First, Do No Harm: Being an Active Witness to Cyberbullying Lesson Plan

Level: Grades 9-12

About the Author: Matthew Johnson, Director of Education, MediaSmarts

Duration: 1.5-2 hours

This lesson is part of USE, UNDERSTAND & CREATE: A Digital Literacy Framework for Canadian Schools.

Overview

In this lesson, students consider how difficult and complicated it can sometimes be to do the right thing. Students are asked to consider whether they agree with a number of widely-held moral principles and then are asked to consider a moral dilemma in which a number of moral principles are in conflict, reflecting on how their view of it may change based on the details of the scenario. They then explore the idea of weighing different moral principles against one another and develop their own moral dilemmas. Finally, students learn practical tools for deciding how best to intervene when they witness cyberbullying and apply those tools to moral dilemmas relating to cyberbullying.

Learning Outcomes

Students will:

• Learn the concepts of moral principles and moral dilemmas
• Consider the complexity of moral dilemmas and choose and justify moral positions
• Reflect on what factors influence their moral thinking
• Learn and apply tools for effectively intervening in cyberbullying
• Apply moral thinking towards cyberbullying situations

This lesson and all associated documents (handouts, overheads, backgrounders) are available in an easy-print, pdf kit version.