Talk:Bullying G: A Case Study from South Korea/@comment-26533199-20150731061143

Some ideas:

1. Lay down a "Keep your hands to yourself" rule: Even if you're just "joking" or "playing around," hurtful touching is never okay in my classroom.

2. Make it clear that certain words and phrases are never okay. (You have to figure out what these would be in Korean; the equivalent of "that's so gay," for example).

3. Create your own classroom ally program: "Be part of the solution, not the problem." Have the kids role play. You could use simple English scripts maybe, since this is a language class. As in the video we watched, the kids can act out various bullying scenarios, then discuss how they could be part of the solution.

4. Have the students create a classroom behavior contract that they each have to sign that lists the rules and the consequences. Students can break out into small groups to discuss what they think should be included in the contract. It is important that this is largely student-generated rather than teacher-dictated. They will have more ownership and will feel accountable to one another. You will, of course, facilitate the discussion, possibly starting by introducing #1, 2 and 3 above. And you can have them discuss mediation as a consequence and see what they think. I personally think mediation is one of the best possible consequences because it is, quite frankly, very uncomfortable to be busted and to have to face the person you've tormented. And if Korean's are anything like the Japanese (I don't know), saving face may be very important to them. And really, you want solution-oriented consequences, not punishment.

5. DO use a seating chart, and DO change it frequently (e.g. every week or two weeks). This busts up any possible cliques and allows students to get to know everyone in the class, not just the kids they sit next to all term.