The Equality Game

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Learn to play ‘The Equality Game’ and organise a game with other members of the wider MA programme. Consider how you could use this in the classroom to promote fairness and build relationships. You will find more information about the game via the weblink below. Reflect on the appropriateness of this activity and decide how it links to HWB.

http://www.theguardian.com/teacher-network/2015/jan/28/teach-students-equality-smarties

Evidence: Take some photos of your volunteer group and write a reflection on how this could be used in the classroom and impact it could have. Evaluate the enjoyment, effectiveness and impact of using this game using feedback from your volunteer group.

The Equality Game

This game is designed to ‘further critical discussion about the nature of equality, fair treatment, and who gets to define such standards.’

The attached video is just a short extract of the full game; later we also split the group into children & adults and added the concept of using money to pay for the sweets. Similar themes to those identified in the article by Arnold-Foster (2015) were raised in our discussion these included the idea that: equal happiness may not be the same as equal distribution. If you have earned your money you deserve to be rewarded for your hard work, however it might be hard to know whether a person has worked hard. Some people start off with more or less money depending on birth and this has nothing to do with hard work. Although our discussion did not reach this point, Arnold-Foster (2015) suggests that further discussion might lead to the idea that:

‘Smarties should still be shared out equally, irrespective of spending power.’ ‘Or perhaps there should be a minimum that everyone receives, with the lucky few being able to supplement his or her supply by buying extra?’

A lesson based around the game and the following experiences and outcomes could lead to further discussions, lessons and activities relating to money, poverty and social justice. For older children (upper school) current political topics such as the distribution of wealth or the cutting of tax credits and benefits could connect this game to a real-life context.

On reflection of our own experience of playing the game we felt that it could be an enjoyable and effective way to introduce topics such as fairness and wealth distribution. We felt that this activity could be used in a lesson built around the following experiences & outcomes from HWB:

Through contributing my views, time and talents, I play a part in bringing about positive change in my school and wider community. HWB 0-13a / HWB 1-13a / HWB 2-13a / HWB 3-13a / HWB 4-13a
As I explore the rights to which I and others are entitled, I am able to exercise these rights appropriately and accept the responsibilities that go with them. I show respect for the rights of others. HWB 0-09a / HWB 1-09a / HWB 2-09a / HWB 3-09a / HWB 4-09a

Personal Thoughts:

This was an interesting activity to try out. Unfortunately due to time constraints, at the time of writing this post, I was unable to get a volunteer group together to test it out. This therefore had implications on the results of the activity however a few of us improvised and did it together to gain some experience of it. The smarties were also replaced with minstrels however I don’t believe this influenced the activity itself.

To familiarise myself with the nature of the activity, I read the article which was provided (link above). I found this quite an easy read as it was simple to understand and clearly set out – due to the way in which newspaper articles are produced. After reading the article, I discussed the activity with a peer of mine to ensure we had both understood it clearly.

Following a discussion with some others in the module class, we decided that we would give it a go to enable us to experience the activity, even though it was not a blind volunteer group. I feel that due to this we were all aware of what the aim of the activity was and therefore almost knew the type of thing to say/outcome – influencing the discussion/end result.

With this taken in to consideration, I believe that if ‘The Equality Game’ was implemented in a classroom environment, with children, the response would’ve been very different. I would anticipate that there would have been much more discussion and disputes among the group about what they believe is fair. In relation to the effectiveness, I believe this type of activity encourages the children to have a voice and argue their point of view. It would also enable children to develop an understanding of other people’s viewpoints and formulate their own ideas. Encouraging healthy debates, in a controlled manner, enables each individual to develop many skills including communication, reasoning and acknowledgement of different perspectives.

I believe that this type of activity would be effective with any age group whom you may be working with. For example, if done with younger children it may challenge them slightly more due to them still being quite egocentric in their thinking. However, if done with older children, or even adults, the discussion may go more in depth and raise points about why they believe they are more worthy of more – eg. their job, money, status etc.

Participating in this activity myself was quite fun! However, knowing it was being filmed took me out of my comfort zone and I feel if it had not been getting filmed, I may have gotten more involved in debating the issue. This is something I quite enjoy; expressing my own opinion whilst engaging in quality dialogue with others offering differing viewpoints. Considering the other participants I feel that they may have been in a similar position.

I am hoping that I will be able to carry this activity out again BUT with a group of individuals who are unaware of the activity and therefore give a better insight to the effectiveness/impact. If possible, I hope to do this before the assignment hand-in date, however it is definitely something I would like to try out in my future career or even whilst out on my upcoming practice if possible/appropriate.

A short, edited, video clip of the activity can be viewed. The sound quality is quite poor due to the iPad being placed quite far away from the group –

Reference

Arnold-Foster, A. (2015) How I Teach Students About Equality: Only Smarties Have the Answer. Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/teacher-network/2015/jan/28/teach-students-equality-smarties (Accessed: 05 November 2015)

The Corner Dundee

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Organise a visit to The Corner in Dundee and find out about the work of the organisation, resources and how they link with schools.

Evidence: Write a reflective piece about the effectiveness of such an organisation for resources and teachers and find out how effective it is in meeting the needs of young people.

Unfortunately due to lack of time & staff, The Corner were unable to provide us with information about their service. After making initial contact through email to arrange a suitable time to go and visit we received a reply stating why this was not possible. This was understandable due to us recognising the pressures on such services during the current economic climate. We were informed that taking a look at their website should give us some quality information which we would likely get if popping down.

Link to website –

http://www.thecorner.co.uk/

The Corner Dundee

The Corner provides a variety of different health services, information & support for young people between the ages of 11 and 19 in the Dundee area. They offer a phone service (01382 206060) to a worker for those 20-25 years who can discuss the individuals needs and offer guidance to the most appropriate service. They provide a drop-in session to enable anyone with an issue they wish to discuss, to pop in at a time best suited for them. The opening times are:

Monday – Friday: 2pm – 6pm
Saturday: 1pm – 4pm

The workers recognise that every young person is different in how comfortable they are when they come through the doors, so it is really important that individuals understand the different services that are available and what happens when they go in. First, once you have “plucked up the courage to come through the doors, you’re welcomed by staff who will ask you to tick which service(s) you are in for. This is to protect the individual and keep their information confidential.”

The Drop-In Services provides support for issues such as –

Sexual Health
Mental Health
Support U/Individual Support
Drugs
Smoking
Alcohol
Housing
Youth Information
Exam Stress
Health Promotion
Sexting

Other services they provide:

Peer-led Services: principle that young people learn from and are influenced by their peers, both positively & negatively. Peer influence can have a huge effect on the lives of young people; how they act, how they feel about themselves and decisions they may make. The Healthy Transitions programme is delivered city-wide across Dundee and its contents is strongly influenced by young people. Healthy Transitions links with schools and also impacts on the wider community, with young people involved in passing on information and skills to fellow peers, family, friends & their communities. The programme also carries out peer-led interventions within the associated school cluster communities on a needs-led basis and this in turn has an impact on the community as a whole. Within this section, there are 3 aspects; Process, Accreditation and Peer-led Resources. More information about these can be found here.

Finally, The Corner offer an Outreach Service which enables practitioners working with young people to contact them to discuss the delivery of sessions on topics including sexual & mental health, drugs, alcohol, self esteem & body image. A request form can be completed and sent which enables a staff member to be allocated to give more information.

Recently, The Corner, which has about 150 new young people visiting every month, had an exciting Royal Visit whilst they were in Dundee promoting mental health.

The Website provides information for professionals and parents as well as young people and can be a valuable resource for those who feel that they want to seek some help or advice. Displaying their confidentiality policy enables the young people to feel they are in a safe environment in which they can share personal information.

As a professional, I feel encouraged that such a service is available for professionals to also seek advice on difficult issues which are important for young people. Having an awareness of this service enables me to feel confident in offering some guidance/support to any young person who I feel may find it beneficial. Furthermore, the work they do with other agencies and through their Outreach programme, is important in ensuring children and young people are provided with support for a wide range of needs.

I believe that having the opportunity to visit the Corner may have been more beneficial to my professional development, however it is just unfortunate that this was not available at this point in time. A possible visit in the future will be something I hope to do. This will enable me to have a discussion about all their services and what they can provide whilst asking questions to gain a better insight into The Corner’s Service.

Class Energisers

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Learn to do three class energisers (1 hour)

Energisers are a good technique for using during health and wellbeing lessons. Learn three energisers.

Reading: The Gamesters Handbook

Hard copies available in the library and online at: https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=rPxz9BaBfDIC&pg=PR3&source=gbs_selected_pages&cad=2#v=onepage&q&f=false

Evidence: Collect copies of your energisers and reflect on how you could use these effectively within the classroom

Personal Thoughts:

This activity was quite good fun to do as we were able to participate and try the activities out for ourselves. It provided us with an opportunity to have a wee break from just thinking and writing up tasks and actually have some ‘time-out’. There are a vast amount of activities which practitioners can use in order to engage children and young people. One activity came after going along to the ‘Chat Happy’ workshop and discussing different ways of aiding children & young people’s mental wellbeing – we felt this would be a good one to use as we all love a good laugh sometimes!

We decided on 3 activities and wrote them up, however came across some other ones which we thought were really good and active/engaging. Instead of writing these up we have attached links to them in the word document and also videoed one to show we gave it a go! This was quite a challenge for myself. I am very uncoordinated, have no sense of rhythm and struggle to do more than 1 thing at once BUT … I persevered and eventually managed to get the whole of it right (not caught on camera) but an almost perfect one was captioned! Whilst looking through the numerous videos, some of the expressions provided some humour; therefore a short clip has been produced to show the bumpy process we went through before finally feeling a huge sense of achievement in the activity! I think from the look on our faces at the end give an indication of how we felt …

The task can be viewed as a word document –

Energiser Activities

Bim Bum Fun!

Our attempt –

Captions from the making process –

Academic Reading

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Read and Share an academic paper around the area of child development with a peer

Evidence: Add a reference for the academic paper and write a reflection of the key findings (2 hours)

Personal Thoughts:

Due to time constraints it became apparent that this was an activity which I may be better off doing independently. I however chose not to look at child development as I wanted to focus on an area of more interest and which I felt would be more beneficial to me personally. The paper I therefore decided to read was:

McKinney, S., Hall, S., Lowden, K., McClung, M., Cameron, L. (2012) ‘The relationship between poverty and deprivation, educational attainment and positive school leaver destinations in Glasgow secondary schools’, Scottish Educational Review, 44 (1), pp.33-45

I found this paper of great interest as it reports on a Research Project of Quantitative Research and establishes the association between poverty & deprivation and attainment in school examination; the relationship between poverty and deprivation and initial school leaver destinations in Scotland. The study measured poverty through FME, SIMD and Staged Intervention; reliable indicators of poverty and deprivation, then compared with attainment figures and initial leaver destinations.

Through their findings, the research suggests a major association between poverty & deprivation and attainment. However, the research also demonstrates that there is no major association between poverty and deprivation and initial leaver destinations; some schools serving poorer areas are particularly successful (high proportion of initial leaver destinations). Furthermore, despite successful initiatives being implemented Glasgow is still below averages for attainment. The study also found that schools with lower levels of poverty & deprivation tend to have a higher no. of pupils moving onto Higher Education (HE), appearing successful; however the data suggests that these schools may actually be less successful in assisting the majority of its pupils to secure positive destinations outwith HE. This therefore raises the question of whether schools are really providing the support required for all young people on their pathway into adulthood.

The article does however have implications. Firstly, the data provides information on the initial positive school leaver destination, but no indication of the type of employment or training (full time/part time). HE was also taken out of the equation due to it being very highly associated with attainment – positive leaver destinations and finally, each of the three indicators have limitations.

To continue to monitor and demonstrate the effects of poverty & deprivation on attainment in exams in Glasgow requires further quantitative research and a longitudinal study would enable more data to be gathered beyond 2009.

Link to paper –

http://www.scotedreview.org.uk/media/scottish-educational-review/articles/338.pdf

Restorative Approaches 2

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Restorative approaches (2 hours)

Plan:

A series of three linked lessons to explore the concept of conflict and conflict resolution with a Primary 2 class.

Evidence – Write up a curriculum plan and identify learning intentions, success criteria, assessment, activities and resources.

Personal Thoughts:

This task was quite challenging as it was specific to early years and therefore the way in which it is carried out would have to be quite simple/easy vocab etc. However I feel through discussing all our ideas we began to form a better understanding of what we hoped the children would learn and then how. We recognised that in order for the children to achieve what we wanted them to learn (LI) it would be best to have the same LI for all 3 lessons. Again due to lack of experience in observing such a lesson being discussed/delivered whilst out on practice we found it slightly difficult.

The task can be viewed as a word document –

Restorative Approaches 2

Using a book to teach HWB

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Choose a book and plan a lesson around it (2 hrs)

Choose a story book and build up a lesson around any of the curricular areas of HWB. Make up a practical activity the children could do in class related to the book. Write up the lesson plan – writing out E andO, Learning Intention, Success criteria, assessment and activities.

Evidence: A copy of the completed lesson outline.

Personal Thoughts:

We decided to focus on physical changes in the body due to our inexperience of observing such a lesson and having a feeling of uncertainty and slight anxiety about teaching puberty with the children we may be working with. This therefore was a good reason we felt for doing the task this way to aid our professional development. We found it a little difficult to find a story book however kept coming across the books mentioned in the document. Due to focusing on puberty and changes in the body for the children working on second level we felt this type of book would be more appropriate which may enable the children to read independently; gaining information and answers to questions they may have.

The task can be viewed as a word document –

Changes in My Body Activity

The Rise of Foodbanks

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Recently BBC1 produced a documentary about the growing need and work of the Foodbank in Dundee. Living and working in Dundee as a student for the past 4 years as well as having placement experiences in schools in different areas, I found this quite a shocking but interesting watch. It was good to see how the service is run and who they are helping however it was difficult to comprehend that in such a wealthy nation, individuals are experiencing such horrible times.

I have attached a document which explains the Foodbank and some interesting points which were made throughout the programme –

Dundee Foodbanks

The programme can be watched on BBC iPlayer however the links says it is only available until Saturday 7th November 2015 (30 days after being aired) and can be accessed at –

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b06dsdqk/the-food-bank-scotlands-hidden-hunger

Link to The Trussell Trust Charity –

http://www.trusselltrust.org/foodbank-projects

Restorative Approaches

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Restorative Approaches (1.5 hours)

Watch:

Childs Hill School and Restorative Approaches: this video presents an overview of a whole school Restorative Approach (13mins13). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJWgayvuWXw

Evidence -:

Create a PowerPoint that can be used to explain Restorative Approaches to a Primary 7 class and the role that they can play in supporting a whole school approach.

Personal Thoughts:

This task was quite interesting to complete, it enabled us to think about practical ways in which we could inform pupils about Restorative Approaches in a way we thought would be appropriate. It was however quite difficult to decide what and how much to put in as it is a huge area which can be explored, even just for practitioners! This therefore meant it took slightly longer than the time stated due to deciding how to condense it to include what we felt was important. We felt that we must engage the pupils somehow and therefore decided to do a similar activity to the one we did in the input as we found this beneficial to relating it to real life situations. I feel that it is however very much an approach that requires a lot of time and effort to be put in, in order for it to be as effective and successful as it can be. It was definitely something of interest to me as I have never come across it in any of my placements so far – hopefully this may change as I continue through my professional career.

The task can be viewed as an attached PowerPoint –

Restorative Approaches

The attached images are scanned in copies of an activity sheet which can be used if the suggested activity (in PowerPoint) was carried out in a school/class environment –

Sacro

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Friday 30th October 2015

‘Sacro’ were holding an open day at Dundee Voluntary Action – No.10 Constitution Road, Kirsty and myself decided to go along to it after being made aware of it through an email from the Education & Social Work Office at the University of Dundee. We had been reminded of the service after hearing about it back in 2nd year during our Interagency Module. We had also just had an input about ‘Restorative Approaches’ which is one aspect of Sacro’s service. This therefore reinforced our thoughts about attending the open day.

This is the Organiser Info which was provided on the Eventbrite page –

Sacro

“Sacro is a Scottish community justice organisation which works to create safer and more cohesive communities across Scotland. From providing conflict resolution that prevents disputes from escalating to supporting prisoners on release, Sacro works to reduce conflict and repair harm. All our services are designed to create safe and cohesive communities by reducing conflict and offending.

The organisation works with a broad range of people, including those harmed by crime and those responsible for that harm. As a Scotland-wide voluntary organisation, we are committed to providing services that contribute to positive transformational changes in the lives of our service users. We work independently and collaboratively within Scotland’s communities to provide support, prevent conflict and challenge offending behaviour wherever the need arises. Our services are based on research evidence, service user feedback, international standards of good practice and a commitment to development and innovation. Since its inception, Sacro has grown and developed new services for young people, bail, intensive supervision of high risk offenders and other priority categories. Sacro currently has almost 400 staff and volunteers, offering over 60 services in 22 locations across Scotland.”

The open day was between 10am and 4pm and we decided to go along during a break from other work. When we arrived we were handed a welcome pack and signed in before picking up a free pen and starting to go round the rooms. Each room had a different focus on the services provided by Sacro. 1 room focused on Youth Justice, 1 on Criminal Justice and 1 on Mediation.

The most likely service which I may come in contact with whilst working as a teacher may be Youth Justice Service. Here, we were informed that the Youth Justice workers will work with young offenders/at risk of offending through Restorative Approaches in order for them to acknowledge their behaviour and help change their ways. We were given the opportunity to ask questions about the resources that were laid out and the information provided was very helpful. We were very keen to know if practitioners had access to some of the modules which Sacro deliver, however we were told it was unfortunately not possible and only Sacro have access to them.

We were also told of some interesting findings that Sacro have found through delivering the work they do with young people – 72% of young people who go through the process do not re-offend & 100% of offenders/possible offenders offered the service have taken the opportunity up. This was quite surprising and enabled me to acknowledge that this a positive strategy with many benefits. The workers stated that they tend to work with individuals for about 6 weeks however this can be longer or shorter depending on the needs of that individual. The service itself is seen to be a short-term strategy which has long-term effects & benefits.

The second room displayed 4 services:

Circles of Support and Accountability (COSA): model of intervention that assists in the monitoring & community re-integration of certain high risk individuals who commit sexual offences.
Shine – The Women’s Mentoring Service: provides a mentor to help women to develop their independence & quality of life, improve their social skills, motivation and work towards addressing a life free of offending.
Veterans Mentoring Service: military veterans currently in or are on the periphery of the criminal justice system; aim of the service is to enable the service user to enjoy sustainable, independent living.
The Housing Support Service: support for ex-offenders who need assistance with re-settling into the community.

In this room we were given some information about the different services which other areas of Sacro provide. We spoke to a variety of representatives who were happy to answer any questions we had.

The final room focused on Mediation. Here we found out about how they work mainly with disputes between neighbours; peer mediation in schools and mediation in the workplace. This was interesting and we were also told about a project, ‘Fearless’, that they are away to start up to help those affected by domestic violence – particularly aiming it at those less likely to come forward; men and those from ethnic minority & LGBT communities.

Personal Thoughts:

I believe that taking the time out of doing work to go along to this event was very beneficial to my professional development. The information provided was of great help to me in understanding and gaining knowledge of what services Sacro can provide practitioners with. It was also appreciated that they were willing to answer questions and share some of their experiences with us. Informing us about how teachers can be supported and how to get in contact with them (even if not in Dundee City Council – offices all over) was also very valuable.

More information can be found on Sacro’s website:

http://www.sacro.org.uk/services/criminal-justice/housing-support

Trip To Madras High School

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The day after making our lentil soup & bread we were heading through to St Andrews to take part in a cooking class in the Home Economics department with Maureen Kyle who delivered a lecture about ‘Food for Thought’ the previous week. Before getting to the school we were unaware of what we were going to be doing, however Maureen was providing all the resources that we would require.

The session lasted 2 hours between 4pm and 6pm. We were to make our own way to St Andrews but this was fine as a number of people drive on the course and with the sessions being split into 2 meant a lift was easily available! Having little knowledge of St Andrews except the centre, it was handy to be given a map to direct us to the school.

When we arrived, Kirsty & myself couldn’t believe what we saw…ingredients to make Lentil Soup & Bread!! But the good thing was it was a different way ie. lentil soup using vegetables & Irish soda bread. This therefore enabled us to try something new out again.

The session was quite fun as we had a nice little group who all got on and had a laugh, particularly at the 2 lost guys wandering around St Andrews before finally appearing! It did however feel a little like being back in school, having to wait and be shown how to do things however I understand that it was done this way to help make us think about if we were to ever carry out a similar activity with our class.

In relation to doing something similar in my own class, I have some doubts. Having opportunities to do cooking with a class can be very slim due to staffing numbers; class sizes; age/stage; behaviour etc. I therefore feel that it may be sometime, if ever, that I would be doing a serious cooking lesson where we’d make soup or something similar. Making bread may however be more achievable as you could pair the children up/simplify the activity etc. This is all dependent however on the school that you are working in and the children you are working with.

Some pictures from throughout the session minus the final bread product –