Ninety percent of teachers who have participated in professional development in the last year believe that what they learned wasn’t useful. — Center for Public Education
A safe school climate depends on educators managing social dynamics and teaching students to manage their emotions and solve social conflicts with critical thinking. Social dynamics, conflicts, and bullying can influence every child’s ability to learn.
But the reality is educators rarely get training to do this. Even if they do, the training and resources are often unrealistic and don’t appreciate the educator’s expertise of their students, schools, or communities.
Rosalind Wiseman and the Cultures of Dignity team have designed a dynamic new approach to teaching these topics. Based on the second edition of the Owning Up curriculum, it is also so much more. Whether you work in a school, a team, or a youth-serving organization, the Owning Up training brings concrete strategies to prepare youth to be engaged learners and socially responsible citizens.
Taking the newest approaches and the latest feedback from educators and young people, we have redeveloped professional development to provide the skills and expertise that educators need most.
So save the date! We will be hosting a full-day accredited training, Owning Up: Creating a Culture of Dignity in Your Community, on April 29th in Boulder, Colorado!
This professional development training for educators is about…
- Defining realistic definitions of bullying, by-standing, teasing, drama and social conflict.
- Analyzing individual behavior and decision making related to negative group social dynamics.
- Identifying dynamics that lead to social conflict
- Recognizing the value of a growth mindset for educators as well as the students
- Teaching students to effectively intervene in social conflicts with their peers.
- Outlining challenges educators have to teach these topics effectively and obtain student buy-in
Topics Covered
- Group dynamics
- Social media
- Adolescent identity development
- Managing social conflicts in classroom effectively
- Teasing, Drama, Bullying
Sample Owning Up Lesson Titles
- Just Kidding: Why Are We Really Laughing
- The Power of Gossip: They Said What?
- Reputations and Double Standards: Keep it? Lose it? Change it?
- Managing Technology: Posts Profiles, and Platforms
- Recognizing and Respecting Boundaries: How Far is Too Far?
Check out the table of contents.
Meet the team
Rosalind Wiseman –– For over 20 years, Rosalind Wiseman has had only one job since graduating from college—to help communities shift the way we think about children and teens’ emotional and physical wellbeing. As a teacher, thought leader, author, and media spokesperson on bullying, ethical leadership, and the use of social media, she is in constant dialogue and collaboration with educators, parents, children, and teens. Rosalind is the founder of Cultures of Dignity and is the author of the curriculum Owning Up: Empowering Adolescents to Confront Social Cruelty, Bullying, and Injustice. She is also the author of Queen Bees and Wannabes: Helping Your Daughter Survive Cliques, Gossip, Boyfriends, and the New Realities of Girl World—the groundbreaking, best-selling book that was the basis for the movie Mean Girls and Masterminds & Wingmen: Helping Our Boys with SchoolYard Power, Locker Room Tests, Girlfriends and the New Rules of Boy World.
Charlie Kuhn — In August 2012, Charlie began working with Rosalind Wiseman and over two hundred teen boys to write Masterminds & Wingmen. In 2016 Charlie founded Cultures of Dignity with Rosalind Wiseman and as CEO oversees business operations, strategic vision, and partnerships with innovative educational institutions to increase young people’s academic engagement, emotional wellbeing, and physical safety. He serves on the Board of Directors and is the Chair of Program Committee at Attention Homes, a non-profit organization providing housing and services for homeless and run-away youth. He also is the Curator of the Global Shapers Boulder Hub, an Initiative of the World Economic Forum, and is an advisor to the Boys’ School of Denver.