Teaching about sexual violence in the past is likely to solicit emotional reactions from students, including the potential for them to share their own personal histories related to the topic. According to statistics compiled by the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN, 2020a), university students are a particularly vulnerable population;…

In this article, three English Language Arts teachers draw on their teaching experiences of addressing sexual violence in assigned young adult literature. The authors use their experiences to guide a series of suggestions for other teachers who wish to teach these texts in their own classes. First, the authors offer suggestions for legitimizing…

This case involves the alleged sexual assault of a college athlete by her professor. Rather than report the incident, the athlete turns to social media to cryptically share her story. Her messages are clear cries for help and give window to her accelerating depressed state. Given the nature of her postings and follow-up accusations, various…

Courses: Undergraduate or graduate organizational/crisis communication or public relations courses. Objective: The goal for this single class activity is for students to apply discourse of renewal to an organizational crisis fueled through social media.

As sociology instructors increasingly include materials on sexual violence in their courses, both instructors and students express anxieties over how best to handle such sensitive conversations. This article critically examines the conventional advice to offer a trigger warning, which can interfere with student education (e.g., requiring survivors…

The purpose of this paper is to describe an original active learning exercise that incorporates both referential and constructivist perspectives on the role of language in the social world. The exercise encourages students to view language as both a vehicle for transmitting sociologically-relevant content (e.g., attitudes, perspectives,…

Two teachers of fifteen or more years experience tell of false accusations of sexual abuse by students and the effect on their lives. Inset boxes discuss the problem and ways teachers can protect themselves. (MT)

Applied behavior analysis (ABA) has emerged as one of the most effective empirically based strategies for instructing individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Four ABA-based strategies that have been found effective are video modeling, visual strategies, social script fading, and task analysis. Individuals with ASD often struggle with…

This article describes a program entitled "Staying Alive" to help teachers prevent molestation of elementary school children. Child molestation is defined, methods of coercion are described, and survival tips and relevant learning activities are suggested. (Author/MT)

In this article, the author explores the question: How can individuals understand the impacts of clergy sexual abuse upon K-12 teachers' effectiveness with all children? Given the parallels between the work of teachers and religious authority figures, the damage to one authority figure's credibility, says the author, is likely to impact another's…

Reports of child maltreatment have increased by 142 percent and sexual abuse cases by 852 percent since 1976. The responsibilities of both the teacher and the school and resources to help educate children are explored. Suggestions for counseling students are offered. (DF)

Abused children send signals to their teachers. Common signs and symptoms are listed as are resources for teachers to use to educate children, other staff, and themselves about child abuse. (MT)

Classroom teachers have a unique opportunity to identify abused children and promote the process of healing. Offers teachers information about the incidence of child abuse, types of abuse, and possible intervention. (14 references) (MLF)

Discusses the problem of violence against women in Canada. Argues that recent government efforts to address the problem deal with the symptoms only. Cites findings indicating that child and sexual abuse are among the foremost fears of Canadian girls. Concludes that society pays too little attention to violence against women. (DK)

This article describes child physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, and neglect. Signs that indicate abuse are provided and state reporting guidelines are examined. Special education implications of child abuse are evaluated. The unique role of the teacher in identifying abuse and interventions that teachers can employ are addressed. (CR)