On Tuesday of week two, we had our first workshop for the Values module. When we arrived we split into four groups and were set a task of creating something useful to new students, using the materials provided within our packs. Each group got given a different set of materials in their pack, some containing more than others. My group didn’t have much in our pack but created a leaflet on ‘Decoding Dalhousie’ to help new students find their way to the rooms in the building. When we were presenting our ideas to the lecturer he didn’t pay much attention and was very closed off with his body language. Similarly he did this with the other group who had limited resources. When he gave us a low score he made a comment about our product being bad, which made us feel inadequate as we did the best with what we had. His whole demeanour changed when listening to the groups with more resources, as he offered them praise and encouragement.

We discussed how his actions impacted us and he explained that it was an experiment to show how important equality is within our profession. This lead to a discussion on how you would treat different pupils depending on their backgrounds. this experiment enabled us as a class to see the effects of inequality first hand and made me realise just how important it is for children to be treated equally. This allowed us to participate in a discussion about the Social Justice aspect of The Standards for Registration as set out by the General Teaching Council for Scotland. The equality aspect of social justice was our primary focus in this workshop as it allowed us to understand its impact on a child. It is important ot ensure that all children are treated equaly in a class to allow them the best chance to get the most out of their education despite their background.