AD ALTA
JOURNAL OF INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH
While in the past aggressive behaviour and bullying was mostly
spread among pupils, nowadays there are many cases when
aggressive behaviour is aimed at teachers. A significant threat in
this context is also the cyberspace. Cyber-attacks against
teachers are the reality that teachers face directly as victims, or
they may see it among their colleagues. One of the typical
Internet-bound forms of cyber-attacks against teachers is
provoking the teacher, recording his/her reaction on the
smartphone and putting it on the Internet; another examples are
sharing materials that embarrass the teacher, threatening and
blackmailing the teacher, etc. In 2016, a research was conducted
in the Czech Republic among teachers of elementary, secondary
and high schools that focused on cyberbullying aimed at teachers
(Kopecký, Szotkowski, 2017). According to its results, 21.73%
of teachers (of 5,136 respondents) have been the victims of some
form of cyberbullying. The most common forms of
cyberbullying were verbal attacks through cell-phones or the
Internet, evening phone-calls, threatening and extortion through
the Internet or cell-phone, spreading embarrassing and
humiliating photos, hacking their electronic accounts (e-mail,
social network account, etc.). They also found out that short-
term attacks prevailed – such that lasted less than a week, and
such lasting one to two weeks.
Elementary, secondary and high schools are attended by pupils
who can use modern technologies better than the adults – their
parents, educators or teachers. The usage of modern technologies
brought along with many advantages also many risks and threats,
especially for children and youth. Individual areas of risk
behaviour in the cyberspace may be intertwined (Hollá, 2016,
Niklová, Novocký, Dulovics, 2019). Technological addictions
that occur due to the excessive use of modern technologies, or
due to the content itself, are a very serious problem of today.
Besides addictions, there are other risks with negative impacts
on physical and mental health; desensitization, rise of
cyberbullying and others. Hateful comments on the Internet are
called cyberhates or hating. It could mean spreading of some
texts or videos that propagate or justify extremism, xenophobia
or racism. Other Internet risks cover misuse of personal data,
inappropriate content, cyberstalking, sexting, sextortion,
cybergrooming, weakening the contacts with family and peers,
and other.
School is one of the most important socializing factors. It should
also play an important role in prevention, because pupils spend a
lot of time there. This prevention should be implemented in an
effective form, using effective methods. Efficient and effective
primary prevention includes continual and complex
programmes, interactive programmes, especially programmes
that help children face the social pressure, that are aimed at
improvement of communication, non-violent dealing with
conflicts, refusing risk behaviour, increasing healthy confidence,
managing anxiety and stress. According to T. Jablonský (2009,
2010), it is important to implement various cooperative activities
to develop interpersonal competences, such as the ability to work
in team, because they are becoming more and more important.
The strategies and methods of cooperative learning lead to the
development of emphatic behaviour, to sensitivity, to
understanding, to the development of friendly relationships, to
overcoming interpersonal barriers. By developing cooperative
competences it is possible to supress aggressive behaviour.
Interaction among peers may support acquirement and
modification of prosocial behaviour.
The importance of the role of school in the implementation of
prevention is highlighted also by M. Procházka, M. Vítečková
and Z. Gadusová (2016). Effective prevention requires adequate
cooperation of school and pupils’ parents.
2
Cooperation of school and family in prevention of and
dealing with problem behaviour of pupils – current situation
and
The cooperation of school and family has always been based on
the cooperation of a specific teacher, or vocational training
employee, with a specific parent. However, the crucial role is
played by the school management who creates conditions that
support cooperation.
School and family cooperate in various forms. Some of the
individual forms of cooperation are inviting parents to school,
visiting families in their homes, individual discussion, pupil
book, and other forms of correspondence. Correspondence is
actually the most frequently used form of cooperation between
teachers and parents. However, this form is not sufficient
anymore and it is important to seek other options. Nowadays,
electronic communication is becoming more and more popular.
Among collective forms of cooperation, we include classroom
meetings (most common form of collective cooperation between
school and families), open door days, debates and other activities
organised by school. Some parents prefer passive participation
on school activities, others prefer active participation.
There are various opinions – often contradictory – of teachers
and parents on how authority and responsibility for pupils’
education should be distributed. This situation may lead to
conflicts between teachers and parents. And ignoring these
conflicts may ultimately lead to aggressive behaviour of
dissatisfied parents.
On one hand, the problem occurs when parents refuse to
cooperate; on the other hand, the problem also occurs when
parents want to improperly interfere with the competences of the
teacher. R. Zadell (2017) warns that even the well-meaning
advice and opinions of parents may cause uncertainty, chaos and
pressure in the educational process of pupils. Pedagogical or
vocational training employees of schools must regulate the
productive participation of parents on school activities by
explaining the suitable ways to help.
Communication between parents and pedagogical or vocational
training employees is most often focused on the pupil’s
performance and his/her behaviour. The Act on pedagogical and
vocational training employees imposes an obligation on them to
protect them from unprofessional interference with their
pedagogical or training activities.
The Education Act regulates rights and obligations of parents or
legal representatives of pupils; teachers and parents must
communicate (parents have the right to be informed on
educational performance of their children, they have the right to
be provided with educational counselling concerning their
children, etc.; parents or legal representatives are required to e.g.
comply with the conditions of educational process defined by the
school regulations, to inform the school or school facility on
changed health condition of their children, their health problems
or other important information that may influence the process of
education, and other).
Individual communication with parents is most often the task of
the class teacher, but it is often forgotten that it is the task of all
teachers. Many schools organise regular consultations with
parents or legal representatives of pupils. Dealing with problem
and conflict situations must be done individually, not on group
meetings with parents. Cooperation with parents is supported by
vocational training employees, who often also actively
participate on this cooperation (e.g. social pedagogues, school
psychologists).
Competency profile of elementary and secondary school
teachers, high school teachers and class teachers also defines the
area of cooperation with parents and legal representatives of
pupils. Elementary, secondary and high school teacher:
uses suitable, verified (recommended) methods and tools
(interview, questionnaire for legal representatives, analysis
of a pupil’s personal file, etc.) to evaluate the influence of
socio-cultural environment on the development of pupils;
respects the dignity of all pupils, applies clear and
understandable rules that support good-quality relationships
and mutual cooperation with legal representatives of pupils;
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