Cyberbullying : What Teachers Can Do ?
HEADLINES:
Cyberbullying : What Teachers Can Do ? Straight answer would be : Act quickly and appropriately
WHY IN NEWS:
Online classrooms have exposed teachers to cyberbullying from their students. How can schools deal with this problem?
SYLLABUS COVERED: GS 3: Education
LEARNING:
For PRELIMS this article is a ray of hope for teachers who find it difficult to adopt with online learning initiatives . So nothing much here for Prelims .
For MAINS you should be able to grasp pros and cons of cyberbullying . This is a guide to teachers /Mentors/Youtubers against cyberbullying . Let us dive in !
ISSUE:
CYBERBULLYING
Even teachers are being victimised by their students . Sadly, the toxicity doesn’t seem to end.
NEW CHALLENGES FOR TEACHING FRATERNITY
- There are reports of students sleeping in class.
- Giving themselves celebrity names
- Morphing teachers’ pictures to troll them.
- Switching off their cameras.
- Changing their account name to hurl abuses .
- Send inappropriate memes to teachers.
POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS FOR SCHOOLS AND TEACHERS
MASTER VIRTUAL CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT
- Teachers have to equip themselves with the skills required for the respective learning platform and know its nuances.
- There might be a bit of difficulty in the beginning, but one can ace it with a bit of exploring and practice.
- You can also check the disabling options and disable whatever is necessary.
- The common complaint of students changing their names while in class can be easily resolved by this.
MAINTAINING DECORUM
- The school must step in and assign a co-teacher to watch the students.
- In case such extended support is lacking, schools can always resort to stringent rules.
- As there is a complete shift to virtual classrooms, there also needs to be a revised framework of behaviour and discipline guidelines.
- Syllabus should be shared with both students and their parents.
- Outline what is acceptable and unacceptable and the consequences for the latter.
- Make both parties acknowledge the guidelines;
- Most importantly, follow through with the consequences so that students take the protocols, and the teachers, seriously.
- Revisit the guidelines every 2-3 months to check if any changes are needed as virtual learning is still evolving.
STAY CONNECTED WITH STUDENTS
- Use private chat to communicate with students instead of public shaming.
- Whatever the nature of the offence, be positive and respectful.
- Quick action will show students that the teacher is in control.
- If necessary, include both parents and school authorities in a meeting with the students.
IASbhai WINDUP:
- E-learning is helping teachers break new ground.
- Don’t lose heart when your students exhibit challenging behaviours.
- Instead, try to understand the reasons and take quick and appropriate action.
SOURCES:THE HINDU & PIB | Cyberbullying : What Teachers Can Do ? | UPSC
Must Read Articles :DISCOVER MORE : GS-3
If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for Daily Current Affairs , Editorial Analysis & Answer writing video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.
