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What you will find here:
- Friendliness
- Care
- Respect
- Responsibility
- Valuing Difference
- Accepting Others
The social skills used in the teaching of these values decrease the likelihood of bullying and other violent behaviour in schools. These values are included in each of the activities provided in the Better Buddies Framework Resource.
The Better Buddies Framework has been designed to avoid increasing the load on teachers. There is no doubt that the introduction of any new program into a school will require extra effort on the part of many people.
The authors were very conscious of this and have designed the framework so that it will fit in readily with normal classroom activities. It is expected that once the framework is up and running there will be little or no extra demand made on classroom teachers.
One of the benefits of a pro-social framework such as Better Buddies is a significantly reduced need to intervene in the consequences of anti-social behaviour. So teaching can be more effective and interactions between teachers and students can be more positive, and hence much more rewarding.
Better Buddies enhances or introduces a ‘best practice’ Buddy System into primary schools to assist with the transition of new students.
Click here to download information PDF
Activity 1: Charcoal Portraits
Activity 2: Buddies Breakfast/Lunch/Afternoon Tea
‘The power of the bear’
Buddy Bear is the mascot of the Better Buddies Framework. Little Buddy is Buddy Bear’s friend. Buddy Bear promotes Alannah Mikac’s message, symbolically supporting children’s transition and orientation to school. By using Buddy, cross-age buddy systems are enhanced and given special focus and meaning.
In Western cultures, teddy bears are still a powerful and emotive symbol of childhood, and familiar playmates for most Australian children. Teddy bears are perceived as warm, friendly, tolerant, accepting and compassionate friends and they can act as a replacement friend, providing comfort and security. Teddy bears represent feelings of safety and have equal appeal to both girls and boys.
For these reasons, The Alannah and Madeline Foundation has adopted Buddy Bear to embody the values of friendship, caring about, and sharing with others. Buddy Bear can be used in a variety of ways in the Framework, and is featured in all the Classroom Activities.
- Better Buddies uses ‘understudy buddy’ groups
The Foundation’s research identified that one problem with most buddy programs was the negative effect of an older buddy being absent from school. Better Buddies features a special structure called an ‘understudy buddy group’ which addresses this problem. This structure also provides a support group for older buddies in which they can work collaboratively to support each other in being good buddies (for example, by solving problems that arise in their buddying role).
- Better Buddies provides a training package for older buddies
Better Buddies features a specific training program for older buddies that can be implemented by teachers within the school. Students are taught the skills that are needed to be an effective buddy, how to deal with problems that might arise and about the limitations of their role. Younger buddies are provided with a simple introductory session.
- Better Buddies is based on recent research
Better Buddies was developed and refined on the basis of recent research into buddy systems conducted by the foundation. There had been virtually no Australian research into this until the Foundation’s study. Better Buddies aims to address the gaps in current buddy programs as identified in the research.
- Better Buddies fosters positive relationships
Better Buddies focuses directly on the systematic development of positive relationships not only between buddies but also between students and teachers within the whole school community.
- Better Buddies teaches ‘pro-social’ values and skills
Better Buddies directly teaches important ‘pro-social’ values and skills – that is, values and skills that help children to realise the effects that their behaviours can have on other people and to empathise with others. These values and skills contribute to friendships and other social relationships. This direct teaching approach is more effective than just assuming that good social skills ‘emerge’ indirectly from the ‘buddy’ experience.
- Better Buddies incorporates a wide and engaging range of buddy activities
Better Buddies contains a wide range of engaging buddy activities prepared by teachers for teachers. These cover different curriculum areas. The research identified that teachers felt that most buddy programs did not incorporate enough varied and engaging activities for buddies to share.
- Better Buddies also aims to reduce bullying
Better Buddies aims to reduce bullying behaviour through the development of empathy, pro-social values and positive pro-social relationships between children of different ages. In this way the whole school culture becomes more positive, compassionate, supportive and caring and this makes it more difficult for bullying to get a foothold. Strong positive connections between children discourage antisocial behaviour.
While Better Buddies involves children in their first and last year of primary school, schools are encouraged to extend a peer support structure to the rest of the school. In addition, schools are encouraged to run four whole-school key Better Buddies events to extend the values throughout the entire school community. These events are opportunities for all buddies, along with the rest of the school to have fun whilst further embedding the Buddy Values into the school’s culture.
These key events profile Better Buddies throughout the whole school community and provide a great way to include the local media.
- Click here to download more information about Better Buddies Key Events
- Click here to download Dealing with the media PDF
- Click here to download more information about Better Buddies and the NSSF
- Click here to download more information about Better Buddies and 11 guiding principals of the NSSF
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