Technologies · Year 5

Active learning ideas

Cyberbullying and Online Safety

Active learning works for cyberbullying and online safety because students need to experience the emotional weight of online harm to truly understand its impact. Role-plays, design tasks, and case studies put them in the position of both target and bystander, making abstract concepts feel real and personal.

• ACARA Content Descriptions
• AC9TDI6W03
• AC9TDI6K01

• 30–45 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Role Play
• 45 min · Small Groups

Role-Play: Online Scenarios

Prepare 4-5 short scripts showing cyberbullying situations and positive responses. Assign roles to small groups: victim, bully, bystander, helper. Groups perform for the class, followed by a 5-minute debrief on feelings and actions taken. Record key learnings on chart paper.

Explain the impact of cyberbullying on individuals and communities.

Facilitation Tip

During Role-Play: Online Scenarios, assign roles carefully so every student feels the emotional stakes of both causing and receiving harm.

What to look for

Present students with a scenario: 'A classmate posts an embarrassing photo of another student online and makes mean comments. What are three different ways someone could respond to this situation? Discuss the potential outcomes of each response.'

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

Activity 02

• Role Play
• 35 min · Pairs

Poster Design: Safe Online Rules

In pairs, students brainstorm 5 rules for positive online behavior, such as 'Pause before posting.' They create colorful posters with examples and slogans. Display posters in class and have students vote on the most effective one.

Design strategies for promoting positive online interactions.

Facilitation Tip

When students design Safe Online Rules posters, provide sentence starters on the board to scaffold language for younger or less confident writers.

What to look for

Ask students to write down one strategy they can use to protect their digital footprint and one reason why telling a trusted adult is important when encountering online risks. Collect these as students leave.

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

Activity 03

• Role Play
• 40 min · Small Groups

Case Study Circles: Response Strategies

Provide printed anonymized stories of cyberbullying incidents. In small groups, students read, discuss impacts, and list 3 response steps like report and talk to an adult. Share one strategy per group with the class.

Assess appropriate responses to encountering cyberbullying or unsafe online content.

Facilitation Tip

In Case Study Circles, rotate groups so students hear multiple perspectives before deciding on a response strategy.

What to look for

Display a list of online behaviors (e.g., sharing a friend's private message, posting a supportive comment, ignoring a mean post, blocking a user). Ask students to categorize each behavior as 'Safe and Respectful', 'Potentially Harmful', or 'Effective Response to Harm'.

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

Activity 04

• Role Play
• 30 min · Pairs

Pledge Workshop: Personal Commitments

Individually, students reflect on one online safety goal and write a pledge. Pairs share and refine pledges, then sign a class pledge wall. Review pledges at unit end.

Explain the impact of cyberbullying on individuals and communities.

Facilitation Tip

During the Pledge Workshop, have students sign their pledges in front of the class to build public accountability for their commitments.

What to look for

Present students with a scenario: 'A classmate posts an embarrassing photo of another student online and makes mean comments. What are three different ways someone could respond to this situation? Discuss the potential outcomes of each response.'

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

A few notes on teaching this unit

Experienced teachers approach this topic by creating emotionally safe spaces where students can confront discomfort without shame. They avoid scare tactics, instead using guided reflection to help students connect actions with consequences. Research shows that empathy-building activities reduce bystander silence, so prioritize perspective-taking over lectures about rules.

Successful learning looks like students confidently identifying risky behaviors, explaining why online actions matter, and choosing respectful responses. By the end, they should articulate clear personal commitments to safe and kind digital behavior.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Role-Play: Online Scenarios, watch for students who dismiss the activity as 'just pretend.'

  Pause mid-role-play to ask each participant how the target might feel in real life, then have the class discuss which behaviors escalated harm and which reduced it.

• During Poster Design: Safe Online Rules, watch for students who create rules only about strangers and forget peer actions.

  Prompt students to include rules about sharing screenshots, excluding classmates, or posting without consent, using examples from their own online experiences.

• During Case Study Circles: Response Strategies, watch for students who say reporting is 'tattling.'

  Ask the group to list all the adults and systems that protect them offline, then connect those to online reporting options like school counselors or platform tools.

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Methods used in this brief

• Role Play