Tribal Wars

August 9,2006

I made an experiment of doing the reporting tasks to my sixth graders that I usually give my college students back in the Philippines . With very little to no scaffolding, they came up with groups, rules, games, consequences, rewards, analytical questions, visual aids, cardboard games, metaphors of football rules etc. I thought it was brilliant!

The war started when the other “tribe” started breaking rules and they questioned consequences. Some were close to tears, although they knew it was just Brownies that awaited them at the end of the game. Some were struggling with the rules, some were screaming at each other, some were extremely engaged and enjoyed the game as well as challenged by it. But the competition was on!

This is the 3rd or fourth day the reporting has continued. There were reports that needed a lot of attention and silence. They struggled with that as well. Listening skills are the skills that needed a lot of work as well as team work.

They wanted to choose which groups they wanted to be in, they wanted to choose which people they wanted to sit with, they needed to learn tolerance, yes, a lot of it.

I was appalled and terribly concerned with the budding prejudices they already had about other faiths, about being the best and being better. I thought this is a serious issue. This is a school that seriously focuses on multiculturalism and tolerance as well as honoring different faiths.

I rarely and hardly do this. But after all the reporting I asked for a little time to give a little sermon on the Mount That, I was proud of them as to how they prepared and delivered their reports, and that I could see a real life practices coming into play and that it was a great opportunity for us to address this issue. That issue being the need for interdependence, teamwork, tolerance especially dealing with stressful situations with calm, facilitation of peace and reconciliation skills.

Posted by Mataji at 9:39 PM