Posted December 2005 Students get answers to social issues questions online
		"What if I want to be friends with someone and they're not interested?" "I have piano lessons and practice after school. I don't have enough time for homework and I get into trouble." "I don't really like my friend's games, but if I can't find another friend, what will I do?" When Terry Breen's Year 5 class at Sunnybank Hills State School began studying a unit, You, Me and Us, on stereotyping and bullying, a lot of social issues questions began to be raised. But where to get the answers? Terry Breen found a way – online. "I happened to be at a professional development session," Ms Breen said. "We were looking at the Learning Place and what it offers for students and teachers, and we were each asked to come up with a way we could put the technology to use in our own classroom." Ms Breen thought it would be excellent if she could have an expert to address her students' questions in a project room forum. The problem was, she didn't know an appropriate expert.

"But Robyn Gifford, a guest at the seminar, did know someone," Ms Breen said. "She put me in touch with Dr Robi Sonderegger. Dr Sonderegger is a clinical psychologist and Director of Family Challenge, an organisation that delivers specialist psychological services to families, schools and communities around the world. He very kindly agreed to be an online expert for us."

Dr Sonderegger went online for a month in a forum set up in a secure Learning Place project room. Students, using assumed names for privacy, were able to contact him and ask questions about issues at home or at school. "We called it Ask Dr Robi," Ms Breen said. "Students logged on, asked questions and started a thread. Dr Robi answered the questions and all students were able to read the questions and the answers."

Rachel McLellan and Lara Sonego reading a response
from Dr Robi

Ms Breen said there had been a very wide range of topics raised. "The questions covered a lot of issues," she said. "The class discussed Dr Robi's answers, talking about the problems and what he really meant in his responses – how the problems could be solved."

The activity had been highly successful, Ms Breen said. Students became very aware both of problems faced by children of their own age, and that others shared their own concerns. "Through Dr Robi's suggestions, they came to realise that situations are not hopeless, and that there are a variety of strategies and options they themselves can work through to deal with these situations," Ms Breen said. "This has been a great activity – I'll certainly use it again next year if I can!".