College Comp Discussion 8

First, create a post-draft outline for the draft you submitted in Unit 6. For an example of a post-draft outline, see pp. 157-159 of The Kaplan Guide to Successful Writing.  Post that outline to the Invention Lab. Based upon this outline, what do you think is missing from your draft? Are you repeating yourself throughout the paper? Did you miss a topic that you mentioned in your thesis statement? Does the essay flow well? If there are any other things that come to light with your outline, discuss them in your response. This portion of your response should be at least 200 words.
Then, after reviewing this unit’s reading on introductions and conclusions, create new opening and closing paragraphs for your project. Write a paragraph describing what approaches you selected, what changes you made to the paragraphs in your draft, and why you think the new paragraphs will make an effective frame for your essay. This part of your post should be at least 300 words and include your revised introduction and conclusion paragraphs.

Be sure to attach your draft to your post so classmates can evaluate your post-draft outline and revised paragraphs more effectively.
Respond to two classmates’ posts. Please begin by reviewing a post that has not yet gotten a response. You need to offer specific suggestions for improving and revising their essay. See the guidelines below as well as Chapter 16 of The Kaplan Guide to Successful Writing for issues to consider in your response, and keep Roger Ebert’s recommendations about effective film reviewing that we discussed last week in mind. You don’t just want to state what you like or do not like about the proposed revisions — explain why you feel the way you do and provide evidence to support your assertions and offer suggestions for improvement. 

 

METHODS OF PREVENTING BULLYING IN SCHOOLS
1

METHODS OF PREVENTING BULLYING IN SCHOOLS
6

Methods of Preventing Bullying In Schools

Kaplan University

David Bumford

11/21/13

Methods of Preventing Bullying In Schools

Bullying is a grave social problem in our communities, schools, and homes. In most cases bullying is dismissed a ‘rite of passage’ that affects the adolescent. However, research findings are in contrary
to this assertion because they have proven beyond reasonable doubt that bullying is an acquired behavior that is learned and can be detrimental to the physical, academic, emotional, and social development of all parties involved in the act. It is important to note that bullying affects the targets, bullies, and witnesses of the act. Bullying does not affect the youth only but it is a problem at all ages (Goryl, Neilsen-Hewett, & Sweller, 2013). Countless volumes of research have come up with “anti-bullying” programs, and despite increased media scrutiny of the vice
and campaigns against the act, the vice remains a thorn in the sole that has to be removed and eradicated from the social platform. Bullying is a social issue that is complex and requires a lot of determination, courage, and leadership to address. With an increase in technology that has provided rapid and impulsive communication, it has only opened up channels and an increase in bullying degrees than never experienced before.
This has called for immediate response than never ever before in addressing the social menace
. It is in line with this that this paper acknowledges the fact that, to promote the prevention of bullying school
administrators, educators, and socially dominant figures need to work together. The paper will look at ways of preventing bullying at both the school and community level.

Before this paper ventures further in describing some of the possible solutions that can be implemented to prevent bullying, it is important to state what bullying is and what it is not. Bullying is defined as any form of severe physical or pervasive act that includes communication in writing, electronically that is aimed at a student, or a group of student and it could have the following effects on the target:

· Placing the target in reasonable fear of harm either in person or their property

· Negatively affecting the students’ mental or physical health

· Substantially negatively affecting the students’ performance academically or

· Interfering with the ability to engage and benefit from activities, services, and privileges provided by the school

On the other hand, some conduct although closely related to bullying are not classified as bullying and these conducts include:

· Mere teasing

· Talking trash

· Trading of insults

· The expression of beliefs and ideas, as long as the expression is not profane, lewd, or in any way intended to harass or intimidate another
.

In an effort to prevent bullying which is very prevalent in our schools, some states such as the State of Illinois have come up with legislative measures that require schools to grow and implement substantial policies that would help in preventing and intervening in student bullying. In a more advanced effort to prevent bullying, the Illinois State has stated under its laws some statutes that are aimed at preventing bullying schools.

For example The School Code: 105 ILCS 5/10-20.14. This law requires the district to develop and sustain a parent-teacher advisory committee that together with the school board should develop policy guidelines on pupil discipline, to furnish a copy of the policy to parents and inform its pupils of the contents of the policy (Berlin & Dalen, 2011).

The Illinois Criminal Code; Harassing and Obscene Communication Act, 710ILCS135/1 clearly prohibits comments that are intended or lewd to offend either via electronic communication or via telephone. It also prohibits communicating to a minor under 13years with the aim of harassing or threatening them as it terms such an act bullying (Berlin & Dalen, 2011).

Putting into consideration that nearly all students could be perpetrators, witnesses or targets of bullying, and knowing the fact that bullying could negatively affect the school climate and students’ welfare it
calls for immediate action. The inclusion of multifaceted approaches in an effort to reduce bullying in schools has been dimed to possess a higher chance of success in reduction of bullying. Inclusion of joint programs that could register success includes:

· School-wide component, which are focused on creating awareness, monitoring, training, and assessment of bullying in our institutions (Bender& Lösel, 2011)

· Intervention programs for students who most often have been perpetrators or targets of bullying.

· Classroom learning that is aimed building skills such as empathy and problem solving in an effort to curb bullying.

Social and emotional learning is a bullying prevention mechanism aimed at ensuring that students do not fall victim to bullying by equipping them with social and emotional skills. This technique is aimed at ensuring that students are equipped with necessary life skills that will help them to effectively handle life challenges, and help them thrive not only in their learning environments but as well as with their social environments. This mode of learning helps students manage and recognize their emotions for others by caring and showing concern and the establishment of positive relationships that will reduce bullying in the schools (Bender& Lösel, 2011).

The school culture and climate are essential factors in the anti-bullying writing guard
that can be considered. This is because the school climate refers to how the students and teachers feel about their presence at school every day. School climate is influenced by a number of factors, such as; adult/student interaction, structure of buildings and classroom, and the feeling of safety and trust while at school (Goryl, Neilsen-Hewett, & Sweller, 2013). This clearly shows that in order to prevent bullying, both the society and school have a mandate to create a school climate that promotes trust and safety to the students. A healthy school climate should have the following:

· An environment that is conducive and supportive to learning

· An environment that allows room for effective interaction and communication

· A good environment that promotes self-esteem and a sense of belonging

The school climate goes line in line with the school culture. The school culture should be one that does not tolerate bullying but allows the peaceful coexistence of all students. Dr. Phillips a research
in student bullying once said that, “If people do not improve, programs never will. By improving the school culture, almost any focused program of improvement will see positive results.”

On the other side, parents and social institutions such as churches and other places of worship should be in the forefront to instil good morals to the children. They should constantly discuss with the children the negativities of bullying and why it is a barbaric act;
giving valuable reasons as to why they should avoid the act (Goryl, Neilsen-Hewett, & Sweller, 2013).

It should be well noted that bullying is not a problem in itself but rather the difficulty lies with the policies that run our institutions. Most of these policies have laxity
penalties for perpetrators of bullying and therefore creating a haven for bullying escapades. If only the policies could be amended and more strict
measures put against bullying, then it would be assure
bet that bullying would be extinct in the near future
.

References

Bender, D., & Lösel, F. (2011). Bullying at school as a predictor of delinquency, violence and other anti-social behaviour in adulthood. Criminal Behaviour And Mental Health: CBMH,21(2), 99-106. doi:10.1002/cbm.799

Ferguson, C. J. (2013). Anti-Bullying Programs Could Be a Waste of Time. Time.Com, 1.

Goryl, O., Neilsen-Hewett, C., & Sweller, N. (2013). Teacher education, teaching experience and bullying policies: Links with early childhood teachers’ perceptions and attitudes to bullying.Australasian Journal Of Early Childhood, 38(2), 32-40.

Hon. Berlin, R. States Attorney, & Hon. Darlene, J.R. Ed.D., Superintendent. (2011). Best Practices in Bullying Prevention and Intervention. Retrieved from http://www.dupage.k12.il.us/main/anti-bullying/pdf/BestPracticesManual

�‘in contrast’

�Reconsider this word choice

�Confusing phrase

�Use simpler phrasing to avoid confusion.

�Add comma for clarity

�This would be a good place to include a clear, specific thesis statement that describes the plan (your Big Idea). ‘School administrators and community leaders should . . .”

It could be something like that. Then list the two or three proposals you will discuss in the paper.

�Do you need an in-text citation after this list?

�Can you reword this sentence and eliminate the “it”, which does not refer to anything specific in the sentence.

�Meaning?

�researcher

�use a comma here

�lax

�Should be ‘stricter’ – a one syllable comparative adjective needs ‘er’ only.

�Two words ‘ a sure’

�Good work on this draft, David. You include a lot of good information, especially information that establishes what bullying is and the suggestions from experts on how to prevent it.

When you revise, I’d suggest including more specific examples, perhaps a narrative example or two of kids involved and the effects, and some additional quotes and statistics. Establish the size of the problem, but bring it to a personal and human level with stories and testimony.

Note my margin comments related to grammar, phrasing, and word choice.