tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9160636034192691079.post68812290817653627..comments2024-01-13T21:31:23.388-05:00Comments on Reading While White: Stepping UpReading While Whitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07807138877345669931noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9160636034192691079.post-2906674831402336182019-02-14T17:45:18.758-05:002019-02-14T17:45:18.758-05:00Thanks very much, Sarah. If you have a handy link ...Thanks very much, Sarah. If you have a handy link or citation to the study (or studies) that demonstrates how one person can make a difference by directing others, I'd love to read it --or them. (Otherwise, I'll put on my librarian hat and do some research). I also appreciate your suggestions, Allie; the 4-square model sounds easy to implement in a school setting, along with examples of related activities. I'm familiar with Facing History and Ourselves from my time as a middle school librarian when students studied the Holocaust, among other historical units related to social justice (now that you jogged my memory, I think the classroom teachers may have used this approach). I'll visit the Facing History website to see if I can find any additional information. I'm also glad the approach made a difference at your school, Allie. Juliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14986345554578154781noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9160636034192691079.post-10004068262767529952019-02-14T13:28:19.210-05:002019-02-14T13:28:19.210-05:00I'm glad you raised this question, Julie, and ...I'm glad you raised this question, Julie, and Sarah is absolutely right that one person can usually successfully counter bystander effect.<br /><br />I know of one particularly good resource for educating kids to be advocates instead of bystanders: Facing History and Ourselves (https://www.facinghistory.org/). It provided the framework that I was trained in and used all the time with kids at Bank Street. The 4-square model is an extremely simple and valuable tool; basically, you draw 4 squares (on an easel or blackboard or whatever) and label them "bully" "target" "bystander" "advocate" (for younger kids, we used "mistake-maker" "ouch-feeler" "bystander" and "upstander", terms they came up with themselves and that have much more concrete meaning for little ones). Then, the possibilities are endless. You can read a book and have kids put characters/actions in the categories; you can create scenarios and act them out with dolls or puppets or have the kids role-play; you can even take incidents that happen in school and re-create them with a different outcome. Some of the most valuable conversations I've had have been about how such-and-such character went from being a bystander to an upstander, how the target can also be an advocate (ie, stand up for themselves) and how the advocate can help them stand up for themselves, what happens when the bullies/mistake makers are older/bigger, etc...<br /><br />At Bank Street, I saw kids counter acts of bullying in ways that simply never happened when I was in school. And it's not because we were morally inferior; it's because we didn't have the practice and the school culture to bring it out of us.Allie Jane Brucehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10322238221808680397noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9160636034192691079.post-2829673182056221052019-02-14T10:49:02.646-05:002019-02-14T10:49:02.646-05:00Social science research has also shown that the by...Social science research has also shown that the bystander effect can be easily short-circuited by ONE person reacting, particularly if they direct others on how to act. Many people- including victims- are paralyzed in the moment so it is particularly important to consider ways to react in advance so that the response is automatic- as it was for the author with the woman in danger.Sarahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16366856391266597747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9160636034192691079.post-67463069145165575182019-02-11T15:12:42.973-05:002019-02-11T15:12:42.973-05:00Social scientists have studied the bystander effec...Social scientists have studied the bystander effect; that is, "the more people that are present, the less inclined you will be to react yourself." (Social Science Research Council). I believe the initial research was around the murder case of Kitty Genovese in New York City when no one came to Ms. Genovese' aid when she was attacked on the street. Social scientists attribute a lack of action to a diffused sense of responsibility, as well as the need to conform. I think most of use who work or have worked with children are familiar with the bystander effect around the issue of bullying (statistics demonstrate that almost 90% of children in bullying situations are bystanders). I'm wondering if there is something that can be learned from the work around preventing bullying and decreasing the bystander effect to prevent situations like the one at MW that happened to Ms. Hathcock from happening again. If so, what are the most successful strategies?<br />Juliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14986345554578154781noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9160636034192691079.post-73157181757702219042019-02-11T12:44:53.052-05:002019-02-11T12:44:53.052-05:00Thank you Megan. Like You I hope I would have spo...Thank you Megan. Like You I hope I would have spoken up. I suspect that Councilors present knew both April and the other person, whom I understand to be a man, and sadly that could have factored in to what seems like a nonresponse. Not the same situation but I was once berated by a fellow classmate in an adult children’s literature class. The professor did not totally recognize the attack and still spoke up. I have always appreciated that. Just as April Hathcock would have appreciated someone speaking up during the verbal attack.T Bigelowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15001792196766538218noreply@blogger.com