Teach-Secondary-Issue-14.5

Online experiences can be positive or negative – but also often complex, and challenging for school staff to manage. At Anna Freud – a mental health charity for children and young people – we support schools in becoming more mentally healthy through the provision of clinical support, resources and training. This includes helping school staff to understand, navigate and manage the emotional impact of the time students spend online. Because by intervening early, school staff will be well placed to help build resilience in young people, giving them the tools to face challenges online that can spill over into the real world. Here’s what can help. Listen carefully School staff often tell us that they worry their own lack of technological understanding is a barrier to supporting students experiencing issues online, but you can make a meaningful difference without being a tech expert. When something has gone wrong online for a student, a common pitfall can be to blame them – to say they ‘should have known better’, for example. The most important thing is to listen carefully and reserve judgemen t. Responding with empathy and validation can encourage students to speak more openly and stay safe, while also potentially negating long-term impacts on their mental health. That said, it can also help to set up peer support groups to keep pace with emerging digital trends. Older students are more likely to be aware of important safety issues across various social media and gaming channels than adults, and can thus provide valuable advice and support regarding specific platforms. Conduct open conversations Young people have told us that when they discuss their lives online, it’s easier for them to reflect on the experiences and behaviours of others. So, rather than planning open classroom discussions, bring concrete examples for students to consider. Take cyberbullying, which school staff tell us is one of their biggest day-to-day concerns. It’s a valuable topic to explore, and can take many forms – such as the sending of hurtful or discriminatory messages, or reposting of private images. Large groups can sometimes be involved, made up of individuals actively mocking or attacking someone, as well as bystanders. Asking students to analyse such situations from a distance can help them better understand the impact of their actions (or inaction). They may come to realise how witnessing bullying can be perceived as complicity by victims, and explore how the apparent anonymity of digital spaces can foster nastiness. Promote positive internet use Online experiences can be helpful as well as harmful. Research has highlighted significant benefits to being online for certain groups, including LGBTQIA+ young people, such as the ability to create and join communities where members support each other. However, it’s important to remember that marginalised (and often vulnerable) groups are at greater risk of being targeted by online abusers. PHSE and RSHE lessons can be good settings for nuanced discussion around the dangers and opportunities presented by online spaces. Raising awareness of how algorithms work can help students search out and discover more reassuring and affirming content, while blocking anything they find upsetting or disempowering. Working with parents and carers is important too. Encouraging them to negotiate and agree boundaries around device use with their child, and review privacy settings together, can build trust and ultimately help to keep young people safe. ROISIN MCEVOY IS HEAD OF SCHOOLS TRAINING AT ANNA FREUD; FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE CHARITY’S ‘DIGITAL RESILIENCE: GROWING UP ONLINE’ TRAINING FOR SCHOOL STAFF AND ITS FREE ‘SCHOOLS IN MIND’ NETWORK FOR EDUCATION PROFESSIONALS, VISIT ANNAFREUD.ORG FOCUS ON… DIGITAL RESILIENCE You want 100% of your students working 100% of the time with 100% commitment. That’s the 100% rule. The closer you are to hitting this target, the less misbehaviour you’ll have – and here’s why. The 100% rule reduces opportunities for misbehaviour. If there’s a student wanting to misbehave, but everyone around them is working at full tilt, then there’s no one for that student to misbehave with. Misbehaviour likes company. Human beings are social animals, and tend to do what others around them are doing already. If most students are working hard, that pulls on the less hard-working students to join them. This can in turn lead to student progress – and rapid progress, at that. Students making progress get to experience a lovely, dopamine-induced glow of increased mastery. If they want to have that feeling again – and they will – then they’ll have to work hard for it. Moreover, the 100% rule teaches students that working hard is the expectation in your classroom. If you’re unrelenting in your pursuit of the 100% rule, then over time, working hard will become the default collective habit of all your students. Robin Launder is a behaviour management consultant and speaker; find more tips in his weekly Better Behaviour online course – for more details, visit behaviourbuddy.co.uk DOTHIS THE 100% RULE EXERCISEBETTER CLASS CONTROLWITHTHESE TIPS FROMROBIN LAUNDER.. 76 teachwire.net/secondary