This week, a session that went especially well with a Year 2 class at Jason’s annual visit to Stivichall school a few weeks ago. It’s an application of “Sides Then Selves”, getting the class to first argue from two given points of view, and then to switch to deciding what they themselves think. It’s one of the principles for more effective, inclusive classroom dialogue from Help Me Find My Voice.
The teacher had requested a session on the question, “Should you be kind to someone who is horrible to you?”
The Squirrel and the Magpie
Stimulus 1 – The squirrel was busy collecting acorns to bury to help her through the winter. But the magpie, who liked shiny things, kept stealing the acorns before the squirrel could bury them. One day, the squirrel heard the magpie squawking more loudly than usual. She found him caught in a trap. The magpie begged the squirrel to let him go, but she said, “Why should I help you when you’re always so mean to me?”
Sides – “Stand up, face a partner. One person in each pair put up a hand. Hands-up people, you’re the magpie, hands-down people, you’re the squirrel. Magpies, you want to persuade the squirrel to let you out of the trap. Squirrels, keep coming up with reasons not to let the magpie out.” Afterwards, sit down and hear some reasons from them in-role.
Selves – “Stand up. Spin round three times. Now you’re not a squirrel or a magpie any more, you’re yourself. What do you think the squirrel should do?” Afterwards, sit down and hear some reasons from them as themselves.
If the majority of the class decide the squirrel should let the magpie go (the most likely outcome), that’s what happens. If not, eventually a human comes along and releases the magpie – the trap was meant for catching rabbits, not magpies.
Stimulus 2 – A few weeks later, the squirrel was having a birthday party. She invited lots of animals, but didn’t invite the magpie. But the magpie heard about the party and begged to be invited. Is it OK for the squirrel not to invite the magpie?
Repeat the Sides then Selves process, then finish off by posing a “when” version of the original question – “When do you have to be kind to someone who has been horrible to you?” We had answers around how important the situation was, whether someone was in danger and the difference between stopping bad things vs enjoying nice things. Using two stimuli that keep some features of a situation but change others helps to identify what makes difference to your thinking, and Sides then Selves ensures more participants have things to say when it gets to whole class discussion.
What might seem like a question that invites the preachy answer, “You should always be kind to everyone?” has a lot more depth. When does kindness become an invitation to being exploited? Can doing something you have to do be kind? Or is kindness only when you doing something nice that you don’t have to do?