-NiE ,
INTERMEDIATE
Friendship: Making the right choices
● Identify
● Reason
PEER pressure is a normal part of growing up. As your friends gain importance in your life, they also gain influence over your behaviours in positive and negative ways. What really matters though, is not how much pressure is imposed, but how well you keep it all in
Creative thinking ● Imagine ● Connect ● Brainstorm ● Invent
Communicating ● Oral
9
Cool under pressure
NiE Activity 1 Critical thinking
20 SEPTEMBER 2017
● Written
Problem solving ● Question ● Research
● Recreate ● Present
Collaborating ● Listen ● Compromise ● Contribute ● Attain goal respectfully
Look at this photograph taken from The Star on July 19, 2017. Thirty youth participants from the Borneo Eco Warriors workshop were saddened by the way people treated the ocean as a dumpsite. The beach was litter-strewn by things people threw into the ocean.
perspective and deal with it. We first have to understand what peer pressure is. Peer pressure is the powerful feeling of pressure from someone your own age that can push you towards making choices, good or bad. Peer pressure can take a number of
different forms, both spoken and unspoken, and can lead to risky, disapproved or unwanted behaviour. Study the table below. Do you agree that there are certain things or situations you can control and others that you can’t?
THINGS WITHIN MY CONTROL My choice of words My actions My ideas My effort My mistakes My behaviour
THINGS OUTSIDE MY CONTROL Other people’s choice of words Other people’s actions Other people’s ideas Other people’s feelings Other people’s mistakes Other people’s behaviours
THINGS OUTSIDE MY CONTROL
What would you do if you went on a picnic with a group of friends who did not dispose of their trash in a proper way? What do you think they would think, say and do if they contributed to this problem? Complete the chart on the right. If you see a speech bubble, write some remarks you think may be said in it. If you see a box, write what you think the unspoken behaviour is. Since you do not agree with their actions, what would you say in order to stand up to this peer pressure? Fill in the respective choice of words or actions in the relevant boxes. Finally, in random pairs, do a reading of your answers to compare both perspectives.
THINGS WITHIN MY CONTROL
Other people’s choice of words
My choice of words
Other people’s actions
My actions
Other people’s ideas
My ideas
Other people’s feelings
My effort
Other people’s mistakes
My mistakes
Other people’s behaviours
My behaviour
NiE Activity 2 Critical thinking ● Identify ● Reason
● Measure ● Organise
Creative thinking ● Imagine ● Connect ● Brainstorm ● Invent
Problem solving ● Question ● Recreate
● Present
Communicating ● Oral ● Written ● Non-verbal
Collaborating ● Listen ● Compromise ● Contribute ● Attain goal respectfully
Have you heard of the Greek myth called Pandora’s Box? This is how the story goes:
Pandora, the first woman on Earth, was a beautiful and gifted person who neither needed nor wanted anything in life. She was given a box or a jar, called “pithos” by the Gods who told her that the box contained special gifts from them. She was, however, not to open the box ever. But instead of being satisfied with her life, Pandora let her curiosity get the better of her. She decided to take a peek into the box. In doing so, she unwittingly released the contents of the box - which contained all the illnesses, hardships and evil that the Gods had kept hidden from the world.
Now gather in groups of four, and rethink the story of Pandora’s Box. A. Discuss the meaning of the word “satisfied”. B. Talk about things you don’t have – things that cause you to be jealous or envious of others. C. Discuss the meanings and differences of the words “envy” and “jealousy”. D. What types of problems can these two emotions cause in relationships? Each group will now contribute to the “Pandora’s Box” of the class. This box will contain pictures, symbols and descriptions of things that cause jealousy and envy in relationships. Using The Star, look for descriptions of problems, or cut out photographs of things that can trigger jealousy or envy (related to peer pressure).
Share some of the items your group has found. Present your findings to the rest of your classmates. During the presentation, take the opportunity to share and to explain: How some of these items cause problems; and ● How these problems can be prevented. ●
Finally, after all the groups are done with their presentations, your teacher will seal the box and put it away. How do you think your relationships with friends would improve if there weren’t emotions such as jealousy and envy? As a writing activity, discuss the symbolic meaning of sealing up and putting away the problems of jealousy and envy.