Technologies · Foundation

Active learning ideas

Cyberbullying, Online Harassment, and Reporting

Active learning builds empathy and decision-making skills for students to recognize and respond to cyberbullying. Through role-plays and interactive tasks, they practice kindness and reporting, making abstract digital safety concepts clear and actionable.

• ACARA Content Descriptions
• AC9TDIK03

• 20–35 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Role Play
• 30 min · Small Groups

Role-Play: Kind vs Mean Online

Use puppets or soft toys to act out scenarios: one shows friendly sharing, another mean messages. Students practice saying 'stop' and telling the teacher. End with groups drawing happy/sad faces to show feelings.

Differentiate between cyberbullying, online harassment, and general online conflict.

Facilitation Tip

During Role-Play: Kind vs Mean Online, assign clear roles and rotate students so everyone experiences both sides of the interaction.

What to look for

Show students pictures of different online scenarios (e.g., a friend sharing a toy online, someone sending a mean message). Ask students to point to the picture that shows cyberbullying and explain why. This checks their ability to identify unkind online behaviour.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness

Activity 02

• Role Play
• 25 min · Pairs

Reporting Station: Practice Blocks

Set up a mock device with buttons for 'block' and 'report'. Students take turns responding to sample mean notes by pressing buttons and writing who to tell. Discuss as a class why it helps.

Explain effective strategies for responding to and reporting cyberbullying.

What to look for

Present a simple scenario: 'Imagine someone sends you a mean picture online. What is one thing you can do to stay safe?' Facilitate a class discussion, guiding students to suggest telling a trusted adult or using a pretend 'report' button.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness

Activity 03

• Role Play
• 35 min · Pairs

Safety Poster Walk

In pairs, students draw three rules: be kind, tell an adult, block mean people. Display posters around the room for a gallery walk where they share one rule each.

Analyze the psychological and social impacts of online harassment on individuals.

What to look for

Give each student a card with a drawing of a computer or tablet. Ask them to draw one way they can get help if someone is unkind to them online. Collect these to assess their understanding of seeking support.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness

Activity 04

• Role Play
• 20 min · Whole Class

Story Circle: What If?

Read a picture book on online kindness, then circle up. Each student shares one action if a friend gets a mean message, like 'I tell the teacher'. Teacher notes common ideas on chart paper.

Differentiate between cyberbullying, online harassment, and general online conflict.

What to look for

Show students pictures of different online scenarios (e.g., a friend sharing a toy online, someone sending a mean message). Ask students to point to the picture that shows cyberbullying and explain why. This checks their ability to identify unkind online behaviour.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness

A few notes on teaching this unit

Start with simple, relatable stories to ground the topic in student experience. Keep language concrete and avoid abstract terms like 'cyberbullying' until students can identify specific behaviours. Use repetition through different activities to reinforce safe reporting steps and kindness norms.

Students will confidently tell the difference between playful interactions and harmful behaviour, know how to report issues, and understand the importance of adult support. They will also create and share safety messages through posters and stories.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Role-Play: Kind vs Mean Online, watch for students who dismiss mean words as jokes.

  Pause the role-play to ask the 'receiver' to show their face and body how the words felt, then invite the group to suggest kinder alternatives together.

• During Reporting Station: Practice Blocks, watch for students who believe they can handle online problems alone.

  Ask the group to share times they needed help in other situations and connect that to why reporting online is the same safety step.

• During Story Circle: What If?, watch for students who think cyberbullying only happens to older kids.

  Show photos of young children using tablets and ask pairs to add one sentence to the story about what a child their age might see online.

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Methods used in this brief

• Role Play