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sustaInaBlE FashIon : a handBooK For Educators
stEps For thE short VErsIon:- Explaining, presenting, reading, etc., the dilemma.
(Clarify possible rules for group discussion.) - Let the students vote on the solution to the dilemma
(‘Who votes for...?’ ‘Who votes against...?’ OR: ‘What
behaviour is right or wrong?’). Divide the class into two
groups, one that supports and one that opposes the
decision. The ones who cannot make up their minds at
all are nominated observers with the assignment to note
the arguments of the subsequent group discussion. The
groups consist of students with opposing opinions. (If
the sample vote shows that one group is much bigger
than the other, repeat the presentation of the dilemma
emphasising the part with fewer votes; if necessary,
modify the dilemma so that some of the participants
switch to the ‘smaller’ camp.) - Discussion in small groups.
- The observers present the arguments to the class.
You can discuss the question of what is ‘behind’ the
arguments with the whole class (values, sense of justice,
norms, laws, etc.). - Finally, clarify that the focus is not on the final decision
but on the process of the discussion, on the mutual
exchange. In dilemma situations there is no right or
wrong – otherwise they would not be dilemmas! Only
by becoming acquainted with one’s own, as well as
others’ opinions, is development possible. It is acceptable,
not reprehensible, to change your opinion, as long as you
can reason it.
Remark: Thinking and making decisions according to certain
moral guidelines is not the same as acting according
to them. The development psychologist, Oser, regularly
noticed a difference in the stages when discussing a
hypothetical dilemma or reflecting on a dilemma of one’s
own experience and then arguing that decision. Moral
thinking is mostly located on a higher level than moral
behaviour.
Tips for educators:- Test your self-created dilemma in a small circle of
acquaintances. - You can put your students in an emotionally affected
state before the dilemma discussion by showing a critical,
sad, dramatic but realistic movie or documentary; or use
newspaper articles. - The greatest learning effect is reached when the dilemma
provokes moderate moral emotions. On the one hand
these emotions should be strong enough to make
students curious and eager to learn, but on the other
hand should not be overly strong so that protective and
defensive mechanisms interfere. Therefore, such dilemmas
usually involve fictitious persons, in order to keep the
emotional stress of the participants low. - The dilemma should be somewhat realistic and drawn
from life. That means there should be a possibility
that the students will face such a decision themselves
sometime in the future (i.e. purchase of a cheap batch
of textiles which have been produced under inhumane
conditions, in order to secure their own and/or their
family’s existence). - Stay neutral as an educator and allow all arguments to
be put forward. Do not pass value judgements on the
students’ statements. Development is a process that
starts only after the discussion!
Sources
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawrence_Kohlberg
http://www.uni-konstanz.de/ag-moral/moral/dildisk-d.
htm#edukativ
http://www.uni-konstanz.de/ag-moral/moral/kmdd_medien.
htm#video
http://www.schule-bw.de/unterricht/faecher/biologie/
material/unterrichtsmaterialien/dilemma/index_html