Don't Just Stand There

Display slide 14. Tell the students that they will now have an opportunity to see what an instance of bystander effect might look like in a classroom like theirs. Pass out a copy of the attached Bystander Effect Scenario Script to each student. Give students a couple of minutes to silently skim the script. There are two options for facilitating this activity: Option 1 involves reading the scene aloud, while Option 2 involves students volunteering to act it out. Regardless of the manner in which the script is performed, ask the students to think about the following questions prior to beginning: How would you react if you witnessed this situation in your classroom? If you have witnessed a situation like this, how did you react? Since this may be an uncomfortable subject for students, they don’t have to share their answers, but they should be mindful of these questions while the scene plays out.

Option 1

After students have silently read through the script, call for nine student volunteers to read for the eight student characters and one to read for the stage directions. You will read the lines of “Ms. Jackson” unless a student would rather read as the teacher. Sitting at their desks, have the volunteers read aloud as they are sitting at their desks. 

Option 2

After students have silently read through the script, have nine student actor volunteers and one student reading the stage directions practice in the hallway for about five minutes. Make sure to check on them to see if they have any questions about the logistics of the performance. Invite those students who are not acting to assist in setting the stage. The scene will only require eight desks, a laptop, a Smartboard or projection screen, a hat with slips of paper in it, and a JPG image of an error message. Unhide slide 15 for the “error message” to use as a prop for the Option 2 skit.   

Once students have finished reading or performing the scene, have them return to their small groups from earlier. Display slide 16 and tell the students that they will be completing a Categorical Highlighting activity. Distribute four colors of highlighters per student. We recommend pink, orange, green, and blue, as these will match the key in the attached Bystander Effect Scenario Teacher’s Guide. If you have different colors available in your classroom, you are welcome to use those instead. Tell the students that they should use a different color to highlight the four different psychological concepts that are demonstrated in the scenario. In the Bystander Effect Scenario Teacher’s Guide that you can use for reference as they share their answers, those colors are: pink (diffusion of responsibility), orange (social influence), green (intimidation factor), and blue (empathy). Let students know that they should write in the margins of the script why they chose to highlight each phrase or sentence that demonstrated a concept.

After groups have had about 15 minutes to highlight their scripts, have the class reconvene. Ask a volunteer from each group to share at least one phrase or sentence that their group highlighted and explain why they agreed that it demonstrated a particular concept.