The following lessons are designed for use with seventh or eighth grade students.
Their objective is to develop in students an awareness and concern for other members of society, their
needs
and
problems
. I chose this particular age group because adolescence is a critical stage in human development, a time when young people form values that they will carry with them for the rest of their lives.
The lessons are designed so that they reflect the developmental stages of my students. They are designed to provide the students with concrete examples, first hand experiences, and visual stimulation.
Since the active participation of the students is essential to the success of these lessons, I intend to encourage student participation through role playing techniques and group discussion.
I have found that role playing is an excellent tool for helping students to act out their own values and to become more aware of what it’s like to be in another persons shoes.
Through group discussion many things are brought out into the open. The teacher is the key to the success of these discussions. He sets the pattern, if he allows and encourages openness, the students will be open about their feelings. However, if the teacher disapproves of honest feelings, the students will quickly sense this and close up.
This will be a personal process. Teachers may find that students are hesitant to discuss their feelings and emotions in front of their classmates for fear of ridicule. A practical solution to this problem is that the students be allowed to write out their feelings about a particular topic on a piece of paper and hand it in unsigned. This will allow the students to share their feelings with one another, yet still remain anonymous.