Vitenparken

“My opinion and yours”

Time: 20 – 45 minutes.

Equipment:  

5 sheets

An open area where all students can move around

To the teacher: 

In this activity, students will take a position on various claims that appear in different parts of the teaching program. The exercise aims to train students in:

– to express one's opinion

– accept and respect other perspectives and opinions

– to change one's mind along the way

In the exercise we work with claims where there is not necessarily one correct answer or one correct opinion. It is important that students are informed of this before the activity begins. When students know that the teacher is not looking for a definitive answer to the claims being presented, the threshold for daring to participate orally in class is lowered.

When we work with such a philosophical approach to claims, we want students to collaborate on their thinking, and build on each other's thoughts as building blocks. We want to convey to students an experience that it is exciting to be able to change opinions during a conversation, and that the goal in these conversations is not to be right , but to find the best answer we can together as a group. This can be a new way for students to talk in a classroom setting, so it is a good idea to explain this goal to students.

In this particular exercise, students are not allowed to criticize each other's opinions, but they can and should be encouraged to offer their own opinion, formulated precisely as their opinion – not as a criticism of what the other person said. This is so that students can feel comfortable practicing expressing their opinion without being afraid of being humiliated or “losing”. A good starting sentence for students to use during the exercise is simple and straightforward “My opinion is….” or “Someone might think…”.

About the assignment: 

– You need 5 A4 sheets of paper on which you write: “Strongly agree”, “Agree a little”, “Don’t know”, “Disagree a little” and “Strongly disagree” placed in a line in the middle of the floor from one end of the room to the other. Make sure there is plenty of space between the sheets.

– Best done in a smaller group of students, if possible, but also works with the whole class.

– It is not certain that the students fully understand the statements, or that they have any opinion about them. That is perfectly fine, and they are welcome to say “don’t know”. The students will be taking a position on the same statements as a follow-up assignment, so it is exciting to note what the students think and discuss in the follow-up version of the activity whether anyone has changed their opinion or gained new knowledge.

– We include one “starter statement.” It is an engaging statement that should demonstrate how the activity works for students before they decide on the academically relevant statements. We encourage you to choose a starter statement that you know will engage your students, instead of our suggestion.

Implementation with the students:

Read out a statement. Give students some time in silence to think about it before they stand at the sheet they feel best represents their opinion. This part is done without students talking to each other.

When all students have positioned themselves along the row of answer options, a reflection round led by the teacher begins. We want to encourage students to explain why they have chosen where they are and to formulate their opinion aloud to the other students, but it is important that no student is pressured into having to say their opinion aloud.

Students should change their position along the line if they are persuaded by an argument or change their mind. If they wish to state why they are changing their position, they should be encouraged to do so.

If there is little variation in opinions or students do not easily initiate the conversation, the teacher can help by asking the question “Why do you think someone might think the opposite of you?” In some cases, it may be easier for students to say what they think someone else would think.

When you are “finished” with a statement, the students return to a neutral starting position, and you repeat the exercise with the next statement.

Claims: 

Starter: TikTok has a good influence on my generation.

Climate change does not affect me in my everyday life.

Consumers are not responsible for ensuring that goods are produced in an ethical manner.

The use of good topsoil for purposes other than agriculture should have been regulated more strictly by the authorities.

Norway should accept many climate refugees if necessary.

Farmers around the world have pretty good working conditions.

Norway's food security is safeguarded.

I cannot influence the working conditions of a farmer in Ivory Coast.

Technology should be given a greater place in Norwegian agriculture.

I know where the food I eat comes from.

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