Harnessing the Tools of Empathy and SEL to Prevent Bullying

(Grades PreK-5) / Flex Course

PDI Course Number: 153T02 / UCSD Course Number: EDUC42499

Course Description

Are you looking for practical strategies to prevent bullying and foster social-emotional learning and empathy among your primary grade students? Bullying is a very common, complex, and pervasive issue facing our students today. This online course is specifically designed for teachers in grades PreK-5 who are looking to seamlessly blend the core competencies of social-emotional learning with the principles of empathy education to prevent bullying. Teachers will be provided with thorough background information on the characteristics and various types of bullying, including cyberbullying. The cognitive and emotional deficits that impact students who bully will be examined as well as the major effects bullying has not just on victims, but bullies, bystanders, and social relationships in general. Teachers will be provided with an in-depth look into social-emotional learning and empathy-based learning and will understand the role both of these approaches play in combatting and preventing bullying behaviors. Specific strategies will be shared for creating a classroom climate that revolves around safety, acceptance, and empathy, as well as strategies for helping students develop a strong internal identity. Teachers will review numerous evidence-based bullying prevention programs and will learn strategies for selecting or designing their own. Finally, teachers will be provided with a variety of social-emotional, empathy-based lesson plans that can be adapted for all grade levels. By the end of this course, teachers will be well prepared to teach critical social-emotional and empathy skills to reduce and prevent bullying behaviors. This course is worth 3 ⅓ semester units/5 quarter units (50 hours of training) from University of California San Diego (UCSD) Division of Extended Studies. For detailed information on university credit, click here.