“Virtual and real violence – prevention through interactive school education”

Internet, virtual, harassment

National Project

Children, students, teachers

Association “Parents” and Foundation “Applied research and communications”

Bulgaria

English

Teachers, Young People.

This initiative is implemented in the national Center for safe internet, with the financial support of the Swiss “Oak” foundation and the EC program “Safer Internet Plus”. Microsoft Bulgaria and the kids portal Dechica.com supported the initiative.
A part of the activities implemented in the already finalized pilot stage, was the elaboration of a methodical guidelines with 25 modular lessons, approve by the Ministry of education and science, as well as the training of 49 teachers – practitioners and students. 10 schools – volunteers from Sofia – joined the implementation of the good initiative with educational and social effect. From November 2008 till the end of June 2009 the trained teachers conducted 600 free lessons, with more than 3000 students on various topics.
The requesting and announcing of the lessons takes place through a dedicated internet-based platform. The automatic online system provides opportunities to the headmasters to secure very quickly a substitute teacher. The system accepts online orders from all schools for the availability of free lessons – for each class and hour. The next option is the sending of e-letters and SMS messages – so far only through the Mobiltel network. So far through the Mobiltel network to project teachers have been sent 12 210 SMS. Until the end of 2011 is planned the involvement also of the two other operators - Globul and Vivatel. After the acceptance of an order, the trained teachers select the most convenient school, class and hour. A class, which is already taken is immediately blocked for the respective teacher. The system also accepts online reports for the implemented courses in accordance with different indicators.
The platform allows maximum flexibility and adaptability to the schedule of the teachers and immediate reaction with the appearance of a free class in school – the plague of modern secondary school. The teachers are being trained and supervised by the project team, which supports them to the maximum in their activities.

From the beginning of 2008/2009 school year on the territory of 10 schools from Sofia within the free lessons are being carried out interactive lessons for management of aggression in class and for prevention of aggression online. This is one of the highest achievements of the project “Virtual and real violence – prevention through interactive school education”. The main result is 40 times increased awareness of the risks in the Internet on behalf of the young.
A part of the activities, already implemented, has been the development of the methodical guidebook with 25 modular lessons and 49 trained teachers. 10 schools from Sofia have joined the project and the trained teachers have provided thematic interactive lessons to more than 3000 students during 600 free lessons.

Definition of bullying or cyberbullying, Help-line/counseling, Parent training/meetings, Classroom management, Teacher training.

A very useful and practical initiative, which diminishes the number of free classes, during which the children undertake uncontrollable activities, which are not suitable or part of the educational process. The initiative is considered as a very good support to the Ministry of education and science program “Without free lessons”/ it is important to point out that the ministry admitted that the existence of free lessons at school is a serious problem. pages

Quite interesting and worthy of pointing out are some of the conclusions from the implementation of the methodic (behavior and reactions of the children):
• the children recognize only the most drastic forms of violence
• disinterest, inability to recognize the different forms of violence: intrigues, visual violence (films, clips, games), passive violence, unconscious violence, indifference
• intensified interest towards the topics containing in explicit manner virtual violence or virtual elements – greater activity and stronger will for sharing of experiences from the virtual space
• most favored is the creation of a territory for free expression of opinions and sharing of experiences. The students assess very highly the opportunity to hear and understand what their fellow students consider on certain topics
• in their feedback forms the children often specify that they really like to do something together with the entire class and this brings them closer as a community

http://teacher.bg/cs/blogs/marieta_radulova/default.aspx - at this address is published the information about the initiative, its results until now, current activities and evaluations.

Miglena Molhova

Zinev Art Technologies

Researcher