The role of parents and teachers in bullying:
A conversation with Dr. Debra Pepler

Bullying does not happen in isolation. It’s a reflection of the child’s relationship at school and within the family. In the second of three podcasts, Dr. Debra Pepler shares advice for parents and teachers who want to know more about why bullying occurs, and how it may be prevented.

A world-respected authority on bullying research, Dr. Debra Pepler is a Distinguished Research Professor of Psychology at the LaMarsh Centre for Research on Violence and Conflict Resolution at York University, as well as Senior Associate Scientist at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. With Dr. Wendy Craig, she co-leads PREVNet – Promoting Relationships and Eliminating Violence Network. Visit the PREVNet Web site for resources on this important topic.

Here are the show notes for this podcast:

00:01
 Welcome and intro
01:39
 Role of parents and teachers in bullying: It’s all about power being used aggressively. Kids are clever, so they do it when adults aren’t watching.
02:30
 Parents, teachers and others involved in children’s lives should remember that bullying is a relationship problem that requires a relationship solution. We must teach children the skills they are lacking to have healthy relationships, and we need to support those being victimized.
03:21
 Children have a right to be safe.
03:28
 Relationship solutions call for “four S’s” – starting with Self-awareness; are we modeling the positive use of power?
05:20
 Scaffolding – providing children with just enough support.
06:47
 Social architecture – the role of an adult in organizing children’s groupings.
08:20
 Systems changes – what are the general attitudes within a school or home?
09:05
 Bullying doesn’t occur in isolation.
09:20
 Biggest change in bullying research: not focusing on “fixing” the child.
09: 40
 Parents and teachers play a very big role.
10:00
 Suggestion that parents and teachers visit the PREVNet Web site.
10:50
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