|
March 2006 A regular e-zine from the British Institute of Sathya Sai Education www.ssehv.org.uk |
||||||||||||
Dear
Readers
Welcome to the March 2006 issue. This
month:
Please note the next issue of this Newsletter will be published in May 2006 and bi-monthly thereafter. If you have any feedback, or would like to share your experiences of SSEHV, please write to us. Kind
Regards, |
|||||||||||||
Human Values Games Human Values games have been created by Dipak Fakey, who has been creating and using values games in his work with children at his Good Values Club in Leicester, and in schools and at Values Alive events throughout the UK for several years. Currently 3 games are available. Priced at £14.99, these professionally produced games include a colourful game board, dice, counters and question and response cards designed to stimulate debate about values issues and are highly recommended.
For more information or to purchase a game, please contact Dipak on:- goodvaluesgames@hotmail.co.uk or Telephone: +44 (0)116 222 3658. |
|||||||||||||
"Human Values" - children's submission We
were delighted to receive the following submissions from Year 6 (primary
age) children giving us a 'child's eye' view of the SSEHV human values
Programme and the values. Although not entirely accurate, they are reprinted
below 'as submitted', as the interpretation of the values from young children
is both very sweet and inspiring to read, as well as innocently truthful.
Hopefully, these submissions will help to remind us all what promoting
a human values programme is all about.
"I like human values because the stories that our teacher tells us are good stories and help me to learn more about human values. I also like the quiet sitting that we do. The human values lessons are good because they are interesting and you learn about truth, peace, love, right-conduct and non-violence. They are all pictured as fruits. There's the apple, the pear, the strawberry, the cherry and the grapes. Silent sitting is good because you get to breathe some air and enjoy the silence of the classroom. I like listening to the story of Sanji when Natalie was really kind, which title was 'Kindness'. There was a story called 'The Red Cloth' and that was about a boy who had a sister that ruined a piece of expensive cloth. It is a very good lesson to learn and I really enjoy it. I think it's the best lesson of all and I really like it. Owning up is important too. If everyone owned up to whatever they did wrong the world would be a better place to live. If everyone in the world did as they were told and told the truth the world would be very happy and no one would be sad. I like circle time too. You pass around an object and get a chance to say what you want to say. We also play games and sometimes we say what we would like to get better at. I really like circle time and you always sit in a circle. That's why its called circle time or silent sitting."
'HUMAN
VALUES'
'HUMAN
VALUES
- A Poem'
|
|||||||||||||
Music in relation to Human Values "We are moving after their minds and so are the other groups" - Mick Jagger, Rolling Stones Music
is an exciting genre. In order to uplift society today, we need to explore
the fascinating links between music, consciousness, spirituality and society.
What this basically means is that what we listen to, we accommodate and assimilate into our minds. This usually results in our acting in accordance with that state of mind. What we listen to inevitably effects our behaviour. The
negative/positive effect of music on plants, animals and humans.
|
|||||||||||||
CURRICULUM SUGGESTIONS on the value of Discernment by
Zita Starkie A Phoenix rising from the ashes could be used as an appropriate symbol to commemorate the day and badges could be presented to pupils who have displayed DISCERNMENT with their studies or in other areas such as positive behaviour. ENGLISH:
RELIGIOUS
EDUCATION Pupils
could look at various faiths and religions, focussing on ways in which
they try to teach DISCERNMENT. Different groups could research a particular
faith and then Pupils
could also consider the reasons why many choose to live in a monasteries,
convents, kibbutz, ashrams or in other communities where they feel supported
in their spiritual practice. The topic of abstinence could also be explored.
Pupils could consider aspects such as celibacy and not taking alcohol
or drugs. The Hindu practice of Brahmacharia could also be researched.
DRAMA PSHE
At
lower Secondary levels, pupils could look at the effects of indiscriminate
tree cutting on the landscape and its potential threat to life, through
landslips, mudslides and flooding.
At GCSE level, suitable topics could include the above. At A/S and A levels pupils could focus on Empires, colonialism and the intervention of Super Powers in the affairs of smaller nations and countries. Pupils could look in particular at the legacy of colonialisation or intervention. In Africa, for example, Pupils could consider how far countries were artificially created with no consideration to ethnic or tribal boundaries. They could also look at the long-term effects of stripping traditional rulers of their power in terms of destabilising the large areas of the continent.
At Secondary level visits to art galleries and local shows could help pupils to develop a broader base from which they can be DISCERNING. A project could also be set that focuses on the work of the most influential artists. Teachers could also stress the importance of being DISCERNING about suitable choice of materials, surfaces and the way that they display work. At
GCSE and AS/A levels, teachers could stress the importance of being DISCERNING
in their choices of media, colour, design and composition. This could
be done through researching the work of great masters such as Leonardo
da Vinci. A project could be set based on the following quote:
At GCSE and AS/ A levels pupils could join with the physics department to design and construct solar powered items for the school.
At Upper and Secondary levels, pupils can be asked to devise surveys concerning DISCERNMENT. These findings can be analysed as both quantitative and qualitative evidence and displayed in a prominent place of the school for DISCERNMENT DAY or longer. A variety of types of graphs can be used to display the evidence such as bar, line, flow, scatter, and pie diagrams. The survey can be conducted in the form of questionnaires. Definitions of DISCERNMENT can be given at the top of the form (see Commentary) so that the pupils are clear about the meaning. Pupils could be asked to tick the relevant box (boxes) and write comments in appropriate places. Suitable questions could include:
BIOLOGY At GCSE, the topic of DISCERNMENT could be explored through nutrition. Pupils could look at the relationship between diet and health. Suitable topics could include the health benefits of a Vegetarian diet, the role of certain foods, (such as carrots) in strengthening the cell walls as a protection against free radicals, anti-carcinogenic foods and ways of reducing cholesterol levels. (Suitable books include "The Doctor's Book of Food Remedies", by Selene Yeager ISBN1-5794-362-6, "Raw Energy" by Leslie & Susannah Kenton Century Publishing and the "Reader's Digest's Guide to Minerals and Supplements" ISBN0-276-42448-4) At A/S and A levels pupils could look at high and low density lipoprotein in relation to Cholesterol levels, chromium for diabetes control, the health benefits of isoflavones, phenolic compounds, phytonutrients, allylic sulphides, isothiocyanates, and the importance of antioxidants such as beta-carotene, fibre in relation to preventing heart disease, constipation and cancer. Pupils could use the Internet to also look at the fears express concerning the use of GM Crops. Suitable topics would be pollen dispersion (Prof. Jean Emberlin of the Pollen Research Unit), Horizontal Gene Transfer (Prof. Terje Travik, head of Virology, School of medicine,University of Toronto and Scientific Director at the Norwegian School of Green Ecology, Tromso,) and its impact on soils (Mr Max A , Turner, Dr Neil Macgregor of Massey University in new Zealand).
At GCSE level, pupils could explore the theme of DISCERNMENT in the same way as above but at greater depth. They could make a table of chemicals to show how far each one is naturally biodegradable. They could compare of plant based surfants such as ethonal and citrate. At A/S level this theme could be explored at greater depth. Pupils could also study viscosity. The teacher could relate it to everyday life; in that the more flexible we are the more we can flow through life just as more viscous the liquid the greater the flow, even around obstacles in its path.
At
GCSE level, pupils could identify and compare the financial and environmental
costs of generating electricity using fossil fuels and alternative renewable
sources such as wind. They could visit an alternative centre for energy
to learn more about renewable sources.
At GCSE and AS/A level, the theme could be introduced in the form of writing critical appraisals of musical compositions by famous composers.
|
|||||||||||||
Training Update: 2006 All SSEHV courses are free to attend, although a refundable deposit of £10 may be required at registration (this is to cover photocopying costs of the extensive handouts provided at the course for you to keep). Details of all our training courses, together with contact information and dates can be found on our website at www.ssehv.org.uk, in the Training section. Forthcoming SSEHV courses are: Maidstone-Kent,
Foundation Course
- Contact:
Selvum Padiachey Leicester
- Values in Parenting Course - Contact:
Michele White Leicester
- Foundation Course - Contact:
Michele White Pinner
- Middlesex, Foundation Course - Contact:
Pamela Nash Cynwyl
- Carmarthen, Foundation Course - Contact:
Pamela Nash If there is no course scheduled in your area but you would like there to be one, this can be organised, as long as there are a minimum of ten people who would like to attend. Please contact Pamela Nash for more information. |
|||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||
Copyright
© 2006 British Institute of Sathya Sai Education (BISSE). BISSE is
a non-profit organisation committed to promoting human values in education.
Registered address: The Glen, Cuckoo Hill, Pinner, Middlesex HA5 2BE United Kingdom Tel: +44 (0) 20 8429 2677 Email: feedback@ssehv.org.uk |