Identity molecule
Duration
45-60
Age Group
11 - 12
13 - 14
15 - 16
13 - 14
15 - 16
Objectives
Promotion of EU citizenship, EU and democratic values and human rights
Enhancement of empathy outside school (friends, family, strangers
Development of empathic behavior at school
Enhancement of empathy outside school (friends, family, strangers
Development of empathic behavior at school
Needed material
A worksheet “My personal identity molecule” (alternatively, students can draw it by themselves). (Find it attached).
Emotional Intelligence Areas
Self-awareness
Internal motivation
Internal motivation
Description
At first there is no apparent link between the activity itself and the emotional intelligence area of internal motivation. However, the activity encourages building community, empathy and the sense of belonging. And when students feel that they are part of a community, they will feel more comfortable engaging and participating in the classroom. Activity is also an opportunity to self-identify, rather than be labelled by others, and it can establish a broad definition of diversity in a seemingly homogeneous group.
Goal of the activity is for the students to reflect their own (cultural) identity and become aware of commonalities and differences. They recognize their own diverse group affiliations, the affinity to minority or majority groups and
the experiences involved with it.
Activity illuminates how privilege operates to normalize some identities over others. For example, a student who speaks English as their first language can reflect on why they rarely need to think about their language as an aspect of their identity while some of their peers may identity language as the aspect of their identity they feel most keenly in the classroom. Activity also sensitizes students to their shared identities with their classmates.
Special emphasis should be placed on the fact that we often forget about groups/identities that seem self-evident to several people in the group (white skin, gender, national origin, language).
Goal of the activity is for the students to reflect their own (cultural) identity and become aware of commonalities and differences. They recognize their own diverse group affiliations, the affinity to minority or majority groups and
the experiences involved with it.
Activity illuminates how privilege operates to normalize some identities over others. For example, a student who speaks English as their first language can reflect on why they rarely need to think about their language as an aspect of their identity while some of their peers may identity language as the aspect of their identity they feel most keenly in the classroom. Activity also sensitizes students to their shared identities with their classmates.
Special emphasis should be placed on the fact that we often forget about groups/identities that seem self-evident to several people in the group (white skin, gender, national origin, language).
Lesson Plan
STEP 1
Explain to the students that the following activity focuses on the identities and distribute the worksheets. Tell them that the worksheets are theirs and they do not need to hand them in.
In a short class discussion, they then reflect on the various identities and groups to which they feel affiliated to. Tell them to do it as spontaneously as possible. It’s just a current picture that may change tomorrow or in a different an environment with different people.
If participants ask for an example, you can indicate your profession, nationality, class, religion, hobby groups, and so on. Be careful when listing cases, as they can narrow their approach.
After they are done with filling in the empty spaces »molecules«, ask participants to underline the identity that they think is most important to them at the moment.
STEP 2
In a second step, the facilitator conducts a “stand-up” exercise, in order to visualize group affiliations. S_he calls out various possible identities (religion, social class, hobby, gender, politics, sexual orientation etc.). The students who listed identities belonging to those groupings stand up.
Subsequently you invite students to share identities which were not called out yet.
STEP 3
In a third step, the students form pairs (preferably involving someone whom they generally have little contact with). Each pair discusses:
- which identities and affiliations have had a particular influence on them
- which personal, political or social events have had shaped them
- how different living environments and backgrounds (family, spare time, national culture and traditions…) have shaped their character
- what is the particular significance and importance of being a member of specific group, what makes it easy or difficult to be a member of this group?
STEP 4
If students understand English or Slovene at the end of the activity you can play a short video about and-and identities: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUOMOk_fziM
Explain to the students that the following activity focuses on the identities and distribute the worksheets. Tell them that the worksheets are theirs and they do not need to hand them in.
In a short class discussion, they then reflect on the various identities and groups to which they feel affiliated to. Tell them to do it as spontaneously as possible. It’s just a current picture that may change tomorrow or in a different an environment with different people.
If participants ask for an example, you can indicate your profession, nationality, class, religion, hobby groups, and so on. Be careful when listing cases, as they can narrow their approach.
After they are done with filling in the empty spaces »molecules«, ask participants to underline the identity that they think is most important to them at the moment.
STEP 2
In a second step, the facilitator conducts a “stand-up” exercise, in order to visualize group affiliations. S_he calls out various possible identities (religion, social class, hobby, gender, politics, sexual orientation etc.). The students who listed identities belonging to those groupings stand up.
Subsequently you invite students to share identities which were not called out yet.
STEP 3
In a third step, the students form pairs (preferably involving someone whom they generally have little contact with). Each pair discusses:
- which identities and affiliations have had a particular influence on them
- which personal, political or social events have had shaped them
- how different living environments and backgrounds (family, spare time, national culture and traditions…) have shaped their character
- what is the particular significance and importance of being a member of specific group, what makes it easy or difficult to be a member of this group?
STEP 4
If students understand English or Slovene at the end of the activity you can play a short video about and-and identities: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUOMOk_fziM
Assessment
To conclude the actvity, the whole class engages in reflections with the help of the questions below:
- What are the most important points that you discussed in your pair?
- Did you find out something new or surprising about yourself and your partner?
- Did someone notice something interesting (e. g. gender-specific or age-specific behavior) during the stand-up exercise or in the discussion in pairs?
- Which group affiliations do you think can be experienced as painful? What could be the reasons?
- In your opinion, which group affiliations are recognized positively by society, which ones are not? (In oder to adress questions stated, it is useful to first discuss various social group affiliations (rich – poor; foreigners – citizens; woman – man; christians – muslims; heterosexuals - homosexuals, etc.). The social advantages and disadvantages of belonging to these groups and their acceptance can then be discussed and maybe illustrated with a scale).
- Was there anything particularly difficult about this activity?
- How did you feel if you stood alone or with almost the whole group? Was there any difference?
- Is it harder for some groups to get up or stay in a sitting position? Is there any difference if you like belonging to a group?
- Did you found out that during this exercise you did not think of some groups? What could be the reason for this?
- Do you think that in a different environment (for example at an international workshop where you would sit among many nationalities, you would stand up for the nationality?
- What are the most important points that you discussed in your pair?
- Did you find out something new or surprising about yourself and your partner?
- Did someone notice something interesting (e. g. gender-specific or age-specific behavior) during the stand-up exercise or in the discussion in pairs?
- Which group affiliations do you think can be experienced as painful? What could be the reasons?
- In your opinion, which group affiliations are recognized positively by society, which ones are not? (In oder to adress questions stated, it is useful to first discuss various social group affiliations (rich – poor; foreigners – citizens; woman – man; christians – muslims; heterosexuals - homosexuals, etc.). The social advantages and disadvantages of belonging to these groups and their acceptance can then be discussed and maybe illustrated with a scale).
- Was there anything particularly difficult about this activity?
- How did you feel if you stood alone or with almost the whole group? Was there any difference?
- Is it harder for some groups to get up or stay in a sitting position? Is there any difference if you like belonging to a group?
- Did you found out that during this exercise you did not think of some groups? What could be the reason for this?
- Do you think that in a different environment (for example at an international workshop where you would sit among many nationalities, you would stand up for the nationality?
Links for further information
Download further documentation
TESTING AND ASSESSMENT