Learning Environment Assignment PDF

Running head: LEARNING ENVIRONMENT EDUCATION
Learning Environment Education
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author’s Note:

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PART-A
School bullying is one of the major problems that are arising in each and every school in
this modern day scenario. Students are often harmed physically, emotionally, mentally and also
in many other ways in their classroom. This often becomes one of the major obstructions in the
path of sound education and student development. Students often find it very tough to cope up
with the huge pressure that they receive from their peers. In this context it must be noted that
there are many new discourses of bullying coming up in this modern scenario. There are many
socio cultural perspectives associated with it. So it is the duty of the schools, colleges, families
and the community as a whole to make sure that they are being able to deal with this form of
bullying as well. For an instance there can be the case of the Africans that is the black sinned (or
non white skin) students to get bullied by the white skin students or the Australians.
So, it is evident here, that difference in the skin color or the racial discrimination is the
main reason behind e classroom bullying. The socio cultural bias is becoming very prominent
right from the grass root level of the society. As a result of this, the racial biasness is being
injected into the minds of the children right from their school level. Apart from this, there are
also other biases like the sexual orientation of students. Students who are gay or lesbians in
nature might also be bullied in their classroom. This might be a very sensitive issue and the
students mogh feel shy in sharing the same.
As per the opinion of Thornberg, (2015) there must be a very friendly and cooperative
relationship between the teachers and the students. The teachers must not always look after the
educational needs of the students. Saarento, Garandeau and Salmivalli, (2015) has also agreed to
this idea supporting the fact that it is really very important for the teachers to understand their

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students properly. The teachers have to keep an eye on the behavior of their students during the
classroom sessions. Apart from this, they have to make sure that students are also being able to
narrate their entire day’s activities to their parents as well.
This is because of the fact that the students spend most of their time at home and with
their parents. So, it is important that the students are not suffering from the feeling of hesitation
while speaking with their parents. As per the opinion of Zych, Farrington, Llorent and Ttofi,
(2017), it is not only the duty of the teachers but the parents as well to make sure that they are
being able to understand their children properly (Hinduja & Patchin, 2014). It is also the duty of
the teachers to maintain a regular and a clear connection with the guardians of their students. The
teachers have to keep a strict eye upon the different kinds of behavioral changes or any kinds of
unusual signs that they are seeing among their students. The teachers might fund their previous
experiences quite helpful in this matter. It is common for a classroom teacher to have gone
through such situations several times in their professional career (Modecki et al., 2014). So they
will be able to make use of their past experiences to find out if any of their students are being
bullied and are suffering in silence. The teachers can also use their knowledge of the normal
behavior of their students. It is for this reason that the teachers must always try to develop a close
and deep relationship with their students’ right from the beginning of their classroom teaching
sessions.

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PART B
Programs and tactics used by schools and in the classroom
In the current context the teachers try to deal with this problem of bullying mainly by
using the anti law rules and regulations. They might use the methods of scolding the children or
somehow stop the issue without any strict actions. The teachers might think that this method of
scolding or parents complaints might be a good method for dealing with this issue of classroom
bullying. However it is not the case, the teachers must realize that
There can be several reasons responsible for the bullying that takes place at the school
level. The reasons might take place at the social, economic, emotional, cultural and also the
social hierarchical levels. The context and the effects of bullying are changing day by day as the
social scenarios are also changing. It is for this reason that the conceptualization and
manifestation of school and the way in which it is taking place in various groups are shifting day
by day. However, it has to be noted in this context that no matter whatever be the situation,
bullying is never a healthy thing and it can actually turn out to be very harmful to the mental and
social well being of the victim (Pabian & Vandebosch, 2016). As the modern day scenario is
advancing and developing at a very rapid rate, there are also several new discourses that are
being added to these concepts like that of school bullying. Earlier there were only two kinds of
bullying that are the verbal and the physical bullying. These might be considered as the relational
or the traditional forms of bullying. However, in this era of the concept of bullying from the
socio cultural aspect is increasing day by day. This is because there are students coming from
many minority groups or from different social and cultural backgrounds. This often makes them
easy bait for the ones who are in the habit of bullying. A very common instance can be the

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classroom bullying of the Indian, African or any other such students coming from different
ethnic backgrounds other than the white skin Australian. This might make the Indians or the non
white skin students vulnerable towards bullying. On the other hand there can also be a certain
group of students like the tribal or any kind of minority class like the scheduled tribes or
backward tribes can feel that they are not being well accepted by the teachers. They feel
demotivated and can suffer from the feeling of depression. So, in this scenario it is natural for
team to bully over other students.
States or agencies in meeting the challenges the issue poses in schools/classroom
A teacher might get to know that his or her student is being very restless in the classroom.
A student who is being bullied might become very aggressive or arrogant all of a sudden. The
teachers might also try to know if the students have been suddenly injured after any lunch breaks
or when that student is going out for any short breaks from the class. There might be some marks
of injury over his body parts like bruises, cuts or any other such signs. These might be the result
of any physical abuses that the children are being subjected. The teachers must immediately take
the student to some medical assistance and try to calm them down.
However, Catalano, (2014) suggests that this is not all. The teachers must be much more
responsible and make sure that they are going to the root of these problems. They have to talk to
the student and try to understand what the exact cause behind this is. The teachers might also
find that the student is not being active in class. One of the major symptoms of bullying is
changes in the speaking ability of the students or the ability to socialize. The teachers must make
it a point to note all these warning signs in the class. They must immediately take it to the notice
of the parents. As per the opinion of Watson, Rapee and Todorov, (2017) the schools must not be

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concerned about their own reputation. They must make sure that they are consulting his matter
with the management and the senior coordinators of their school.
Zero Tolerance Policy
There has to be a sense of equality among all the students. Many of the schools in
Australia impose an also follow many anti-bullying policies like the ZTP or the zero-tolerance
policy. Apart from this, there are also other commissions like the fair works commission that
help in protecting the students from the bullying taking place at their school (Singh et al., 2017).
However, in this modern day scenario, it is really very important for the schools to make sure
that they are taking care of the new kinds of discourses that have been added to the concept of
bullying.
Litigation is another method being used by schools to help students deal with the harms
that can be caused after they have suffered through bullying. This is indeed a very helpful
method that can help the students and their families to deal with these harsh nesses.
There are only some places that have made some special laws for the students who are
much more vulnerable to the acts of bullying. As for example there are some regions like
Massachusetts that provides special attention to some students who might fall a prey to bullying
because of their cultural, social, sexual or many other such backgrounds. So there is a debate if
the schools should actually use the enumeration of the protected classes of students in the anti
bullying laws or they must have a normal anti bullying laws without any such specific protected
class of students.

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A strong evaluative argument must be made in terms of identifying which
strategies/programs/tactics are currently being used in schools/classrooms
The teachers often take these matters lightly. Schools often do not try to deal with their
matters in a prominent manner as they feel that these issues would bring their reputation in a
stake. Often the parents think that involving police or other investigation teams into these affairs
will be very effective. So they want a proper cooperation from school and particularly the class
teachers. However, often the class teachers or the school council as a whole do not feel it
essential to help out the parents. They feel that this will be very troublesome for their reputation.
This will not really be helpful to combat the problem of bullying. Often the schools try to ease
the student by telling that things will turn out to be well and they will make sure that the student
is not being bullied anymore. However, this is really a very half-hearted approach. Schott and
Søndergaard, (2014) are of the opinion that the schools must not take these matters lightly.
They have to make sure that they are taking care of all the other kinds of disturbances or
problems that the students are facing in the school (Strier & Katz, 2016). This can be some
disparities due to their cultural or ethnic backgrounds as well. Often the schools have the habit of
separating the aboriginal students and the other students in the class. This is often very harmful
to the students. Students who are always stigmatized as the other from the main streams have a
habit of becoming aggressive or violent. In the later years, they might try to rule over the rest of
the students. Baldry, Farrington and Sorrentino, (2017) has stated that the teachers must try to
inculcate a sense of equality among the students rather than separating them based on their
economic, social, cultural or ethnic groups. There is the chance that the aboriginal students might
suffer through a lot of disparities in the Australian Schools.

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The aboriginal students’ might feel bullied by their teachers and even by their friends and
all other classmates. So it is the duty of the teachers and the entire school corporation to make
sure that they are not protecting a handful of students from the incidences of bullying. They have
to develop a positive learning framework. This can be done by using the REAP (respect, ears,
attitude, personalize) framework. This might be helpful in dealing with the problem of bullying.
The students must be taught how to respect, cooperate and support each other. This framework
particularly will be very helpful for dealing with the students who belong to the Aboriginal group
or any other kinds of ethnic communities (Molnar, 2018).
What extent they provide a robust positive, responsive and needs based approach to
the issue?
The laws like litigation, ZTP ns other anti bullying laws definitely help in protecting the
students from the classroom bullying. It is due to these laws that people who usually have the
habit of bullying or bossing over other students think twice and stay under a check. However
there are several cases that might need some special attention. The process of protecting the
students from bullying does not end here; the teachers have to make sure that students are being
able to fight with the after effects of bullying as well. Methods like litigation and students
counseling can turn out to be very positive and helpful for students who have suffered from the
bullying incidents.
The parents must take special training classes that will help them to use the anti-bullying
sites like Bullying. No Way!, Student Wellbeing Hub and many other such sites. Hinduja and
Patchin, (2018) are of the opinion that the students or the children must be allowed to live their
lives in a free and uninterrupted way. If the parents try to check personal things like mobile

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phones and laptops of their children then it will create a negative impact on their lives (Parris,
Varjas & Meyers, 2014). So, it is for this reason that parents might not be able to know if their
children are being bullied online. Therefore the parents must always talk with their children in a
very free and friendly manner. This will help the children to know that they are always welcome
to share their problems with their parents and also with teachers at home. The schools must be
responsible enough to make sure that they are keeping an eye upon the behavior of students and
trying to talk with them whenever they start behaving in an unhealthy way. It is for this reason
that a free and sound communication system has to be present.

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PART C
To beloved parents,
St. Derozio School,
Queensland, Australia
15th November, 2018
Dear parents,
We are glad to have the support and the wishes from all of you. It is really our privilege that you
all have been showing your trust within us for all these years and admitted your wards in our
institution. As the student welfare is our first concern, we do not believe in neglecting any small
issues that might make our students uncomfortable.
We have seen that in the past few months there have been several complaints from students and
also from some of the parents regarding some unusual behavior spotted within their children. We
as the school committee have also witnessed the same. It has been reported by many teachers
that some of the students often become very restless in the class. Many of the students have
become very inattentive, arrogant and also quite silent. It is for this reason that we want to
discuss this issue with all our respected guardians. We cordially invite all the parents along with
their wards on the coming Sunday that is 18th of November, 2018 at our School meeting hall. We
would also like to inform you all that we have invited several anti-bullying experts, NGO, child
counselors, parent counselors and other such agencies. We will be discussing how can we guide
our students and help them fight with these problems. We will be formulating several issues like

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zero-tolerance policy, cross-cultural competency policy, and other such anti-bullying methods.
We will also make sure that there is no disparity among the students in the class. We will be
making an anti-bullying cell and a parent forum that will help us to stay in a regular contact with
each and every parent.
We will also be conducting many workshops and seminars in the following months where we
will try to deal with these issues. We will try to form some helpful strategic methods for dealing
with these problems. We will be looking forward to having all of you. We hope that you will be
helping us in this effort as well.
Thanking in advance
School Coordinator
St. Derozio School

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References
Baldry, A. C., Farrington, D. P., & Sorrentino, A. (2017). School bullying and cyberbullying
among boys and girls: Roles and overlap. Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment &
Trauma, 26(9), 937-951.
Catalano, R., JUNGER-TAS, J. O. S. I. N. E., MORITA, Y., OLWEUS, D., SLEE, P., & Smith,
P. K. (Eds.). (2014). The nature of school bullying: A cross-national perspective.
Routledge.
Cloud, H., & Townsend, J. (2017). Boundaries Updated and Expanded Edition: When to Say
Yes, How to Say No To Take Control of Your Life. Zondervan.
Epstein, J. L. (2018). School, family, and community partnerships: Preparing educators and
improving schools. Routledge.
Hinduja, S., & Patchin, J. W. (2014). Bullying beyond the schoolyard: Preventing and
responding to cyberbullying. Corwin Press.
Hinduja, S., & Patchin, J. W. (2018). Connecting Adolescent Suicide to the Severity of Bullying
and Cyberbullying. Journal of School Violence, 1-14.
Meter, D. J., & Bauman, S. (2018). Moral disengagement about cyberbullying and parental
monitoring: Effects on traditional bullying and victimization via cyberbullying
involvement. The Journal of Early Adolescence, 38(3), 303-326.

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Modecki, K. L., Minchin, J., Harbaugh, A. G., Guerra, N. G., & Runions, K. C. (2014). Bullying
prevalence across contexts: A meta-analysis measuring cyber and traditional bullying.
Journal of Adolescent Health, 55(5), 602-611.
Molnar, A. (2018). Giving kids the business: The commercialization of America's schools.
Routledge.
Pabian, S., & Vandebosch, H. (2016). An investigation of short-term longitudinal associations
between social anxiety and victimization and perpetuation of traditional bullying and
cyberbullying. Journal of youth and adolescence, 45(2), 328-339.
Parris, L. N., Varjas, K., & Meyers, J. (2014). “The Internet is a Mask”: High School Students'
Suggestions for Preventing Cyberbullying. Western Journal of Emergency Medicine,
15(5), 587.
Saarento, S., Garandeau, C. F., & Salmivalli, C. (2015). Classroom‐and school‐level
contributions to bullying and victimization: A review. Journal of Community & Applied
Social Psychology, 25(3), 204-218.
Schott, R. M., & Søndergaard, D. M. (Eds.). (2014). School bullying: New theories in context.
Cambridge University Press.
Singh, M. M., Ng, P. J., Yap, K. M., Husin, M. H., & Malim, N. H. A. H. (2017). Cyberbullying
and a mobile game app? An initial perspective on an alternative solution. Journal of
information processing systems, 13(3), 559-572.

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Strier, M., & Katz, H. (2016). Trust and parents’ involvement in schools of choice. Educational
Management Administration & Leadership, 44(3), 363-379.
Thornberg, R. (2015). School bullying as a collective action: Stigma processes and identity
struggling. Children & Society, 29(4), 310-320.
Watson, H., Rapee, R., & Todorov, N. (2017). Forgiveness reduces anger in a school bullying
context. Journal of interpersonal violence, 32(11), 1642-1657.
Zych, I., Farrington, D. P., Llorent, V. J., & Ttofi, M. M. (2017). School bullying in different
countries: prevalence, risk factors, and short-term outcomes. In Protecting children
against bullying and its consequences (pp. 5-22). Springer, Cham.