These workshops use scenarios and characters from the book Cloudbusting to examine the nature of bullying and to explore key issues around bullying: How do we define bullying? Can anyone be a bully? If someone bullies or is bullied once will they always be a bully or a victim? What role do bystanders have in a bullying situation?
These workshops are also key in moving away from stereotypes of “goodies” and “baddies”, in developing empathy and in allowing participants to see how their behaviour can effect a situation for better or worse.The workshops meets Key Stage 2 Teaching Requirements in the following ways:
Citizenship, Choices
Enabling children to identify some of the influences on choices; to think about what is important to them in making choices; to discuss their opinions with others and explain their choices; enabling children to recognise positive and negative peer influence and identify how they can support friends in decision-making.
Citizenship, Living in a Diverse World
Enabling children to know that there are similarities and differences between every child in the class; to know that different things contribute to our identity, including our membership of different groups; to demonstrate respect for difference and communicate this to others; to know that it is wrong to tease someone because they are different, including because of their race; understand that some people are threatened by difference, eg, difference of race.
Citizenship, Children’s Rights, Human Rights
Enabling children to empathise with people who have been treated unfairly; to understand the importance of honesty, trust, respect and tolerance.
Citizenship, Moving On
Enabling children to identify and describe things that help friendships and things that hinder them; to recognise the importance of listening in friendship; to recognise that changing situations can sometimes make friendships difficult; to know that new friends can be gained and old friends can be lost; enabling children to recognise what bullying and harassment are and why they can happen; to understand the effect bullying can have on those involved.
Art and Design
Enabling children to question and make thoughtful observation and to explore and select ideas to use in their work; to explore a range of starting points for practical work (for example themselves, their experiences, images, stories and drama).