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)
