Objectives

This theme basically presents the values of co-operation, coexistence, sharing and solidarity in a world that is being pulled apart, by ethnic, religious, individualistic and other separate forces. Learning to live together has been recognized and declared as one of the four pillars of education in the Doler report on education for the 21st century. Today ethnic, religious and other divisive ideologies justify violence against man. Perhaps we inherit the divisive mentality from our tribalistic instincts. Division leads to conflicts and ultimately to war and destruction.

Obviously, the world is shrinking into a global village due to the technical advancements, which facilitate travelling, communication and transaction. Yet our present mindsets are unable to accommodate the global unity of mankind. What we really need is to enlarge our minds when the world is becoming small. Only then can we capture the global human brotherhood. Unless we overcome the tribalistic mentality of divisive tendency, we are as a species, doomed to extinction, through destroying each other. By learning to live together we broaden our vision, gradually move from self-centredness, to community, to nation and from there to the global family. It also means to learn to co-operate and share with each other and accept diversity and live in harmony.

Working in groups

A large part of our life is spent in groups. Inability to work in groups can make one's life a failure at every level. Harmonious working in a good group is satisfying, empowering and leading to growth, not only to the individual but also to the others in the group.

Effective groups do not just happen. They are products of many internal factors. Understanding how effective groups draw their strengths from internal dynamics such as democratic process, co-operation and morale is interesting and also helpful.

How groups are formed

Mere coming together of individuals do not make a group. For a group to emerge, the individuals should have a common goal. Then they should link together in such a way as to achieve the goals.

When a number of individuals gather and form a group, they usually undergo a phase of uneasiness, until they establish who should do what. This phase is called the storming. However as they slowly establish norms, structures and procedures the storming subsides and they start performing. A group is bound by three basic forces. They are the goals, and the task. The process includes the way of decision- making, organizing, i.e. assigning roles and structuring communication. The task is the challenge of the group. In fact a group is a tool, a set of individuals have formed by linking together to perform a task.

Characteristics of effective groups

It is useful to know the characteristics of effective groups. They are

Cohesiveness: Members like each other. They are bound together in agreement. There is mutual support or co-operation.

Goal orientation: Goals are clear and the group is confident of themselves of the possibility of achieving them.

Standards and norms: They have established common standards and ways of behaviour, participation and quality of products.

Affirmation: Acceptance, respect and expression of appreciation Demarcate process. Decisions are made in participation of all the members.
There is equality of all the members. Members feel responsible to carry out the decisions made in the group. They meet regularly, to discuss plans and evaluate progress.

Regulation: There is consensus on policies and regulations. They feel obliged to observe the rules and regulations of the processes.

Climate: The social atmosphere is healthy and conducive to productivity and co-operation. They feel at ease to express their views, opinions and feelings.

Leadership: Leaders are group or process-centred.

Pressure: A group performs effectively under a certain degree of pressure. It may come from the circumstantial demands, constraints of time, standards and expectations. However the pressure should be reasonably bearable. Creating such positive pressure is a function of the leader.

Group builders

As the group is gradually formed various roles emerge, by natural demands of circumstances. Then the members tend to take up roles that suit them most. Such roles are given below.

Learning co-operation is gaining significance in the world of today for several reasons. There is growing individualistic, ethnocentric and other divisive forces, which threaten the solidarity of mankind. Peace is living together. Teachers are increasingly complaining of students' selfish tendencies. Selfishness is to be concerned exclusively with oneself by depriving others of their rights. An act of a student who borrows the only available book recommended by the teacher from the school library and keeping it extended for his exclusive reference typically exhibits selfishness. Because in doing this he deprives the other students from using the book. Unhealthy individualistic behaviours are increasing in school as a result of social influence. Name-calling, put down, and bullying are examples of such behaviours.

As children learn co-operation a warm and friendly climate emerges in the classroom. Conflict and quarrelling are reduced. Co-operation in groups leads to greater sense of equality of all. It also develops interdependence within the group in place of egoistic independent tendencies. Today the world is getting interlinked at all levels and increasingly becoming interdependent. Nations are realizing the fact that they cannot stay isolated from the rest of the world. In the past nations thought they could live independently in a complete state of self-sufficiency. That notion is getting away in performance to interdependence of nations. All these mean that mankind is entering into an age of common future. Learning co-operations will bring about a generation who can contribute to the process of building the common future for mankind.

A teacher has the responsibility to transform the class into a community, the highest level of achievement of a group. Those who have positive experience of co-operation within groups gradually extend the attitude towards the world they live in. As mentioned earlier that the classroom will not naturally evolve into a community. The teacher has to raise the community consciousness providing the class experiences in co-operation and the understanding that the class is not a mere collection of individuals, but a group linked together where everyone's conduct affects all.

Here the question arises, about the use of competition in the school. In learning co-operation individualistic competition is not encouraged, where one attempts to win, by defeating another. Healthy competition is competing against one's own standards, time-constraints, lack of resources and difficult circumstances.

Intended outcome

Group building behaviours

- co-operation
- process developing in the group
- sharing
- group decision-making
- abiding by group decisions, norms, and standards.

Classroom practices

1. Discourage individualistic behaviour
2. Value co-operation
3. Develop group responsibility.
4. Evaluate group performance as well in the output./ Prefer to praise the group rather than the individual.

Hints for peace culture-building

1. Adopt democratic practices in managing the school and classroom so that they serve as models for students in community building.

2. Form a student's council where they can voice their needs and problems to school management. The management can consult the student council and work in collaboration, in developing policies affecting students.

3. Introduces co-operative learning methods in the class through staff development. Encourage teachers to invent such methods.

4. Assign students additional responsibilities in organizing co-curricular activities for the school, e.g. annual sport meet, art exhibitions. Such entrustment provides them with experiences to develop skills in leading, organizing, public relations, etc.

LEARNING ACTIVITIES

Learn to Live Together

1. My gift to the class This is an activity about building a peaceful climate in the class.

Level: Secondary
Curriculum concern: Classroom management: When you begin a new class at the beginning of the year.

Objectives: 1. Understanding one's own responsibility towards building a good social climate in the class.
2. Deciding one's best way of contribution to it.
Materials: A blackboard

1 Three or four Bristol boards
2 Platinum pens

Activity:

Say 1. "This is our classroom. We can all make it nice and pleasant. How are you going to do it? Let's talk."

2. "We make it a happy place by good qualities we bring in, through OUI behaviour and speech within the classroom."

3. Use your imagination. Think of the good qualities that our class should have State one best quality you desire to have in the class. Let's make a list or the blackboard, e.g.

- Unity
- Cleanliness
- Friendliness
- Caring for others

4. "Now select from the list the quality you like to undertake to bring into the class. Come forward and mark your name next to it on the blackboard."

5. Copy the list of qualities with names neatly on the Bristol boards and paste or fix them on the wall so that they remind you of your promise, e.g.

3. Discuss:

How to translate your selected quality into behaviour and way of speech. Note: From time to time remind and get feedback from the class as to progress of the climate building. Appreciate and reinforce students' contributions.

2. Mirroring

This is an activity about discovering oneself through social interaction and learning to be co-operative.
Level: Primary and secondary

Curriculum concern: Dancing/ Physical education: When you want do develop refined body moments.

Objective:

* Expressing inner feelings through body movements.

* Encouraging the discovery of oneself through mutual interactions.

* Emphatic understanding.

Activity:

The children stand in pairs keeping their distance from others enough to make free body moments. The pair stands facing each other. One takes the role of a mirror image and the other that of a person who makes interesting movements in front of a mirror. The mirror image imitates all the movements.

Examples for movements:

- Combing hair
- Powdering face
- Stepping forward
- Stepping backward
- Making a turn round
- Cleaning a mirror
- Appreciating a new press
- Making different faces
- Miming
- Dancing I swaying /sliding

The roles reverse after a turn of five minutes alternately once a pair has completed performance, they can disperse and form new pairs.

Note: * Create interest by saying that the children are going to do an amusing and _ entertaining activity.

* Encourage the children to discover creative movements and move freely. This activity has a cathartic effect in expressing one's emotions, moods and fantasies.

* Music would naturally facilitate children's rhythmic movements and heighten their creative mood.

Discussion: Guiding questions/ instructions

* Did you enjoy the activity?
* Did you learn anything by doing this activity? If so, what is it?
* What did you learn while doing the activity?
* What work qualities and attitudes are necessary to work co-operatively with another person?

3. Constructing Lines

This is an activity about experiencing the spirit of co-operation.
Level: Upper primary to upwards

Curriculum concern: Physical Education/when you want to give an enjoyable group game.

Objective: Learning co-operation
Activity:

Take children into open air and divide them into two big groups. Ask each group to construct a line using whatever materials they have in person. But they are not allowed to get any materials outside. Nobody can go out of the group to collect materials. The group that makes the longest line wins.

Discussion: Guide questions

1 Did you enjoy the activity?
2 How did your group feel at the beginning?
3 As your line kept on getting long how did you feel?
4 What did you learn from the activity?
Note: At the beginning children may feel perplexed as to how to construct lines with materials without getting them from outside. However as they discuss in groups they begin to realize that they can construct lines with their personal possessions at hand like handkerchiefs, belts, shoelaces, etc.

4. Co-operative designing

This is an activity about co-operation.

Level: Upper primary and lower secondary.

Curriculum concern: Arts/when you want to develop creative imagination in children.

Objective: Leaning to work in groups.

Materials: A large paper for each group to draw and pastels

Activity:

Class is divided into five groups. They are asked to design a small town with all the facilities. Then the group decides what kind of town they should design. They draw it co-operatively. On completion the group presents their design to the whole class.

Discussion:

1 How did you work in-group? (Ask each group)
2 Were there any members who did not contribute? If there were, what was the reason?
3 Do you argue for or against the following statement: 'A group can work better than an individual.' Have a small debate in the class.
4 What did you learn from the activity?
Alternative topics for group drawing.
5 Draw an unusual vehicle.
6 Draw a monster.
7 Visualize the meaning of a motto

5. Machine building

This is an activity about enjoying the spirit of co-operation within the group. Level: Upper primary and lower secondary.

Curriculum concern: Physical Education/when you want to give an enjoyable co- operative activity

Objective: Valuing co-operation

Activity

Divide children into groups of six. Each group has to make a machine with each one playing a part of it. The parts should work as a whole. It can be a real machine like a train engine, a clock, a crane or an imaginary machine. Let the group decide it by discussion. -Then they demonstrate it. You can release groups one by one to observe other machines.

Discussion

a What was the machine you built?
b Did the machine function well?
c How did you feel working together?

6. Birthday line

This is an activity about group problem-solving
Level: secondary:

Curriculum concern: Physical education/When you want to give an interesting group activity.

Concepts: Co-operation and problem-solving.

Objective: Encouraging co-operative problem-solving

Activity

Ask the class to form a line, where each one stands according to their birth months and days. Children born in January stand at the starting point and those who are born in December stand at the end. They have to discover their right month group and stand in order of the sequence of birthdays. However the challenge is that they are not allowed to speak or whisper. They have to communicate non- verbally, e.g. by finger movements.

After everyone has found the place in the line the teacher checks verbally whether they are in the proper places.

Discussion; Guide questions.

a How did you find your place?
b What was the most difficult part of the activity?
c How did you manage to communicate?

7. Making bonds

This is an activity about unity and fun

Level: All Grades

Curriculum concern: When you want to build a feeling of unity in the class Objective: Experiencing group coherence.

Activity

Divide the class into groups of 15 and let them stand in a circle, so as to touch each others' shoulders.

Ask children to discover at least 15 ways of making bonds as a whole group by linking hands in various manners, e.g. making a circle by

- Joining hands
- Linking hands over others' shoulders
- Putting hands around the waists
- Putting one's hand under the armpits of those who stand beside one and joining one's own hands with them.

Activity 2.

Help children to make a human bond by joining hands in the following manner. Let each child put his hand under the armpits of those who stand beside him. The child, with his left hand holds the right hand of the one who stands on his right side. Then he, with his right hand holds the left hand of the one who stands on his right side. Having made this 'human bond' let the children enjoy it for some time.

Discussion (while they are in the knot)

1 How do you feel now?
2 Do you perceive your friends in the same way before or do you perceive them differently?
3 What did you learn by engaging in this activity?
8. Number puzzle

This is an activity about co-operative problem-solving. Level. Upper primary and lower secondary

Curriculum concern: Mathematics/when you want to improve skills in addition.

Objective: Experiencing working in groups

Activity.

Write above the number puzzle on the board.

Divide the class into groups of six. The sixth one becomes the observer. The other five in the group have to solve the puzzle by dividing the square into four parts, each containing numbers totalling 15.The observer makes notes on each one's behaviour in the group.

On completion find out how each group has done it. Ask the observer to present his/ her study of the group behaviour.

Discussion:

1 Did everyone participate?
2 Did you enjoy working together?
3 What did we learn from the group work?

The solution Note: You can make the puzzle easy or complicated depending on the children.

9. Group race

This is an activity about co-operative and creative problem-solving.
Level. Upper primary and lower secondary
Curriculum concern: Physical education/ when you want to play an enjoyable group game.

Objective: Experiencing working in groups
Materials: Large newspaper double sheets for each group.
Activity:

Divide the class into groups of six and give three newspaper sheets to each group. You need an empty open hall. Mark a starting line at one end and a winning line on the other end for a race. Ask each group to stand on the starting line one after the other. They have to start the race by placing one sheet on the floor and all getting on to it. To move forward they have to place the sheets on the floor and all getting on to it. The group that comes first to the winning line wins. Tell them that they can find out other ways of walking on the sheets.

Discussion: Guide questions: 1 How do you feel about the activity?
2 Did your group perform well?
3 How can you improve the group performance further?

10. Group tangrams

This is an activity about co-operative problem-solving. Level. Upper primary and lower secondary

Curriculum concern: Drawing/Mathamatics/When you want children to familiarize themselves with geometrical forms.

Materials: One set of tans for each group [A tan is a part of a silhouette, which may take the form of an animal, man, tree, vehicle, etc. You can cut out tans from cardboard. A tangram has more than one solution

Objective: Experiencing working in groups

Activity:

Introduce the puzzle. A group has put together the tans and make a meaningful shape. The activity is similar to solving jigsaw puzzles.

Divide the class into groups of six. One of them takes the role of the observer of the group performance. Give each group a set of tangrams. The group that completes first wins.

Discussion: Guide questions

1 What are the observations made on the group performance?
2 How can you improve group performance?

Instruction to prepare tans

Cut a cardboard into a square. Then cut into small pieces as shown in the diagram. With these tans you can make different tangrams [See the overleaf].

Examples of Tangrams