This is more of a ‘talk’show, mainly meant for children. Participants will discuss how kids on their own can also model behaviour for adults. It is an opportunity for them to learn some new and interesting vocabulary concerning responsible behaviour online and offline as well. This resource forms part of the “Cyber Heros” learning programme designed for 8 to 14 year olds.
General Objective
Preparation time for facilitator
Competence area
Time needed to complete activity (for learner)
Resource originally created in
Let's talk
- Reflect on the online behavior of adults.
- Consider how the way adults act can model behavior for younger generations
Let's talk
What adults can teach kids – and what kids can teach adults!
Itʼs important to teach kindness. But itʼs just as important to model the thematics of kindness that we teach. There are plenty of examples of how bullying and harassment arenʼt just issues for kids. Just look at how adults sometimes treat each other online, in the news media, or in traffic jams. Weʼve been talking about how important it is to be kind to your classmates and friends online and off. Have you ever seen adults act meanly toward each other, in your everyday life or in the media? Have you seen adults bullying each other? (Remember, we donʼt need to name names – letʼs just talk about the behaviors.)
Do you think your generation can build an Internet thatʼs kinder and more positive than the environments some adults have created for
themselves? (A lot of adults think youʼll probably be better at this too.) Do you think some kids start bullying or making unkind comments
because they see adults around them or in the news doing these things? Yes to all the above? Please give examples. What would YOU do instead – how would you be a better role model for adults?
Note to facilitators:
Consider taking this discussion to the next level by creating a “kindness campaign” at your school! At the beginning of a class period, each student writes and delivers one note of affirmation for another student, which both sets the tone for a positive class period and serves as a reminder that we can be forces for positivity both online and off. You could even start a class like this each week!
Takeaway
How you and your friends treat each other online will have a big impact on the digital world your generation builds – not to mention the offline world too.