EDUC
509: Preventing Violence in Schools
Instructor Name: Dr. Michael Sedler
Phone: 509-891-7219
Office
Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. PST
Monday - Friday
Email: michaels@virtualeduc.com
Address: Virtual
Education Software
Technical
Support: support@virtualeduc.com
*THE EXAMINATIONS FOR THIS COURSE CAN ONLY BE TAKEN ONE TIME*
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Introduction
Welcome to Preventing Violence in Schools, an interactive computer-based instruction
(CBI) course, designed to give you a better understanding of school violence
and increase your interventions strategies.
Preventing Violence in Schools provides a
foundational understanding of violence and the motivational purposes behind
aggression. The correlation with and
impact of the media, community and family upon violence will be investigated. The course teaches identification and
intervention approaches for working with out-of-control behaviors. In addition, each student will receive
information on available national resources for both parents and teachers. This course will help each person to increase
his or her understanding of violence, the motivations behind the use of
violence and specific strategies to minimize the occurrence of violence in a
school and community.
This computer-based
instruction course is a self-supporting program that provides instruction,
structured practice and evaluation all on your home or business computer.
Information on installation and technical support can be found, and will be
covered in detail, in the User Guide section of your computer software.
Course
Materials
Title: Preventing Violence in Schools
Author: Dr. Michael Sedler
Publisher:
Virtual Education Software, inc. © 2000, Revised 2004
Please keep the CD. There is a $25 replacement fee for CD-roms if
you need to replace yours due to theft, damage, misplacement, etc. Call 1-800-313-6744, with your credit card
information, if you need a replacement.
Academic Integrity Statement
The structure and
format of most distance-learning courses presume a high level of personal and
academic integrity in completion and submission of coursework. Individuals
enrolled in a CBI distance-learning course are expected to adhere to the
following standards of academic conduct.
Academic
Work
Academic work submitted by the individual (such
as papers, assignments, reports, tests) shall be the student’s own work or
appropriately attributed, in part or in whole, to its correct source.
Submission of commercially prepared (or group prepared) materials as if they
are one’s own work is unacceptable.
Aiding
Honesty in Others
The
individual will encourage honesty in others by refraining from providing
materials or information to another person with knowledge that these materials
or information will be used improperly.
Violations of these academic standards
may result in the assignment of a failing grade and subsequent loss of credit
for the course.
Level of Application
This
course is designed to be an informational course with application to work and
work-related settings. The intervention
strategies presented in this course may be generalized to all students
(pre-kindergarten through 12th grade) and adults. While an intervention may be geared toward a
specific age population, with minimal modifications an educator should be able
to adapt the strategy for his or her students.
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Course
Objectives
·
To identify factors contributing to violent behaviors
·
To develop strategies to address school/community violence
·
To effectively intervene, provide safety and minimize violent actions
·
To develop a “school violence” assessment with specific intervention
strategies
·
To assess the climate of the classroom and school, making the necessary
adjustments to increase safety
·
To address preventative methods within the school system for students
·
To write out an action plan for school safety
·
To complete a formal written evaluation of the school’s violence plan
after implementation
Course Description
Anger management strategies have become an
important topic in schools, businesses, homes and communities. Our society is inundated with classes, books
and counseling programs that explain various ways to “manage anger.” Despite our best attempts, aggression and
violence are still on the rise. We
regularly hear and read from various media sources how dangerous our society
has become, especially our youth population.
This class will focus on developing new ways of handling violence
without getting involved in the typical power struggles. During this course, each person will learn specific
strategies and practical ideas to aid in the reduction of school violence. Key intervention ideas for developing a civil
climate within each school will be presented, and identification and
recognition of potential violence will be discussed. Included in this approach will be an emphasis
on safety for students and educators.
This course is not attempting to be a “cure all” or “fix it” approach,
but will aid educators in their ability to develop a safer environment in a
school and community. In addition, it
will help each person feel more qualified and capable of handling emerging
violent behaviors within a school, home or community setting.
The
course is divided into four chapters.
The intent of this course is to help each student “walk” through the
process of assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation in the arena of
violence. There are numerous worksheets
that all students will be asked to complete for their own knowledge base. Throughout the course, role-play situations
will be presented to help each person recognize violent tendencies prior to
their development into violent behaviors.
The chapters are sequential and should be completed in the order in
which they are presented. At the
conclusion of each chapter, the student will be asked to complete an
examination covering the material. This
type of approach will help all students gain a better understanding of what
they have learned as they proceed through the course.
Student
Expectations
As a student you will be expected to:
·
Complete all assignments and activities
for the course Preventing Violence in Schools.
·
Complete the chapter exam on Assessment
with 70% accuracy or better.
·
Complete the chapter exam on Planning
with 70% accuracy or better.
·
Complete the chapter exam on Implementation
with 70% accuracy or better.
·
Complete the chapter exam on Evaluation
with 70% accuracy or better.
·
Complete all course journal article and
essay writing assignments with the minimum word count shown for each writing
assignment.
·
Complete a course evaluation form at the
end of the course.
Chapter Topics
Chapter 1 - Assessment
1. Introduction
2. Statistics
3. Types
4. Why Escalating Violence,
Part I
5. Why Escalating Violence,
Part II
6. Media
7. Reasons
8. Characteristics
9. Warning Signs
10. Self-Awareness Activity
11. Learned vs. Instinctive
12. Gang Assessment Tools
13. Anger/Aggression Activity
14. Possible Motives
Chapter 2 - Planning
1. Behavior Response
2. How to Respond
3. Avoiding Power Struggles
4. Tips for De-escalating
Violence
5. Controlling Anxiety
6. Control and Direct Activity
Chapter 3 - Implementation
1. Action Steps for Students
2. Action Steps for Teachers
3. Action Steps for Parents
4. Actions Steps for Schools
5. Patterns of Aggression
6. Preventing Behavior
7. Making Peace
8. Decision Making Activity
9. Confrontation Communication
10. Changing Behavior
11. Prevention Strategies
12. Conflict Negotiation
13. Crisis Planning Guidelines
14. Possible Interventions
15. Anger: It Won’t Work Here
Chapter 4 - Evaluation
1. Case Study
2. Identifying the Threatened
3. Watch your Language
4. Resources
Examinations
At the end of each course chapter, you will be
expected to complete an examination designed to assess your knowledge. THE EXAMINATIONS FOR THIS COURSE CAN ONLY BE TAKEN ONE TIME. After your first attempt each examination
will lock and not allow further access. Your final grade for this course will
be determined by calculating an average score of all exams. This score will be
printed on your final certificate. As this is a self-paced computerized
instruction program, you may review course information as often as necessary.
You will not be able to exit any examinations until you have answered all
questions. If you try to exit the exam section before you complete all
questions, your information will be lost. You are expected to complete the
entire exam in one sitting.
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Writing Assignments
This course has two required writing components.
To save your essays:
Macintosh: When you select the
question or article you wish to write on, simple text or text edit will
automatically be launched. When you are finished, simply click on FILE>SAVE.
Do not select SAVE AS. You do not
need to give the document a name before saving. When you are done, select
FILE>QUIT. You must quit before you
write another essay.
Windows: When you select the
question or article, Notepad will automatically launch. When you are finished,
click on FILE>SAVE. Do not select
SAVE AS. You do not need to give the document a name before saving.
1) Essay Requirement: Critical Thinking Questions
There is a critical thinking question for each
chapter or section. You will do research
on the question and write a brief essay relating it to the course content (and
your personal experiences when possible).
To view the questions, click on ESSAY REQ, and then on CRITICAL THINKING
QUESTIONS. You will see the questions,
one for each chapter or section. Click
on the question you would like to work on; this will bring up a screen where
you can enter your essay. You must write
a minimum of 500 words per essay.
2) Essay Requirement: Journal Articles
This task requires you to
write a review of three journal articles of your choice on a topic related to
this course. You may choose your topic
by entering the Key Words (click on the Key Words button) into a search engine
of your choice (Google, Dogpile, Yahoo, etc.). Choose three relevant articles
and write a 200-word review of each. You may also access the ERIC system and
choose a related topic from a journal listed in that system. Or you can access www.scholar.google.com or www.findarticles.com .Write a critical
summary of the information given in each article, explaining how the
information relates to, supports, or refutes information given in this course.
Conclude your paper with your thoughts and impressions. (200 words per journal
article minimum.) Be sure to provide the journal name, volume, date, and any
other critical information to allow the instructor to access and review that
article.
To write your essays, click
on ESSAY REQ. In the dialog box below that, click on JOURNAL ARTICLE
ASSIGNMENT; this will expand the folder which contains links to the screens
where you can write your reviews. When
you are ready to stop, click on FILE>SAVE.
You may go back at any point to edit your essays. For more information on the features of this
assignment, please consult the HELP menu.
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Instructor Description
Dr. Michael
Sedler
has presented seminars and classes throughout the Pacific Northwest and
Contacting the Instructor
You
may contact the instructor by emailing Dr. Sedler at michaels@virtualeduc.com
or by calling him at 509-891-7219, Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
PST. Phone messages will be answered within 24 hours. Phone conferences will be limited to ten minutes per student, per
day, given that this is a self-paced instructional program. Please do not
contact the instructor about technical problems, course glitches, or other
issues that involve the operation of the course.
Technical Questions
If you have questions or problems related to the
operation of this course CD, please try everything twice. If the problem
persists please check our support pages for FAQs and known issues at
www.virtualeduc.com and also the Help section on your course disk.
If you need personal assistance then email support@virtualeduc.com
or call (509) 891-7219. When contacting
technical support, please know your course version number, it is printed on the
CD label, your operating system and be seated in front of the computer at the
time of your call.
Minimum Requirements
Macintosh Operating Systems
Mac OS 9.x or OS 10.x, 256MB of RAM and 5MB of free hard disk space,
15" or larger color monitor with a minimum resolution of 800x600, CD
driver 4x minimum speed and a printer connected to your computer.
Windows Operating Systems
Windows 2000, XP Home, Professional or newer, 256MB of RAM and 5MB of
free hard disk space; 15" or larger color monitor with a minimum
resolution of 800x600, CD driver 4x minimum speed and a printer connected
to your computer.
Please
contact VESi if you have any questions about the compatibility of these
systems.
Refer to the
addendum included with your software package regarding Grading Criteria, Course
Completion Information, Items to be Submitted, and where to send your completed
information.
Bibliography
(Suggested
Anyon, Jean. (2001). Being down: Challenging violence in urban schools.
Teachers College Press. (800)
575-6566. (Looks at the lives of young
people, rich with dialogue).
Beane, Alan. (1999). The bully free classroom.
Bosch, Carl.
(1997). Schools under siege. Enslow
Publishers, Inc. (800) 398-2504. ISBN # 0-89490-908-0. (This book is excellent for students; written
for 6th-9th graders.)
Children’s Safety Network. (1995). Taking
action to prevent adolescent violence: Educational resources for school and
community organizations.
Close-Conoley,
Jane. (2004). School violence interventions.
Cruz, Barbara. (2002). School shootings and school violence.
Enslow Publishers. (800)
398-2504. (General book on violence and interventions).
Dulmus,
Catherine. (2005). Kids and violence.
Gerler, Edwin (Ed.). (2004). Handbook of school violence..
Greene, Ross W. (2001). The Explosive Child. Harper Perennial (HarperCollins). ISBN # 0-06-093102-7. (800) 242-7737. (Strategies for working with severe
aggression, K-12).
Hankey, Joyce, & Stevens, Peggy. (1996).
Creating classroom communities.
Jimerson, Shane,
& Furlong, Michael J. (2006). Handbook
of school violence and school safety: From research to practice.
MacDougall, Jyl. (1993). Violence in the schools: Programs and policies for prevention. Canadian Education Association. (416) 924-7721; Fax (416) 924-3188. (76 pgs. of strategies, successful programs,
policies.)
McLaughlin, Karen, & Brilliant, Kelly. (1997).
Healing the hate. Juvenile Justice Clearinghouse (ordered
through EDC) FREEJ. (800)
332-1002. (K-8, ten-unit curriculum focused on reducing hate crimes.)
Schrumpf, Fred, & Freiburg,
Sexton-Radek,
Kathy. (2004). Violence in schools.
Praeger-Greenwood Publishers.
(203) 226-3571. (Practical book for conflict resolution in schools).
Slaby, Ron.
(1995). Early violence prevention.
Wilde,
Jerry. (2002). Peace
in the halls. LGR Publishing. (800) 369-5611. (Ideas for teachers in Middle
School and High School).