Week 3: Friendship- Dealing with conflict and change
Read THIS ARTICLE: "Schools must take account of girls' precarious friendships" by The Guardian (2011).
A friend is someone who...
e.g. trusts you and is trustworthy
Friendship skills include...
e.g. respecting one another
Click HERE to read about some friendship problems faced by school students.
Talk about cliques and how they affect friendships.
Talk about relational aggression. Write up the definition on the board. Give examples and ask students to provide some more.
“Relational aggression is the use of friendship as a weapon,” says Simmons. Girls can gain power by forming close friendships that exclude other girls, although the act of forming a close friendship is not by nature exclusive. “Girls are entitled to their social groups,” notes Simmons. “But it’s what they do within those friendships and with them that can become aggressive — by gossiping, by sharing secrets, even just by giving dirty looks to girls not considered cool.” Jealousy can also be one of the causes of bullying. “A lot of times, girls bully each other because they feel jealous,” adds Catherine Steiner-Adair. “Girls behave this way because they are supposed to be nice and don’t know how to express their anger except through indirect means. This doesn’t make the behaviour OK, but it’s important to understand when you talk to your daughter about it.” (PBS Parents)
Friends on Social Media
What do these friendships consist of? Why are these friendships so attractive? How does social media affect schoolyard relationships?
Conflict Resolution
Role-play activity
A friend is someone who...
e.g. trusts you and is trustworthy
Friendship skills include...
e.g. respecting one another
Click HERE to read about some friendship problems faced by school students.
Talk about cliques and how they affect friendships.
Talk about relational aggression. Write up the definition on the board. Give examples and ask students to provide some more.
“Relational aggression is the use of friendship as a weapon,” says Simmons. Girls can gain power by forming close friendships that exclude other girls, although the act of forming a close friendship is not by nature exclusive. “Girls are entitled to their social groups,” notes Simmons. “But it’s what they do within those friendships and with them that can become aggressive — by gossiping, by sharing secrets, even just by giving dirty looks to girls not considered cool.” Jealousy can also be one of the causes of bullying. “A lot of times, girls bully each other because they feel jealous,” adds Catherine Steiner-Adair. “Girls behave this way because they are supposed to be nice and don’t know how to express their anger except through indirect means. This doesn’t make the behaviour OK, but it’s important to understand when you talk to your daughter about it.” (PBS Parents)
Friends on Social Media
What do these friendships consist of? Why are these friendships so attractive? How does social media affect schoolyard relationships?
Conflict Resolution
Role-play activity