Thorny Themes ppt

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(No Transcript)
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Learning Objective

• To research, discuss and debate topical issues,
  problems and events.

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Thorny Themes are topics which would each
lend themselves to a Circle Time discussion,
after an introduction to the issues by the
teacher/TA.
Thorny
Themes


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Warm up Activity
Teachers' Notes

• Im Seeking Common Ground
• Resources Enough chairs for all participants,
  minus one.
• Method Group sits in a circle of chairs with one
  person standing in the middle. The
• person in the middle says I seek common ground
  with people who were born outside London!
• Anyone who was, including the person asking the
  question, must get up and run across
• the circle to find a new seat. You are not
  allowed to take the seat of the person next to
• you!
• There will be one person left in the middle who
  must ask the next question. Possibilities
• include people who wear glasses! People who like
  vanilla ice cream better than
• Chocolate ice cream!
• You could guide the questions a little deeper. I
  seek common ground with people who are trying
• to reduce their carbon footprint. The Teacher may
  choose to ask the first few questions to get
• the game going and set the tone.

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How much pocket money should children have?
Thorny
Themes


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Pocket Money
Teachers' Notes

• The management of pocket money can
• Give children a sense of independence
• Enable them to make choices/decisions
• Help them understand the value of money
• Introduce the idea of saving.
• Key Questions
• What amount is appropriate for each age group?
• What should they be expected to pay from this?
• Should children be given a clothing allowance?
• Should children be given an extra amount at
  special times e.g. Christmas?
• Should children be encouraged to donate a
  proportion of their pocket money to charity?

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Freedom of speech Should people be allowed to
say anything they want to?
Thorny
Themes


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Freedom of Speech
Teachers' Notes

• Freedom of speech is fundamental to democracy,
  and respect for human dignity, but it is also one
  of the most threatened rights as it means that
  people have freedom to express discontent, and
  their wish to change things from the way they
  are.
• Charities very often speak on behalf of citizens
  who are unable to engage effectively in the
  democratic process.
• The Internet is often a target, as it provides
  people with the opportunity to communicate their
  ideas to wide audiences.
• Key Questions
• Are there any matters upon which people should
  not be allowed to express their views, because
  they might hurt or endanger others?
• What are the really important matters, which we
  must always be allowed to speak about, to ensure
  that we maintain our freedom?
• How easily are people swayed by emotion rather
  than reason?

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Should bullies be punished or listened to?
Thorny
Themes


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Dealing with Bullies!
Teachers' Notes

• Bullying is doing, saying or acting in a way that
  hurts someone or makes them feel bad on purpose.
  Types of bullying include
• Verbal,
• Physical,
• Social,
• Extortion,
• Cyber-bullying
• Bullies come in all shapes and sizes. Anyone can
  be a bully. Children usually become bullies
  because they are unhappy inside for some reason,
  or dont know how to get along with others.
• Bullies are often unaware that what they are
  doing is wrong, and of how it makes their victims
  feel
• An important way of tackling bullying is by
  explaining to the bully how his victim might
  feel.
• By talking to the bully, we can understand what
  help s/he needs to join in with others and stop
  bullying, e.g. anger management.

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At what age should children be considered
criminally responsible?
Thorny
Themes


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Criminal Responsibility
Teachers' Notes

• The age at which children can be legally tried
  for an offence in court varies considerable.
• In England and Wales it is 10 years, in Scotland
  it is 8 years, In France 13 and in Spain 16
  years.
• Charities like NCH offer family support projects
  to reduce anti-social behaviour. These involve
  intensive intervention, and building links with
  local services.
• Key Questions
• Should parents be punished when their under age
  children inflict criminal damage?
• Is it right that children can be restricted by
  ASBOs (Anti-social behaviour orders) without
  being tried in court?
• Should the names and photos of children with
  ASBOs be published?

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Should we test new medicines on animals?
Thorny
Themes


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Animal Testing
Teachers' Notes

• Research is carried out on animals to study
  diseases, develop medicines and test chemicals.
• Cosmetic testing on animals is now banned in
  Britain.
• Scientists have to apply for a licence to test on
  animals. They have to show that the benefits they
  are likely to achieve will outweigh the harm to
  the animals.
• Many charities, for example the Alzheimers
  Association actively sponsor animal testing,
  whilst others animal rights charities exist
  expressly to stop such experimentation.
• Key Questions
• Do human beings have a moral right to use
  individual animals in ways which do not benefit
  them?
• Are the pharmaceutical companies more interested
  in curing illness, or making money?
• Some drugs have dangerous side-effects in humans
  that do not occur in animals(e.g.Thalidomide)
  so what is the point?
• If we didnt test on animals we would have to
  test on human guinea pigs. Would this be any
  more ethical?

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If most drugs are banned, shouldnt alcohol be
banned too?
Thorny
Themes


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Alcohol Abuse
Teachers' Notes

• Alcohol is one of the most widely used drugs in
  our society.
• It depresses the nervous system and slows down
  the brain, sometimes resulting in loss of
  balance, slurred speech and violent behaviour.
• Sustained drinking can cause liver disease,
  stomach ulcers, heart disorders and brain damage.
  The cost of drinking can also cause financial
  hardship.
• 25,000 people die every year in the UK from
  alcohol related illnesses. This is 50 times the
  amount of people who die as a result of taking
  all the illegal drugs put together.
• A number of charities, like Hope UK, provide drug
  awareness sessions for parents, youth workers and
  teachers.

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Should competition be encouraged in schools?
Thorny
Themes


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Competition in School
Teachers' Notes

• Key Questions
• How are children best motivated to learn?
• Do children need to learn in a competitive
  environment to prepare them for the real world?
• When you have a test, how important is it to know
  where you came in the class?
• How does it feel when you win or when you lose?
• Can fear of failure (not coming first) stop you
  learning?
• Which is most important, learning how to
  co-operate or learning how to compete? Can they
  go hand-in-hand?
• How should school sports days be organised for
  the enjoyment of all?

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Which kinds of films should be PG rated?
Thorny
Themes


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Film Censorship
Teachers' Notes

• PG stands for Parental Guidance - general
  viewing, but some scenes may be unsuitable for
  some children.Unaccompanied children of any age
  may watch. A PG film should not disturb a child
  aged around 8 or older. However, parents are
  advised to consider whether the content may upset
  younger or more sensitive children.
• The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC)
  issues all films released in the UK with a
  certificate that restricts audiences based on the
  film's content in terms of language, nudity,
  sex, violence, horror, drugs and inimitable
  behaviour.

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Recycling Is it worth it?
Thorny
Themes


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Recycling
Teachers' Notes

• Recycling saves trees. Half the Earth's forests
  have already been destroyed.
• Recycling protects wildlife habitat and
  biodiversity. Using recycled materials reduces
  the need to chop down, extract, process, refine
  and transport natural resources such as timber,
  crude petroleum and mineral ores. As a result,
  destruction of forests, wetlands, rivers and
  other places essential to wildlife is also
  reduced.
• Recycling lowers the use of toxic chemicals.
  Making products from already refined waste
  materials reduces- the need for manufacturers to
  use toxic chemicals, essential when using virgin
  materials.
• Recycling helps curb global warming. Using
  recycled materials cuts down on the energy used
  in the manufacturing process, dramatically
  reducing emissions of greenhouse gases and other
  air pollutants.
• Recycling stems the flow of water pollution.
  Making goods from recycled materials generates
  far less water pollution than manufacturing from
  new materials. Turning trees into paper uses more
  water than any other industrial process. Paper
  recycling mills don't pollute the water nearly as
  much, and almost always use less of it.
• Recycling reduces the need for landfills. Toxic
  pollution from landfills -- including cyanide,
  dioxins, mercury, methane, hydrochloric acid,
  sulfuric acid and lead -- escapes into the air
  and leaches into groundwater.
• Recycling reduces the need for incinerators.
  Municipal waste incinerators spew out all kinds
  of air pollutants in addition they produce
  contaminated ash. And they are often located in
  urban neighborhoods where they seriously threaten
  the health of the community. Keeping paper,
  glass, plastic and metal out of incinerators by
  recycling them cuts both how much incinerators
  pollute and how harmful the emissions are.
• Key Questions
• What does the maxim Think globally, act
  locally mean?
• How can you act on it?

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Should children from different religions be
taught in separate schools?
Thorny
Themes


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Faith Schools
Teachers' Notes

• How many faith state schools are there in
  England?Primary schools - 6,384Secondary
  schools - 589These include Church of England,
  Roman Catholic, Jewish, Muslim, Sikh and Greek
  Orthodox. Until the Labour Party was elected in
  1997, all state faith schools were Christian or
  Jewish.
• Does separate education lead to social and
  religious divisions?Some people think that
  schools provide the best, and sometimes the only,
  opportunity to teach tolerance, but only if
  children of all beliefs and cultures are educated
  together.

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Is it right that some people are rich while
others dont have enough to eat?
Thorny
Themes


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Consider the global priorities in spending in
1998
Teachers' Notes

• Global Priority U.S. Billions
• Cosmetics in the United States 8
• Ice cream in Europe 11
• Perfumes in Europe and the United States 12
• Pet foods in Europe and the United States 17
• Business entertainment in Japan 35
• Cigarettes in Europe 50
• Alcoholic drinks in Europe 105
• Narcotics drugs in the world 400
• Military spending in the world 780
• Compare that to what was estimated as additional
  costs to achieve universal access to basic social
  services in all developing countries
• Global Priority U.S. Billions
• Basic education for all 6
• Water and sanitation for all 9
• Reproductive health for all women 12
• Basic health and nutrition 13

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Should we allow all asylum seekers who want to,
to come and live in our country?
Thorny
Themes


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The Right to Asylum?
Teachers' Notes

• In 2002, there were 85,865 applications for
  asylum.
• The reasons why people flee their own countries
  vary enormously. For example
• they may have held a political opinion for which
  they were mistreated
• they may not have been able to practise their
  faith openly
• they may have belonged to a particular ethnic
  group that was mistreated
• they may have experienced psychological or
  physical torture.
• It is a myth that all asylum seekers are really
  just economic migrants. Their main countries of
  origin are not the poorest in the world they are
  countries dominated by conflicts and abuse of
  human rights (Amnesty International).
• Most of the world's 12 million refugees are given
  asylum by the world's poorest countries, such as
  Pakistan and Iran (U N High Commission)
• Financial support for asylum seekers with
  families in Britain is 30 lower than the
  standard rate of Income Support.
• Asylum seekers are not allowed to work in the UK.

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If air transport is a cause of global warming,
should we buy our beans from Africa?
Thorny
Themes


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A Global Market?
Teachers' Notes

• Producing and marketing more food locally can
  help alleviate both global climate change and
  rural poverty.
• Most food travels hundreds, even thousands, of
  miles from farm to plate, and the fossil fuel
  transportation infrastructure we rely on for all
  this trade emits greenhouse gasses that are
  contributing to climate change. Climate change is
  raising sea temperatures and flooding coastal
  areas, and has the potential to increase crop
  failures, cause mass extinctions, and spur more
  destructive weather patterns such as
  hurricanesall with profound implications for
  agriculture and human habitation.
• While some food trade is inevitable, such as
  tropical products like coffee that are staples in
  colder climates, a surprising amount of trade is
  ecologically wasteful. E.G. Heinz ketchup eaten
  in California is made with California-grown
  tomatoes that have been shipped to Canada for
  processing and returned in bottles. In one year,
  the port of New York City exported 431,000 worth
  of California almonds to Italy, and imported
  397,000 worth of Italian almonds to the United
  States.
• As supermarket chains grow, they tend to buy in
  bulk from large-scale farms, rather than from
  smaller farms. This tends to erode diversity.
• The vast majority of the worlds poor make their
  living off agriculture, and 50 percent of the
  people who live with hunger globally are
  small-scale farmers. The global overproduction of
  basic foods is a major factor driving low incomes
  and poverty in rural areas. Rural poverty drives
  urban poverty, as desperate economic refugees
  from failing farms drive down wages in urban
  areas.
• Growing food to satisfy the needs of the local
  community can improve food supply and nutrition
  and support productive family farms. Going local
  can also be a part of the answer to reversing
  global environmental degradation and greatly
  reducing rural poverty.

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Is it ever right for a country to declare war on
another?
Thorny
Themes


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Never has there been a good war or a bad peace
Benjamin Franklin
Teachers' Notes

• Reasons for War ? ..
• To obtain resources (e.g. oil)
• To increase territory
• To achieve glory/power
• To spread religion
• To exact revenge
• To protect against invasion
• To depose an evil regime

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Thorny
Themes