2GETHER Inset Course

The Medium as the Message
Course materials 
1 day or (4 x 1 hour sessions)
aimed at secondary school teachers Programme

Introduce concepts of
Education for Sustainable Development
Enterprise in Education and the
Citizenship Agenda

Definitions (Slide + handouts). State aim of course:

	To introduce the related concepts of sustainability, enterprise and citizenship
	To provide an approach that uses open, creative and generic learning, allowing for choice and decision-making and gives ownership of course content to learners
	To try new ways of working, moving beyond the safe and familiar content based approach to teaching and learning.

Designed for c. 9 participants working in teams.      

Definitions

Sustainable Development meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. It's about trying to achieve a good quality of life for every person on the planet, whilst protecting the local and global environment.

Citizenship is about making informed choices and decisions, and about taking action, individually and as part of collective processes. Everyone belongs to various types of community, both communities of place, from local to global, and communities of interest, rooted in a common concern or purpose. Citizenship involves enjoying rights and exercising responsibilities in these various types of community.

Enterprise activities and training in school can equip all children with a 'can do, will do' attitude. Enterprise education opens up the minds of our children towards self-confidence and determination.

Flexible Curriculum  'flexibility in the delivery of the curriculum is essential if teachers, schools and education authorities are to meet the needs and wishes of all pupils’ Guidance on Flexibility in the Curriculum, Circular 3/2001)

Working with Concept Cards

3 teams of 3 

3 sets of cards each set coloured

red    citizenship 

blue  enterprise

green   sustainability

Game 1     Links

Each team is given a master card and asked to place it centrally on an open space (floor)
Map out links, connections and distances between concepts.
Each team feeds back thinking and is open to questioning
Photograph maps.

Game 2     Focus

Swap card sets.
Each team works around the master card and distils the pack down, by a process of elimination, to 9 essential related concepts.
Report back thinking and discuss.

Game 3     Plan

Swap reduced (9) card sets.
Using the proforma provided, design a cross-curricular project covering at least 5 of the concepts in the reduced set.
Record title, aims, target, subject departments, resources and possible barriers.
General discussion of planning exercise. 
 

Advocacy

A role-play game for groups of three people, two adversaries and a referee, which uses topics related to Sustainability and Enterprise to highlight issues and conflicts.

Strategy:

	Rules of engagement are explained (conflict resolution notes).
	Each trio is given a scenario (below) and a role.
	Mind mapping is used to raise the issues (see example).
	The referee in the trio can do this.
	When the issues are clearly identified, the referee initiates the debate.
	On conclusion the referee agrees with the adversaries on issues raised during discussion and records these on the form provided.

Scenario   A) Factory to be built on the edge of farmland. The factory will employ 200 people. The product is wooden pulp formed into furniture.

The raw materials will come from local forests.

Roles:  Company director               Eco-warrior          Referee

Scenario B) A small group of senior pupils want to run the school tuck shop as a business with profits going to those involved. The headteacher is resistant as school funds currently benefit from pupils’ and staff voluntary labour.

Roles:  Pupil entrepreneur              Headteacher       Referee

Scenario C) A shopkeeper wants to consider selling Fair Trade chocolate in his shop.  Customer demand is low and mainstream manufacturers can supply similar products cheaper.

Roles:  Shopkeeper                3^rd World farmer                            Referee

Scenario A)

Factory to be built on the edge of farmland.  The factory will employ 200 people. The product is wood pulp formed into furniture.  The raw materials will come from local forests.

Roles: Company Director     Eco-warrior          Referee

Referee’s notes on discussion

Referee’s comments on the outcome:

Scenario B)

A small group of senior pupils want to run the school tuck shop as a business with profits going to those involved.  The headteacher is resistant as school funds currently benefit from pupil and staff voluntary labour.

Roles: Pupil entrepreneur               Headteacher       Referee

Referee’s notes on discussion
 

Referee’s comments on the outcome:

Scenario C)

A shopkeeper wants to consider selling fair trade chocolate in his shop. Customer demand for this is presently low and mainstream manufacturers can provide similar products cheaper.

Roles: Shopkeeper      3^rd World Farmer                   Referee

Referee’s notes on discussion

Referee’s comments on the outcome:
 

Conflict Resolution

Of all the issues that people tend to avoid, conflict ranks at the top of the list, along with public speaking and swimming with sharks.

Most people see conflict as indicative of a problem. Disagreement feels uncomfortable and threatening. When there's no open conflict we can carry on as though things are all right even if, really, we know they aren't.

If you ask people what the purpose of conflict is you'll get all variety of answers: to get your point of view across; to win; to gain power; to let other people know they're wrong, to fight for autonomy. Let's face it; most conflict is about winning and losing - getting your way at the expense of someone else. On the other hand, if you're someone who really hates conflict, you might even say that it isn't really necessary because it causes more upset and problems than it solves.

However, there is one main reason to engage in conflict, and that's to reach a resolution. Without resolution, conflict merely becomes an opportunity to recycle old arguments, disagreements and opinions: nothing moves forward, feelings get stirred up and reinforced.

Conflict can actually be exciting and rewarding. It can be a chance to get to the heart of a problem, rather than only focusing on the surface or obvious issues. Most conflicts have core causes and once those are addressed, conflict becomes an option to choose rather than run away from.

Values

Our values help us define what is “right” or “wrong” in any situation, and provide a moral compass for our lives. Different values do not need to cause conflict; people can live together in harmony with different value systems. The keys to successful resolution are improvement and expansion of tolerance, understanding, and acceptance of others’ points of view. Think about ways to handle conflict such as:

	Try to get to the heart of the problem
	You will have to deal with uncomfortable feelings
	Use honesty and agreement
	Turn arguments into discussions
	Try not to blame
	Active listening and responding
	Understand the roles people play
	Aim to achieving a different outcome
	Deal with strong feelings
	Feed the solution not the problem

Create win-win: achieve resolution

Shopping for resources

Catalogue and samples of resources available.

List of websites (and access if possible) see Appendix

Advocacy follow up

Still working in teams of 3, appoint new referee.

Scenario: sell your course* to your headteacher whose main concern is an impending HMI visit.

Roles; Teacher   Headteacher       Referee

Note opportunities and barriers arising from discussion.

Using the tool with other subject matter.

Plenary:

Evaluation

The Cards

3 sets (red, blue & green) of 36 concept cards.

Underlined titles are central concept / focus cards for each game.

Highland Schools Virtual Library