Teaching Sequence

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

15 minutes

Tune In: The bystander effect

20 minutes

Find Out: Who’s responsible?

15 minutes

Take Action: Sliding doors

5 minutes

Reflection

Tune In: The bystander effect

Step 1

Play this video:

Invite students to complete a Think, Pair, Share based on the following questions:

Why do you think people are less likely to step forward when they are part of a group?
How might peer pressure play into the bystander effect?

Once students have taken notes in their pairs, invite students to share some of their thoughts about the bystander effect and peer pressure with the whole group.

Step 2

Ask students to respond to this question in a class discussion:

Do we have an individual responsibility to help and protect others?
If we don’t step in to help or protect others, are we also responsible for what occurs (such as the tent taking way too long to set up)?

Find Out: Who’s responsible?

Step 1

Play this video from the STOP the Coward Punch campaign:

JAIDEN'S DAD (https://vimeo.com/669710752/df98b1878e) Password: CowardCool

Step 2

Lead a class discussion on how the bystander effect played out in Jaiden’s story. You could use these questions to guide the discussion:

Who is ultimately responsible for what happened to Jaiden?
What does Jaiden’s father say about the role of bystanders? Do you agree that the people with the two young men at the time should have stepped in?
Why might they not have done so?
Why else might someone fail to stand up to violent or aggressive behaviours?

Step 3

Show students these five steps of decision-making (source):

Notice the event
Interpret the event as a problem/emergency
Assume personal responsibility
Know how to help
Implement the help

Explain that in order for a bystander to actually step in, ALL of these steps need to be completed. Ask students to share whether they think that they would be able to do all these things quickly in the event of an emergency.

Step 4

Invite students to discuss the following questions with a partner or group of 3:

Does this decision-making model explain why no one stepped in to help Jaiden? Which step might have been the biggest stumbling block?
What beliefs or assumptions might a bystander have when they choose not to act?
Do you think it’s possible to learn or practise how to become an ‘upstander’ (someone who goes through the decision-making process and gets involved) rather than an ineffective bystander? If so, how?
Which step do you think it might be most helpful to educate people on or learn about, in order to prevent these kinds of incidents from happening again?

Take Action: Sliding doors

Step 1

Share this handout that lists strategies for bystanders (source):

Read through the strategies recommended for bystanders:

DISTRACT: Distraction is a subtle and creative way to intervene. Distract either the harasser or the target with conversation unrelated to the harassment to derail and de-escalate the situation.
DELEGATE: Bring in a third party to help, possibly someone with more perceived authority.
DIRECT: Respond directly to the aggressor or physically intervene if necessary. Be confident, assertive, calm.
DELAY: If you can’t intervene in the moment, you can check in with the person being harassed afterwards to see if you can do anything to support them, illustrating that they are not alone.

Students can trim, fold and keep the handout in their diary or wallet and refer to it regularly.

Step 2

Explain to students that they will complete a ‘sliding doors challenge’. The term comes from a film with Gwyneth Paltrow where the lead character races to make it through the train doors on time (the sliding doors). The rest of the film explores two realities - one where she made the train, one where she didn’t.

Explain the task:

You are going to work in groups to create an alternative ending to the below story, Not Even Worth It. Consider what might have happened if the people around the main characters had reacted differently. You will need to use one or more of the recommendations for bystanders in your sliding doors story.

Students can complete the task by writing dot points, script, prose or create a play or film. They should identify where in the story they chose to start making changes and why they chose that point.

The Story - Not Even Worth It

Seth goes out with some of his old high school friends to a local pub for a drink.
One of his mates runs into a group from uni and the groups start to mix together.
Seth thinks one of the uni guys, Mike, is really snobby and rude.
The groups have a few drinks together and most of them are having a good time.
Mike mentions to one of his friends that he thinks Seth is an ignorant bogan. One of Seth’s friends overhears but doesn’t say anything.
The two groups head out after a few more drinks and start to make their way down the street to catch public transport or grab a taxi.
They are all chatting and singing away and having a good time.
Seth cracks a joke about Mike and many of his friends laugh.
Mike and some of his friends are offended by the joke.
Mike tells Seth to keep his mouth shut.
Seth says, “or what”?
Mike says, “you’re not even worth it mate” and continues to walk on.
Seth punches Mike as he walks away.
Mike falls and hits his head on the ground. He falls unconscious.
One of Mike’s friends calls an ambulance.

Reflection

Students should journal about the following questions:

Have you ever been a bystander in a situation where something went wrong? How did you respond? What might you do differently if it happened again?
Which of the five decision-making steps might you struggle most with if there was an emergency?
Do you feel empowered or responsible to use one of the Four D's of Bystander Intervention? What might you still need to learn or practise to be able to do so?

Differentiated Learning

Extension:

Research the psychological factors within a peer group that influence decision-making for individuals. Document to what extent the factors are modifiable or non-modifiable by individuals.
Research the individual, situational and victim characteristics that impact on individuals becoming an upstander or merely a bystander. Consider the changes in the brain neural plasticity that occurs when individuals are faced with the decision to act to assist others in need?
Read this article: https://au.reachout.com/articles/what-is-peer-pressure. It is missing a section on “pressure to participate in violent behaviours”. Write this section for the website.

Provisions for Learning Support:

Students may prefer to work solo or in pairs or groups for the sliding doors activity. You could group students with lower confidence with those with higher confidence to allow them to focus on the aspects of the task they will do better in.
Allocate individual students to groups when involving group work to allow for peer and teacher support for students with individual needs. Providing specific roles within groups could help limit the task in ways that leverage individual strengths.

Coward Punch - The Bystander Effect

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