Overview: LET’S LOOK AT INCLUSION AND EXCLUSION

Having discussed the core values of tolerance and respect as being part of the rules of the class, the course is then intended to move on to discuss issues around what could go wrong in our classroom and society. This part of the course is intended to tie in with anti-bullying month.

In these lessons we use what we would describe as “a feeling story”. These stories use image and metaphor to help children to identify and empathise with characters or situations and so get in touch with their own feelings about an issue. With these stories we aim to provide an avenue for children to explore their own feelings about being different (such as feeling lonely, feeling left out or bullied), and engage with these feelings without the child feeling exposed. See: Clarence the Clumsy Calf and the online videos of The Ugly Duckling and Lambert the Sheepish Lion.

This part of the course includes watching videos, reading, plenary sessions, written work, and playing games and covers understanding that we, as humans, have a need to be connected to other human beings and belong to groups; labelling people and passing judgment on who a person is, is unhelpful and often wrong; bullying is behaviour we want to stop; and the words we use can harm, so we should use words and actions properly.