'Bully Dance': Animation as a Tool for Conflict Resolution

This paper presents the outcomes of a 4-hour activity day centred upon a short film entitled Bully Dance , a non-verbal animation featuring a unique soundtrack that focuses on identifying bullying behaviours and coping strategies, and understanding the role of the bystander. Participants were 34 year 6 children, aged 10/11 years old, from one primary school in a London Local Education Authority. The activity day consisted of an initial brainstorming session, with the whole class, entitled 'what is bullying?' followed by a viewing of the film. In groups of five or six, subsequent structured activities (brainstorming, poster making, letter writing, role-play, worksheets) were facilitated with the aim of stimulating discussion. Using the Children's Attitudes to Bullying scale, data were collected both before and after the activity day. Overall, the results suggested that children mostly expressed anti-bullying attitudes about bullying in schools; however, a minority reported pro-bullying attitudes. Anti-bullying attitudes did not significantly increase and, in the case of males, anti-bullying attitudes actually decreased. Females expressed higher anti-bullying attitudes than males, both before and after the activity day. The authors suggest that participating in the activity day may have had an impact upon knowledge and understanding of bullying, rather than attitudes as such. Furthermore, the results indicate that further consideration of the design and delivery of structured activities is required so that boys can be reached as effectively as girls can.     

Statistical Process Control and Cooperative Learning Structures: A Data Assessment and Improvement System Used in a San Jose State University Summer Bridge Programme

This paper will show how tools of statistical quality control were applied to a Summer Bridge Mathematics and Science programme at San Jose State University. These tools were used as assessment instruments to facilitate improvement in overall classroom performance. We shall show how quality control tools such as brainstorming, Pareto analysis and cause-and-effect analysis can be used to identify the ‘big’ problems and to analyze the cause(s) of the ‘big’ problems. Additionally, we shall show how control charts can be used effectively to monitor how the suggested corrective actions for causes of the ‘big’ problems are faring—or acting—on the outcomes-based process. Finally, we shall show how these control charts can be used to aid in monitoring and determining whether or not the ongoing outcomes-based process is stable. Once the ‘big’ problems have been eliminated and the ongoing process is in control, we shall further demonstrate how ‘monitored assessments’, cooperative learning activities and control charts can help to improve the overall process.