1/9/2008

Ref: QD068B

Quizzes help open discussion about bullying in counselling sessions

By Cheryl Brown, School Counsellor, who has been using Qwizdom’s interactive voting system in primary and secondary schools since 2004 to open discussion about bullying in group counselling sessions.  She currently works with Regent House School, a secondary school in County Down, Northern Ireland.  By answering questions as a class, a voting system encourages every pupil to participate anonymously with confidence, removing the embarrassment or fear of speaking in front of peers.  It can be used as a teaching tool across National Curriculum subjects and to discuss wider issues surrounding school life. 

Ice-breaker quizzes
Introducing a voting system into my group counselling sessions in schools helps to open discussion about issues such as self-esteem, anxiety, depression and bereavement, as well as in assertiveness training.  I have found the use of the voting remotes to be an excellent way of gathering honest answers from children and young people about sensitive issues such as bullying.  They are ideal for use within a school setting as they make pupils feel a sense of privacy when answering questions about difficult topics and they are a non-threatening way of gathering answers from even those who lack confidence. I operate them at the beginning of sessions as an ice-breaker and a focus point for opening discussion.

Hear it from the bully
The voting system has been used in several secondary schools during Anti-Bullying Week to open discussion about bullying and to provide information on how to deal with bullying behaviour.  It has allowed me to gauge pupils’ opinions about what constitutes bullying and to find out about their experiences of bullying.  By being able to display their collective responses the pupils can understand and appreciate the views, opinions and experiences of others.  I ask questions such as ‘Did you experience bullying in primary school?’ ‘Were you anxious about bullying when you first started secondary school?’ ‘How would you respond if you were bullied in this school?’  The voting system enables me to gather some very open answers from pupils and teachers about the impact of bullying because they can vote anonymously, and in the past I have been surprised to receive honest answers from individuals who have bullied others!

Help pupils enjoy group participation
Some pupils I have worked with have felt encouraged to share their difficult and traumatic experience of bullying within a small-group environment.  The atmosphere in groups such as these can at times be tense, due to pupils feeling anxious or uncertain about what the group work will entail.  I have found the remotes to be a useful tool for helping pupils relax and enjoy participation with a group, particularly during initial sessions, by involving them in quizzes on general topics as well as bullying.

First-hand evidence proves pupils DO experience bullying
Pupils often feel too afraid to talk openly about being bullied for fear of the bullying getting worse, or are afraid to report it to teaching staff in case they are not believed.  I also find that some schools do not acknowledge the extent of bullying that can happen within this setting.  The use of the remotes in assemblies, for example, have therefore been an excellent way of giving schools first-hand evidence that pupils do experience bullying in school, whether or not they ever report it.  The collective answers of the pupils can be displayed anonymously so both pupils and teachers can be encouraged to be proactive in reporting and dealing with bullying.

Element of ‘fun’
In general, all pupils who have used the remotes have talked positively about the element of ‘fun’ and ease-of-use in using a keypad to select answers to questions, as well as the anonymity that handheld devices provide.  Many teachers and pupils have reported that being able to view the audience feedback raised their awareness that often people around them are experiencing difficulties and not necessarily talking about it.

The remotes allow me to vary the questions types.  For example:
1. Yes/No: Were you able to tell someone that you were being bullied?
2. True/False: I felt that I could tell a trusted adult in school that I was being bullied.
3. Multiple-choice: Have you ever experienced any of the following types of bullying?
a. Physical
b. Verbal
c. Emotional
d. Non-verbal

During Year 8 intake evenings in June I have used the voting system to conduct questionnaires with pupils to gauge their anxieties about making the transition from primary to secondary school.  An example question is: ’Do you have any worries about any of the following things for starting secondary school?’  The pupils could then select answers such as making new friends, being bullied, finding their way around a bigger school and learning new subjects.  Other questions focused on issues such as social skills, separation anxiety and personality types.  Qwizdom’s reporting facility is a very useful and fast way of displaying results that can be analysed and evaluated.  The pupils’ responses from these events are invaluable in providing the Pastoral Care Team with useful information about those who may be vulnerable and require pastoral support in their initial few months at the school. 

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