Mickie Wong-Lo

Digital Aggression: Cyberworld Meets School Bullies

Cyberbullying is a category of bullying that occurs in the digital realm and affects students at astonishing rates. Unlike traditional bullying, in which displays of aggression may be evident to bystanders, the ramification of cyberbullying occurs through unconventional strategies (e.g., text messaging, online Web logs, video sharing). As a result, episodes of digital aggression may be camouflaged by the advancement in technology. Nonetheless, the effects of this digital form of peer aggression can be as detrimental as face-to-face bullying.

Cyber bullying: practices to face digital aggression

The display of aggressive behaviours among the digital generation has modernized the traditional attributes of bullying. Cases of bullying are no longer confined to physical altercations between peers in school hallways or hostile verbal exchanges during recess periods. With the progression of technology, educators must recognize the changes of our students’ behaviours as lives become modified by the digital era. The issues of cyber bullying have gained global visibility due to the disheartening publicized cases of the victims. While the families of victims mourn the loss of their children and earnestly seek to understand the cause of each account, researchers actively examine and implement preventative measures in hopes of educating individuals (e.g., general and special educators, parents, students, community professionals) to distinguish the warning signs of aggressive behaviours in digital forms.

Assisting Students From Diverse Backgrounds With Challenging Behaviors: Incorporating a Culturally Attuned Functional Behavioral Assessment in Prereferral Services

The student population across U.S. schools has become increasingly diverse and has presented educators with a number of concerns in assisting students demonstrating challenging behaviors. Educators have historically had difficulties in distinguishing between cultural differences and genuine indicators of emotional and behavioral disorders. It is unfortunate that this difficulty has contributed to a disproportional representation of students from diverse backgrounds in the disability category of emotional and behavioral disorders. However, the functional behavioral assessment continues to serve as an effective process to better understand challenging behaviors, particularly when it is culturally attuned to the needs of diverse student populations. The authors discuss the significance in meeting the needs of diverse populations, provide an overview of the functional behavioral assessment process, and present considerations in creating a culturally attuned functional behavioral assessment.

Recommended Practices: Cultivating a Culturally Responsive Learning Environment for Chinese Immigrants and Chinese American Students

Designing a learning environment that is culturally responsive to meet the needs of students from diverse backgrounds requires school professionals to view each student and his or her family as an individual entity. Cultural disposition consists of attributes exclusive to each student and should not be adopted as a blanket definition in characterizing individuals under the same cultural umbrella. To assist with such differentiations for students of Chinese heritage, three area topics with recommended practices will be discussed: (a) parent/family influence of participation and collaboration in schools, (b) considerations for academic instruction/learning and classroom management, and (c) structuring the learning environment to facilitate social-emotional development.

Implementing a culturally attuned functional behavioural assessment to understand and address challenging behaviours demonstrated by students from diverse backgrounds

As the US student population continues to become increasingly diverse, educators have encountered difficulties in distinguishing between cultural differences and genuine disability indicators. This concern is clearly evident in assisting students from diverse backgrounds who demonstrate chronic challenging behaviours. Past practices (e.g. disciplinary office referrals, out-of-school suspensions, expulsion) have contributed to the likelihood of students from diverse backgrounds being misidentified as having an emotional or behavioural disorder. However, by tailoring the functional behavioural assessment (FBA), educators better differentiate cultural factors from disability characteristics and better understand the students’ needs. This paper will discuss the significance in meeting the needs of an increasingly diverse student population, provide an overview of the FBA process and present considerations in creating a culturally attuned FBA.

Establishing Positive Learning Environments for Students of Chinese American and Latino Backgrounds

Abstract Cultivating positive learning environments for underrepresented groups such as students of Chinese American and Latino backgrounds require careful planning and consideration. As our society strives to embrace individual differences of all cultures, educators must equip themselves with effective tools to adapt to the ever-changing dynamics within classrooms. In an effort to bridge research into practice inside the walls of the school campuses, we discuss recommendations for educators who serve students of Chinese American and Latino backgrounds. The recommended practices are highlighted in layers of society, community, school programming, and classroom experience.