters most in developing a ‘peace
from within’ treatment for bullying is
PREVENTION. That is, a long term strategy
integrated into the curriculum that values
the development of students’ internal
moral compasses alongside their
developing academic skills. From the
perspective of what the scientists say, this
means enhancing the executive functioning
of the brain and building on the natural
human capacity for empathy in ways that
build strong emotional and social
awareness skills, and thereby construct a
living, breathing, inclusive learning
environment—where there is no space for
bullying, where it is not considered
‘normal’, acceptable or tolerable, where bullying, in other words, becomes a thing of the past.

11. 10
Slide 15 Tips for creating a bully-free
learning environment
1. Take steps to understand the type and
frequency of bullying going on in your
school and community.
2. Work with colleagues to develop
a ‘safe school’ action plan that
works in your context. The plan
should include both ‘urgent care’
and long term solutions.
3. Always keep in mind that any one of
these actions, taken alone, is not likely
to have significant and sustained
impact. Consider including these
elements in your plan:
o Reach out to parents and community leaders.
o Include bystander training and anonymous reporting systems.
o Involve students in shaping and implementing the plan.
4. Launch and sustain a high visibility campaign to make your school a ‘bully free’ zone.
5. Make every classroom and learning space a place where SEL skills are developed and
strengthened.
Slide 16 School policies on bullying:
an example from Scotland
Many school systems around the world
that have established specific policies and
plans for responding to bullying have
succeeded in reducing the frequency of
reported incidents. Respect for All, the
national approach to bullying for Scotland’s
children and young people is grounded in
four shared values: fairness, respect,
equality and inclusion. Respect for All
provides guidance to schools in how to
develop local policies and plans that are
consistent with its shared vision for
creating learning environments that are
free from all forms of bullying and school-
based violence.
Slide 17 Examples of strategies for dealing with bullying from around the world
These examples (next page)offer a range of different strategies in a wide range of situations. Given
the intransigence of the problem, it is clear that strategies for prevention can and should start at a
very young age, even though frequent and overt acts of bullying may not become apparent until
children reach pre-adolescence. It is often the case that younger children are the victims of older
ones in areas where children of different ages gather and mix socially, such as playgrounds, in transit
to and from school, and, of course at home and in communities. Overall, it is essential that school-
based strategies such as friendship benches and bystander training be grounded in a school wide
action plan which is, in turn, guided by a strong state or national legal framework that is well
publicized and implemented throughout the system.

12. 11
Slide 18 An example from Trinidad and
Tobago
When Jeromy Rodriguez was just eleven
years old, his older sister came home in
tears. Confiding in her brother that she
had been bullied repeatedly and never
wanted to go back to school. From that
moment on, Jeromy and his family have
used their amazing talents to organize and
mobilize students in Trinidad and Tobago,
as well as in neighboring island nations in
the Caribbean to stand up and shout out
against bullying. Using live music
performances, school rallies, social media,
radio and television. Let’s listen…
Think about how you and your colleagues could motivate and support students like Jeromy to use
their talents and skills to take a stand against bullying, keeping in mind that raising awareness is just
the start. To make a real impact, they must be followed up with plans and actions that bring about
transformational change.

13. 12
Slide 19 The takeaway
Slides 20,21,22 Self-checkout*
*Make a note of your choices and discuss with colleagues. You can check answers on p. 15 (slide 25)

14. 13

15. 14
Slide 23 Think like a teacher*
*Copy the chart into your journal or display on a board or screen. If possible, discuss with colleagues before
you share or present to others.
Slide 24 What’s next?
That’s it for now, but not for long. We hope
you have enjoyed the basic Learning to Get
Along course and have already begun to try
out some of the ideas and activities for
integrating SEL into your classroom or
learning space. If so, we hope you have
begun to observe its impact on your
students’ well-being, as well as on their
learning processes and outcomes. Thank
you for joining us, and stand by for news of
new modules on learning to get along
globally and how social and emotional
learning contributes beyond the classroom
to the movement to mitigate climate
change and protect our planet from further
harm for generations to come.

16. 15
Slide 25 Self-checkout answers
Thank you for participating in Module 6. We hope that the ideas and information presented in this
self-learning program are useful to you and your students. We invite you to send your feedback
directly to us at spectaclelearningmedia@gmail.com. We also encourage you to send your own
stories and ideas for classroom strategies or activities related to the themes of Modules 1-6 (listed
below) to the same address. We are planning to set up a platform for sharing these with educators
around the world.
To request a PowerPoint version of Module 6 or for information on how to adapt this course for
your school, district or system, please visit:
https://spectaclelearningmedia.net
Learning to Get Along
How to integrate social and emotional learning into your teaching
practice
1. Understanding SEL – What and why?
2. Implementing SEL – Where, when and how often?
3. Emotional awareness – What it is and how it can help
students to take charge of their lives
4. Social awareness – How to help students build strong
social relationships
5. Learning is for everyone – How to make your classroom
and school more inclusive
6. Peace from within – Finding a treatment for bullying that
works in your school