Workshop 4
Goals :
Time : 90 minutes
Workshop 4 Outline :
- To contemplate the connection between our feelings, needs, and values ; to get in touch with our deep feelings and needs.
- To examine decision-making processes in order to learn about taking a stand in conflicts.
- To understand the past by discussing how and why the conflict developed. This will involve examining the role of Europe and other global powers.
- To deepen students' understanding of the complexity of the conflict through simulation.
Time : 90 minutes
Workshop 4 Outline :
- Introduction Game - Our Feelings
- Decision-Making Processes
- Identifying Needs
- Summary Activity
Our Feelings
Aims : Freely expressing feelings ; clearly differentiating between feelings and thoughts.
Time : 30 minutes
Materials : "Feelings Sentences" and "Feelings Cards".
Activity :
- At school I feel __________________________________________
- When I'm with my family I feel ______________________________
- When I read/watch the news I feel ___________________________
- When I think about the future I feel __________________________
- This morning I felt ________________________________________
- Right now I feel __________________________________________
Aims : Freely expressing feelings ; clearly differentiating between feelings and thoughts.
Time : 30 minutes
Materials : "Feelings Sentences" and "Feelings Cards".
Activity :
- Each student receives a card with sentences to fill out :
- At school I feel __________________________________________
- When I'm with my family I feel ______________________________
- When I read/watch the news I feel ___________________________
- When I think about the future I feel __________________________
- This morning I felt ________________________________________
- Right now I feel __________________________________________
- After the filling the questionnaire participants will get feeling cards. They will have to find which card presents their judgment.
- Teacher asks students to share with the class what they wrote on the cards. While the students are sharing, it is important to reflect to them the difference between feelings and thoughts/judgments.
For example : if a student wrote : "At school, I feel that nobody listens to me" or "At home, I feel misunderstood/betrayed" - these are not feelings. They are thoughts about what we think someone else is doing to us.
Decision Making Processes
Aims : Examining decision making processes, in order to understand the complexity of taking a stance in conflicts.
Time : 30 minutes
Materials : Dilemma Story Cards
Activity :
- What did you need in order to reach a decision ?
- What can generally help us reach decisions in life ?
(Possible answers : we need information about the context of the issues at hand ; the more information we have and the wider the context we are looking at, the more we are capable of understanding the situation and finding creative solutions.)
Aims : Examining decision making processes, in order to understand the complexity of taking a stance in conflicts.
Time : 30 minutes
Materials : Dilemma Story Cards
Activity :
- The students are divided into groups of 4-5. Each group receives a card with a different "dilemma story" written on it. Each group has to reach a decision what to do, taking into account the feelings and needs of each party in the story, and according to their own feelings, needs and values.
- Back to the large group, each group presents the story and their decisions.
- Teacher asks :
- What did you need in order to reach a decision ?
- What can generally help us reach decisions in life ?
(Possible answers : we need information about the context of the issues at hand ; the more information we have and the wider the context we are looking at, the more we are capable of understanding the situation and finding creative solutions.)
- If it hasn't already been said, the teacher adds that when making a decision we must take into consideration the short-term and long-term consequences of our decision.
Identifying Needs
Aims : Further developing the concept of underlying needs, connecting with the worlds of young Palestinians and Israelis.
Time : 20 minutes
Materials : copies of issue 27 of Windows
Activity :
Aims : Further developing the concept of underlying needs, connecting with the worlds of young Palestinians and Israelis.
Time : 20 minutes
Materials : copies of issue 27 of Windows
Activity :
- The teacher draws a sketch of two windows on the board and asks the students: from what you have learned so far about the ME conflict, what do you think that Jewish Israeli youths can see when they "look out the window" at their reality and what do you think Palestinian youths see in their window, i.e. What does their reality consist of, in terms of the conflict ? (the teacher can give a couple of examples to illustrate the point)
- The teacher writes the students answers in the "window"
- Let's see what some Palestinian and Israeli youths have written ; please open your issue 27 of Windows Magazine and refer to pages 28-29. A volunteer reads the answers from the Magazine, and a discussion arises to explain various phrases and clarify the meanings of different words.
- The student are divided into groups of 2-3. Each group needs to try and identify as many needs as possible in the two "windows".
- Back to the large group, sharing and discussing.
- The teacher hands out the feelings/needs/values cards and asks the students to go over it at home and think about it. Which needs of your did you meet on the sheet ?
Summary Activity
- The teacher should allow 5-10 minutes at the end of each workshop for a brief summary of the activity, plus time for questions. Questions which don't have a short answer will be written on one of the flip charts, to be addressed later on.
- The teacher reminds the students that they are invited to write their ideas, questions and new information they learn about the ME on the sheets that will remain hanging in the classroom until the next workshop.