Anti-bullying strategies: methods external vs. internal to daily teaching

This presentation will focus both on the risks associated with external methods for addressing bullying and on presenting focal points based on eXbus research that can be used to plan teaching aimed at counteracting bullying. The presentation will highlight the risks associated with methods that are external to daily teaching. Examples of such methods include plenary discussions, girls' meetings, or "the good chair" exercises, which are often used in attempts to address bullying and improve well-being among children in schools. Although the intentions may be good, research shows that these methods risk reinforcing existing bullying patterns (Jørgensen, 2016). Such interventions can unintentionally expose the most vulnerable children further or create an environment where the negative social dynamics that underpin bullying are reinforced. Rather than focusing on external interventions, the presentation will argue for integrating bullying prevention as a natural part of the school's daily routine, its pedagogical work, and, most importantly, the teaching itself. Based on research and concepts from eXbus (Kofoed & Søndergaard, 2009; 2013; Jørgensen, 2019), four key signs of bullying will be presented, along with associated focal points that can be incorporated into the planning of community-building teaching. The presentation will also provide examples from practice, where teachers and educators have successfully "shifted the mechanisms" in desired directions as an integrated part of their teaching and pedagogical work. These examples stem from a qualitative study based on empirical data from fieldwork conducted as part of a completed follow-up research project (Hein and Jørgensen, 2023)