We have had an... interesting week. Initially, my colleague and I weren't sure what to make of the events below. Particularly at this time of the year with general tiredness all round. However, it wasn't too long before I began to think about the importance of children taking risks within the fiction, seeing the consequences of their actions unfold and having their morals challenged.
The story so far:
The team of explorers had been to Australia and discovered the Mountain of Colourful Dreams. Their next task had been to prepare for tourists to visit the mountain, working with the tourism board to advertise it. However, the children became very concerned for their mountain. They were sure that tourists would ruin it and hunt the blue foxes. A commission to advertise the mountain to tourists turned into a heated discussion along the lines of.... we must put up a security fence and have security guards we must we must we must.
The session:
Having discussed the children's obsession with security fences, my colleague and I decided to allow them to go forward and see what happens, whilst also ensuring they carried out the tasks they were meant to be doing for their client.
As the children came into the class we had a representation of Uluru (tray units + orange fabric) in the middle of the classroom, surrounded by information boards about it. The children used these information boards to learn about Uluru and how to treat it with respect. We then discussed whether such information boards might be useful for our mountain. The children produced A3 information sheets showing the mountain and wildlife found around it as well as giving advice to tourists about how to care for the area.
Then, as they were finishing and bringing their work to the mountain I began to construct a security fence from some large pieces of cardboard I'd magpied from the EYFS shed. The children gathered round and asked what I was doing.
"I've been hired to build a security fence around this mountain."
"Oh yes that's good it's our mountain"
"Nearly done - is this what you wanted?"
"No we need some cameras and motion sensors"
"Oh well, that's not really my area - you'll have to get someone else to install those."
And the children gradually started drawing and gluing things to the security fence. We sat back and watched - the general theme was fairly militant, unwelcoming and not very tourist friendly, but not (yet) violent. I disappeared to borrow more resources from somewhere and when I returned there were about eight children shouting to be heard over each other...
"We need security guards!"
"Can I be one?"
"Let's be soldiers!"
"I've put a trap and if people step on them they'll get trapped!"
"We need to watch all the time!"
"I'm a guard, I'm a guard!"
(children stand to attention around the mountain)
"ATTEN - TION!"
"All soldiers, we will get prepared tonight"
"Get your guns!"
"We want to make sure no-one gets in here!"
"We must never fall asleep!"
"ATTENT- TION!"
"I am the top soldier!"
"We need TOP security so no one can get in!"
At one point I considered getting involved and using conventions to bring the story around. However, I was interested to see what would happen. We ended up with soldiers, guns, poison around the gate and a motion-triggered automatic weapon.
On the plus side:
These children were really, really bothered about their mountain and its blue foxes.
However:
The militant, let's-keep-people-out, willingness-to-poison approach came as something of a surprise.
We spent some time discussing the above with the whole team. They were clear that they wanted to protect the mountain and the blue foxes and that they didn't really want people to come to the mountain. Around 2/3 of the class hadn't been involved in the... noise. They had, however, all contributed to the large security fence around the beautiful landmark. I asked whether we wanted to be the sort of people who poisoned and shot other people.... it made them think. All the time, I was trying hard not to be judgemental about their actions but instead just to help them to think about them a bit more.
One quieter girl said: "The tourists won't like it here and they'll be too scared to come if there are guns."
It was the end of the day so we left it there. That final comment will probably form the basis of the next mantle episode - I want the children to see the consequences of their actions for the landmark and for the tourists who visit it.
All of this has also made me ponder the way in which Mantle of the Expert is about more than just curriculum knowledge - it's about the sort of people we want our children to grow up to be. It allows the children's morals and ethics to be challenged and shaped in a safe space.
Hopefully, by the end of the next session we may have a slightly more friendly team.
The story so far:
The team of explorers had been to Australia and discovered the Mountain of Colourful Dreams. Their next task had been to prepare for tourists to visit the mountain, working with the tourism board to advertise it. However, the children became very concerned for their mountain. They were sure that tourists would ruin it and hunt the blue foxes. A commission to advertise the mountain to tourists turned into a heated discussion along the lines of.... we must put up a security fence and have security guards we must we must we must.
The session:
Having discussed the children's obsession with security fences, my colleague and I decided to allow them to go forward and see what happens, whilst also ensuring they carried out the tasks they were meant to be doing for their client.
As the children came into the class we had a representation of Uluru (tray units + orange fabric) in the middle of the classroom, surrounded by information boards about it. The children used these information boards to learn about Uluru and how to treat it with respect. We then discussed whether such information boards might be useful for our mountain. The children produced A3 information sheets showing the mountain and wildlife found around it as well as giving advice to tourists about how to care for the area. Then, as they were finishing and bringing their work to the mountain I began to construct a security fence from some large pieces of cardboard I'd magpied from the EYFS shed. The children gathered round and asked what I was doing.
"I've been hired to build a security fence around this mountain."
"Oh yes that's good it's our mountain"
"Nearly done - is this what you wanted?"
"No we need some cameras and motion sensors"
"Oh well, that's not really my area - you'll have to get someone else to install those."
And the children gradually started drawing and gluing things to the security fence. We sat back and watched - the general theme was fairly militant, unwelcoming and not very tourist friendly, but not (yet) violent. I disappeared to borrow more resources from somewhere and when I returned there were about eight children shouting to be heard over each other...
"We need security guards!"
"Can I be one?"
"Let's be soldiers!"
"I've put a trap and if people step on them they'll get trapped!"
"We need to watch all the time!"
"I'm a guard, I'm a guard!"
(children stand to attention around the mountain)
"ATTEN - TION!"
"All soldiers, we will get prepared tonight"
"Get your guns!"
"We want to make sure no-one gets in here!"
"We must never fall asleep!"
"ATTENT- TION!"
"I am the top soldier!"
"We need TOP security so no one can get in!"
At one point I considered getting involved and using conventions to bring the story around. However, I was interested to see what would happen. We ended up with soldiers, guns, poison around the gate and a motion-triggered automatic weapon.
On the plus side:
These children were really, really bothered about their mountain and its blue foxes.
However:
The militant, let's-keep-people-out, willingness-to-poison approach came as something of a surprise.
We spent some time discussing the above with the whole team. They were clear that they wanted to protect the mountain and the blue foxes and that they didn't really want people to come to the mountain. Around 2/3 of the class hadn't been involved in the... noise. They had, however, all contributed to the large security fence around the beautiful landmark. I asked whether we wanted to be the sort of people who poisoned and shot other people.... it made them think. All the time, I was trying hard not to be judgemental about their actions but instead just to help them to think about them a bit more.
One quieter girl said: "The tourists won't like it here and they'll be too scared to come if there are guns."
It was the end of the day so we left it there. That final comment will probably form the basis of the next mantle episode - I want the children to see the consequences of their actions for the landmark and for the tourists who visit it.
All of this has also made me ponder the way in which Mantle of the Expert is about more than just curriculum knowledge - it's about the sort of people we want our children to grow up to be. It allows the children's morals and ethics to be challenged and shaped in a safe space.
Hopefully, by the end of the next session we may have a slightly more friendly team.
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