The Duplex Pyramids
Understanding School Violence and Recommendations for Solutions
by Edwin L. Young, PhD
Table of Contents
Systems within Structures
Structures are not things. Structures are the way we conceive of things, our
perspectives on things. There can be an infinite variety of conceived
structures. Taking perspectives and conceiving of structures with respect to any
phenomena is an art. Typically, people see what is immediately present. It is
possible to see the same entity or group of entities or parts from the perspective of
history or histories. It is also possible to see the same group from the perspective
of its place within encompassing structures, in the midst of coextensive or related groups
or parts, or as a structure that itself encompasses substructures. One can choose
the perspective on and components of the structure. One can also change perspectives
on and components of entities so as to study different conceptions of structures.
Each time a structure is conceived, it is then
possible to observe and analyze the interrelations of its components. One can
examine the structure of a poem, a game, a machine, a tree, a body of water, or
anything. Deciding upon a unit of analysis and isolating particular units, one can
then observe how each changes and is changed by other units. It may appear that one
unit is the cause of the behavior or significance of another unit. However, when
taking another structural perspective, it could become apparent that it is an historical
pattern, its place within the arrangement of a more encompassing structure, or its place
in relation to parallel structures that yields the most valuable information. By
continuing to experiment with structural perspective taking, a more comprehensive
understanding may emerge that yields strategies that are more effective for rearranging
units and their relations. At the same time, it may become possible to see and
understand why prior strategies have not worked or worked only for a brief period.
In fact, it could become apparent that prior solutions were successful for the one
component while, ironically, contributing to dysfunction with respect to other,
psychologically or physically related, parallel, or adjoined components, or successful for
the short term but promotes dysfunction in the more distant future.
When examining the way components are
interrelated or affect one another, physically, temporally, or psychologically, we are
examining the systems within structures. Once again, it is possible to take multiple
perspectives on systems and examine their interrelations and interactions. The
important point to weigh here is that it is the taking of multiple perspectives on
structures encompassing systems and then on the systems themselves that yields the most
powerful results. When attempting to restructure structures and systems, the advance
work done taking different perspectives is likely to yield the most effective and enduring
results.
In these sections on school violence, as well as
with all of the ideas within the Natural Systems Approach, we take different perspectives,
examine their implications, and from these insights devise a comprehensive, integrated set
of strategies designed to solve the problem of school violence.
Whether working with a large institution or organization or with an individual client in
psychotherapy, natural systems considers the past, present, and future of the
multidimensional interaction of external structures and systems, from global environments
to local situations, with internal structures and systems, from an individual's life
history to their present intentions and future goals.
For the Natural System's approach, everything is interconnected and dealt with when the
time is right from the client's point of view.
INTRODUCTION TO SOLUTIONS TO SCHOOL
VIOLENCE
PROLOGUE
The nation has become concerned with school and youth
violence. There has been much coverage of this issue in the media, TV, radio,
newspapers, and magazines. The coverage of this subject is typically narrowly
focused. I thought school and county officials, who are searching for understanding
and solutions, would appreciate an approach that brings all of the narrowly focused ideas
about causes and solutions together in a novel, in depth, comprehensive, and integrated
presentation.
By putting such a document on
the Internet, it becomes easily accessible to any one who is interested. Readers are
encouraged to share this information with their colleagues. If school, county, and
city leaders take the time to study these slide show presentations, hopefully they will
gain a more integrated and comprehensive understanding of the causes of and solutions to
the problem of school violence. These presentations were designed to contain ideas
that will be powerfully effective yet with almost no extra cost. To implement any of
these ideas in your school, you must expose educators and community leaders to the ideas
and then encourage them to study the ideas carefully, organize among themselves, choose
what they want to try, plan goals and strategies, set objectives, implement the ideas, and
then observe and evaluate to see if they are working.
My expectation is that, not
only will this prevent and reduce violence in schools, but also violence among youth in
their home neighborhoods. Above and beyond this, another result should be that many
non-violence-prone students who, nevertheless, suffer psychologically and perform below
their academic potential would be empowered and facilitated to become healthier, happier,
more successful youth, and better citizens. In addition, teachers and members of the
community will also live in a safer, happier, more rewarding environment and feel greater
fulfillment in their work with youth and in their lives.
OUTLINE OF SECTIONS RELATED TO SCHOOL
VIOLENCE:
Section 1 prepares the reader using the
propelling Columbine crisis as a background for discussion.
The media's description of the initial incident is presented, the recommendations
of OJJDP and APA for handling school violence that were made public before the crisis; the
recommendations of teachers, administrators, students, parents, experts and politicians,
and prominent TV and newspaper media reporters; and a cross national sample of internet
Columbine chat room comments are all presented to give the flavor of the nation's
reactions, explanations, and recommendations.
Click the following hyperlink to view
Section 2 presents a perspective on some
principle, underlying structural causes of school violence such as the evolution of school
size and organization, the way modern curriculum, lesson plans, extra curricular
activities, student role systems, parental involvement, and various interlocking
organizational systems, such the horizontal or architectural and the vertical systems are
organized. This perspective includes the suggestion that each of these factors and
their interactive influences should be examined for possible changes.
Pedagogical recommendations will include computerized, individualized, self
paced curriculum that emphasizes mastery learning instead of the current grade based,
lock-step system and its reliance on national or state testing of students and their use
as a way to evaluate schools.
Section 4 presents an analysis in terms
of family, peer, and institutional representatives roles in shaping the individual teen. Next, there is a presentation of the immediate
contexts with respect to peers, the community, professionals, public and private
institutions, and school contexts and how they unwittingly tend to induce violence
proneness in teens. Next, the effects of the
more global aspects of the community, institutions, professionals, and the school on teens
are presented. Against this background of
information a system of new programs are laid out.
Section 5 The Cho Massacre at
the University of Virginia and Recommendations for Reversing the Trend of School
Violence
This tragic incident prompted these recommendations for ending school violence,
especially applied, in this case, to college campuses.
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