Violence in Schools:

Identification, Prevention and Intervention Strategies©

 

  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

                                   PO Box 141106

                                   Spokane, WA 99214

Technical Support:       support@virtualeduc.com

 

*THE EXAMINATIONS FOR THIS COURSE CAN ONLY BE TAKEN ONE TIME*

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Introduction

Welcome to 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.  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

Violence in Schools: Identification, Prevention and Intervention Strategies (software package)

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 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 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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Instructor Description

Dr. Michael Sedler has presented seminars and classes throughout the Pacific Northwest and Canada.  Dr. Sedler has worked as an administrator, behavior specialist, teacher and social worker within the public school setting.  Dr. Sedler is an adjunct professor for two universities in the state of Washington and has been a professor for a college in Georgia.  He has been a consultant for governmental agencies and worked for a state correctional facility for juveniles and for a community mental health agency.  His 15 years of public education experience combined with business experience increases his knowledge base for course delivery. He has presented in schools, hospitals, residential settings and for businesses in the public and private sectors. 

 

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 Readings)

 

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.  Boys Town Press.  (800) 282-6657.  (More than 100 interventions for the 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.  Education Development Center. #5622.   (800) 332-1002. (Profile of 84 violence curriculums, bibliography and overview of programs.)

 

Close-Conoley, Jane. (2004).  School violence interventions. Guilford Press.  (800) 365-7006. (Models for setting up violence programs, K-12 models).

 

Cruz, Barbara.  (2002). School shootings and school violence.  Enslow Publishers.  (800) 398-2504. (General book on violence and interventions).

 

Denmark, Florence.  (2005). Violence in schools: Cross national and cross cultural perspectives.  (877) 687-7476. (Up to date knowledge on violence in schools).

 

Dulmus, Catherine. (2005). Kids and violence.  Haworth Press.  (800) 429-6784. (Examines violence from family perspective; holistic approach. K-12).

 

Gerler, Edwin (Ed.). (2004).  Handbook of school violence..  Haworth Press.  (800) 429-6784. (Causes, prevention, and intervention approaches for all grades).

 

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.  Education Development Center.  (800) 332-1002. (Cooperation and teamwork activities for grades 5-10.)

 

Jimerson, Shane, & Furlong, Michael J. (2006). Handbook of school violence and school safety: From research to practice.  Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.  (800) 926-6579. (History and understanding of violence.)

 

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, Sharon.  (1993).  Life lessons for young adolescents.  Research Press. (800) 519-2707. (Activities for students, teamwork strategies, peer mediation.)

 

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.  Education Development Center.   (617) 969-7100, ext. 2315 or (800) 332-1002.  (Tools for teachers of young children, K-3.)

 

Wilde, Jerry.  (2002).  Peace in the halls.  LGR Publishing.  (800) 369-5611. (Ideas for teachers in Middle School and High School).