Sharing Good Practice
What really needs to be brought out
here is that within a group which
shares certain characteristics that
make them a group (in the case of
potatoes, brown, roundish, knobbly),
each individual is nonetheless unique,
having qualities which mean they can
be identified in a crowd. It is important
to remember this when we are
thinking about communities of people
with different belief systems and
different cultural backgrounds from
our own. In relation to the community
of the class, we need to recognise that,
while we have a class identity and are
developing as a community, we are a
collection of unique individuals, each
distinct from the other.
themselves into the future to when
they are 85 4 , looking back on their
long life. Encourage them to think
about the qualities or values that have
guided them through their life and to
focus on the three most important of
these. Bring them back to the present
in the classroom and ask them to
write each value on a piece of paper.
A student then reads out one of her
values and anyone who has the same
value puts it with hers in a pile on the
floor. Repeat this until all the values
are in piles in the centre of the circle.
These are then identified as the class’s
values. 5 They can be displayed as they
are or, if time allows, translated into
statements based on, “What does it
look like when there is honesty?” This
forms a credo or set of maxims for the
class to live by over the year together.
They might like to make it into a poster,
adding a photo to it and signing it to
indicate their commitment to it.
These activities are simple to do,
require little preparation and minimal
materials, but their impact is profound.
They set the tone for a positive and
fruitful school year and help lay the
foundation for trust and openness in
the class. We are beginning to learn
how our, “pupils live and think” and
starting to “understand them better
and be able to work efficiently with
them.”
As a follow-up to this activity, I ask
them to reflect on who they are in
this new community; I might use the
One Minute Mediation 1 to do this. Ask
the group to sit in silence…. what are
your strengths, your talents, your skills,
your best subjects at school? Of which
communities are you a member?
I give each person a paper plate and
ask them to decorate it to show their
communities, their strengths, talents,
skills and best subjects. 2
3
The plates are shared in a full circle-
share, if the class is not too large.
Alternatively, have the students sit in
groups and share. It is important to
stress that, while one student speaks
about their plate, the others must
give their full attention, listening with
their ears, their eyes and their heart.
Questions may only be asked once the
student has stopped speaking. The
plates are then displayed in a cluster
to represent the class. If the students
are working in teams, the plates can
be combined into shields or crests
with the team name on.
What matters to us
1. Thich Nhat Hanh; the script for this in Values and Visions
2. The plates were created by students on the Takatuf Scholars summer residential programme, 2019
Knowing who we are, it is now
important to focus on our values,
both individually and as a class. When
You’re 85 is one way to do this. Have
the students sit in a circle, give each
one three pieces of paper and a pencil
to put under their chair then invite
them to close their eyes and go into
stillness. Talk them through projecting
3. The shield was created by students on the Takatuf Scholars summer residential programme, 2019
4. There is a script for this in Values and Visions
5. This credo was drawn up by students on the Takatuf Scholars summer residential programme, 2019
Sally Burns is one of the authors of Values and Visions. She is a teacher, a trainer,
a writer, a researcher and a linguist. She has been working in education for thirty-
eight years in the primary, secondary and tertiary sectors in both private and public
establishments. To find out more about Values and Visions visit values-and-visions.
com, go to our Facebook page or follow us on Twitter #VandVLearning.
Class Time
Term 1 Sep - Dec 2019
37