As mentioned in yesterdays post, today I did the value continuum. My class seem are happy to sit and stare at me. They have opportunities to share but are either not interested to do so, or don't feel confident enough. I feel that despite our discussions and opportunities to talk about the characters from 'Tomorrow when the War Began', the are not engaged with it - despite the fact that like them these are Australian teenagers. Anyway, I thought that a change of pace would be in order hence the little excursion outdoors.
I didn't need the rope after all, the lines on the basketball court offered the 'U' shape I was after. After answering some questions on the chapters they had read we ventured outside. I heard many groans as they were ushered out. The classroom is much cooler with the aircon on in contrast to the choking Queensland humidity outside. Anyway, once we they had dragged themselves a few metres from the classroom, I explained to the class that I would make a series of comments and they would have to choose to stand at one of three spots on the continuum. At one end of the U was the word agree, the other end disagree, whilst in the middle of the U I had a sign that said unsure (these were written on laminated A4 sheets). Once the statement was made, they were then encouraged to go to one of the words to show either agreement, disagreement or uncertainty.
Some of the questions I posed included: It is okay to kill another person if your life depended on it; looting is acceptable if it is for survival; if a mate gets hurt while you are being chased (by a perceived enemy), it is okay to leave them in order to save yourself and so forth.
Several questions resulted in students at more than one station. Some students agreed that it was okay to leave a mate if it meant your life was in jeopardy, whilst others felt they wouldn't leave a mate no matter the circumstances (I hope the class took note of those people should they ever be in this kind of situation). The whole class was on 'Agreed' when I said 'War changes people.' They were torn over, 'war can have good results' as they wrestled with the fact that it can save a country, but also that there are so many casualties. What it did was force them to think. They engaged with the topic without even knowing that they were putting themselves in somebody elses shoes. Although most agreed with killing another person is okay if it is to save yourself, knowing that if you don't you will die; but they raised the issue that they would probably feel guilty. We spoke about how being in an actual situation versus trying to imagine it might have very different outcomes. They wondered if they were in these situations, if this is how they would respond. After people made comments they could to another station if they had changed their minds.
I started off with the comment that 'All people are equal and deserve to be treated fairly'. Most of the class were in agreement, but about three students were not. Two were on unsure and one was on Disagree. The young man on disagree said that he disagrees that criminals have the right to be treated fairly. The young men on unsure offered that they felt that this is true in most cases, that people should not be judged unfairly, but if they are a menace to society, criminals or causing harm to others, that they should not be treated equally but lose their 'luxuries'. This was the one question that once these students had voiced their opinions, others moved to those stations to join them. They changed their minds. Again, we acknowledged this and how by discussing ideas, that we come to understand ourselves better, have the right to change our minds and that we can become better informed by listening to other's perspectives. We also noted that despite our different opinions, we can have respectful conversations and still get along with one another.
This change of pace did not open them up completely but it certainly got them thinking, all participating and more than usual contributing. More than this I can't ask for. Baby steps. I really hope that they take something from it and are able to see not only how this relates to the novel, but relate it to the real world. I would love for them to know that we are afterall human, we are vulnerable and powerful. I would love for them to realise that their opinions are worthwhile, that it is safe to discuss them, change them, stick to them or think about them. The world throws much our way and I want them to be independent thinkers, lifelong learners and really grapple with how real life is woven into books.
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