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I’m about to teach a Year 7 class and the topic is empathy.
It’s a new topic for them. The don’t know much about it.
But we’ll feel our way into it and see where we get to.
I want you to choose one of these feelings...
...and tell us when you’d feel like this.
- Which one have you chosen? - Happy.
Give us an example of when you’d feel happy.
- When you’re with your friends. - I love the way you said that!
What if you’d just lost your favourite pet?
How would you feel? - Devastated.
I want you to understand what empathy is.
Understanding somebody else’s feelings.
What’s the point in that?
If you can understand what it’s like to be in somebody else’s shoes...
...then maybe you’ll change what you do.
‘Speed dating’ is a technique where you can get everybody involved.
It's just another slant on ‘talk to your partner about...’
but it gets them out of their seats.
That’s good if you've got kinaesthetic learners...
...who don't learn so much through traditional reading and writing...
...but who like to get out of their seats...
...and do something which helps them to learn.
We’ve got some iPhone 4s. Some Blackberries. iPhone, Blackberry, iPhone, Blackberry...
iPhones, could you come up to me please?
Come and stand in a circle around me here. Circle around, circle around.
The next thing is for you people to make a second circle around the outside.
Stand behind whoever you like.
People in the inner circle, turn and face the person behind you.
I am giving you fifteen seconds to talk to each other about how you’d feel.
How would you feel if you had been told this morning...
...that you are going on holiday to Disneyland Florida?
Talk to each other!
- I’d feel happy... - Cheerful...
‘Speed dating’ is an activity which is very adaptable.
You don’t have to be a drama specialist.
Some teachers might feel insecure about trying a new technique...
...something a bit different.
I would say, plan it carefully and think out the space you’ll need.
Remember to time the activity. Keep it short, snappy and focussed.
People on the outside, move on two people, clockwise.
You have just failed your driving test for the third time.
How would you feel? Fifteen seconds, off you go!
- Confused. - Panicky. - Upset. - Embarrassed.
We’ve chosen a fictional disabled kid called Nelson.
What isn’t quite the same about Nelson?
- He doesn’t have two arms.
This kid gets a hard time.
A group of Year 9s on the bus have been bullying him.
Calling him names, taking his homework, threatening him, even on MSN in the evening.
You’re going to answer the questions that we've got for you.
If you’re feeling anxious that the activity might not fly...
...it's a good idea to plant a few questions to get it going.
- How often does it happen? - About three times a week.
- Do you think something can be done to stop them bullying you?
- Find out what class they’re in.
- Have you got any friends that could help you? - No.
We pick up the story where Nelson is in the dinner hall.
- Hey, look!
- Who’s that?
- It’s that Nelson, in our class. - What are you looking at?
- Nothing.
- Fancy a game of basketball with us lot later?
- Bit hard for you, eh? Basketball? - Very funny.
- Don’t get funny with us. Have you got any friends then?
- Anyone you know, like? - Or are you a loner?
- New kid no mates? - Leave me alone.
- Ooh, bit touchy, aren’t we? - That’s not how to make friends.
- Unless of course you like being a loner.
Some teachers might feel anxious about an activity like this...
...particularly if they’re not drama teachers.
The important thing is to keep the steps clearly in your mind.
At the end of the day you’re not performing, they are.
Keep the chunks of learning in your mind, and time them.
That way it becomes a manageable exercise
The word ‘rights’ is often bandied about.
It just comes out of people's mouths.
Kids will say: ‘It’s my right to be on the field at lunch time.’
Well, actually, it's not. It’s a privilege.
A right is something that all humans should have.
Imagine you’re describing what a human being needs to live and grow.
And your television program isn't going out on Earth...
...it's going through space to alien TV.
- Food, water, a healthy environment. They need their family. - Yeah.
David Attenborough number one, tell me something human beings need to live and grow.
- Food. - Excellent. Absolutely top answer.
The aim is that every person walks out having met the learning objectives...
...and having developed their understanding of human rights.
They probably came in with very little knowledge of human rights.
Nobody drives a car into your drive, pulls out an envelope...
...and says: ‘There are your human rights, you've got them now.’
They don’t arrive through the post.
As soon as you are born, these are the things that you deserve.
Every single human has these rights throughout the whole of their life.
They’re not something that materialise halfway through.
They’re not something you earn by going to school.
They’re not something given to you by the Government.
We’ve got these humans over here. They really want their human rights.
They're going along to the human rights market.
You guys are stall holders in the human rights market.
You’re actually going to have some money. One thousand South Wigston High School pounds.
I spiced this up by having clipboards, so that the market sellers looked important.
They felt they had a bit of important equipment.
I had the props - the cards - in the order that I wanted...
...to create a good mix of human rights that they could discuss.
People that are selling, each pair of you has eight cards.
First, I want you to look at these cards. Have a good natter about them.
If one of your top four human rights is the right to enjoy your belongings....
...you’ll write it on here using one of those markers over there.
You’ll use these to go behind the scenes and create your markets stalls.
You’ll also decide the price.
You’ve got to be clear about where you want kids to be...
...how you want them to be, and instruct them about the movement.
In this lesson they were divided into two groups. I had to work between the groups.
You’re going to set up your market stalls here.
In a minute I’m going to bring the humans round.
You want to start off trying to get as much as you can.
If you haven’t sold anything towards the end, you can start having sales.
You could even do 2-for-1. You could do all sorts of negotiations.
But you’ve got to have good sales patter - why are these human rights important?
Human beings, your job is to get yourself four human rights.
You’ve decided the four rights that you think are most important.
The question you’ve got to ask is: what will these human rights give me?
Connor is doing exactly what I want him to do.
He’s having a cracking discussion about why somebody should buy this human right.
- The right to have freedom and be protected from harm is quite a big thing.
- £150 and you’ve got a deal. - £175.
- This is good for your belief system. - Not sure on the prices, but they’re good.
- One hundred for you. Thank you.
- Thank you very much.
- Hundred quid mate, good deal.
The market is closed!
With the market place, though it’s good fun to put money into it -
- that’s the hook the kids really like -
- the important part is to get them talking about why they should buy that human right...
...and get the sellers to be persuasive:
‘This is an important right because...’, ‘You need to buy this.’
OK, what was the discussion going on there? What were people thinking?
- Religions’s really good because you’ve got something to believe in.
- Excellent. Who bought ‘religious beliefs’ from this stall?
Why did you buy that?
- It’s good to have your own opinions... - Yeah...
- ...your own thoughts on the world and how you should act. - Top answer.
- Connor what was your top seller? - Um, the right to life.
Tell me why you think that was your top seller.
Because you need the right to life to live.
What if I took away your right to a fair trial?
- I could go in prison for something I haven’t done. - Excellent. Good thinking.
That's the first time you've done anything like that.
I was so impressed. You really did throw your heart and soul into that.
In terms of market trading and cunning plans...
...I’ve got to give commendations to the two people who made the most money.
Because I did talk to them and they did persuade me hugely...
...in terms of why I should be buying their different human rights.
I think it’s a really fun lesson.
The best lessons are where kids are having fun...
...and the member of staff is having fun.
There were some great interactions between the kids.
There were great opportunities for me to work with the kids and...
...get smiles on their faces, talking about some difficult stuff.