Overview

This web site helps children practice the skills they learn from seeing plays performed by Bridgework Theater. Currently, the site helps children in grades 1 through 4 practice bully prevention. Activities for other grades and other skills will be added as we find funding.

Schools that have hosted a Bridgework performance may subscribe to the web site. The cost of a year's subscription for all the students in a school is $300.

The Need

In 2005, Indiana Youth Institute helped Bridgework Theater survey 100 school professionals. These people said that:

  • Children need to practice the skills they learn from Bridgework's plays
  • Children need to work and explore at their own pace
  • Children should be inspired to participate rather than feel coerced
  • School class time should be preserved for academics

The school professionals believed that a web site would meet these needs.

General Intentions of the Content and Design

  • Children will be inspired to participate
  • The web site will be fun as well as useful
  • The content and design will respect the capabilities of children and the complexity of their lives
  • Children will be able to find activities that are appropriate to their developmental stage and skill levels
  • The content and design will balance a positive attitude with a realistic world view by admitting that the skills we suggest have limits and drawbacks rather than pretend that if children use these skills, their lives will be immediately blissful.

Goal and Objectives

The goal of the web site is to decrease violence. The web site will decrease violence by helping children practice skills such as anger management, conflict resolution, bully prevention, and empathy.

Compared to children who have only seen a Bridgework play, children who use the web site for at least two hours will be (1) more confident and (2) more willing to use anger management, conflict resolution, bully prevention, and empathy skills.

Evaluation

Bridgework has developed a written test that uses semantic differentials to measure confidence and willingness. As evaluation results become available, they will be posted on the web site.

How to Gain Access

When a school purchases a subscription to the web site, Bridgework sends passwords.

Because the password contains information that the web site needs in order to adjust to the grade level of the child who is using it, each grade in the school has a different password. Example: all the children at Lincoln Elementary who are in the third grade have the same password. Their password differs from the children who are in the fourth grade. (It also differs from third graders in other schools.)

The school distributes the web site address and passwords to classroom teachers. Teachers distribute the web site address and password to their students. Children may use the web site address and password on any computer that connects to the web: computers at school, home, club, or library.

When a child logs on the web site for the first time, the child creates a user ID by choosing his/her favorite color and favorite shape or animal. A child's user name might be 'orange cat'. The child should use the same user ID each time s/he visits the site.

Most children in third grade will be able to log onto the site by themselves. Children in first and second grade may need help from an adult.

How to Encourage and Help Children

Bridgework provides teacher training and class room activities that supplement our plays. If your school hosted a performance and you did not receive the materials, ask your school principal, counselor, or social worker.

Generally, the web site will inspire children to participate. If, however, you want to encourage children to use the site:

  • About a week after distributing passwords, ask the class if anyone has tried the site.
  • Ask participants for what they liked and disliked about the site.
  • Help solve log-on problems.
  • Send suggestions or questions to Bridgework (see below).
  • Inform children that they can compare scores with each other, with children in other grades in their own school and children in their grade in other schools around the country. They may work toward the highest score in the United States.

Violence Prevention Web Links

Send Comments & Ideas

We value your thoughts and ideas. We will try to answer your questions.

Call 1-800-200-1602 or use the button below to send email.

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Evaluation Results

We hope to have evaluation results by September 2007. The results will indicate whether children who use the site are more willing to use and more confident in their ability to use the violence prevention they practice on the site.