Values determine what
kind of reaction we have to situations we encounter in life. Some
of these values we wear on our sleeves while others lie hidden in
our unconscious. Such values cause us to react in different ways.
Take for example a man who has no trust. He will see the world and
others as out to get him. He may also have fear, and therefore react
either aggressively or with terror when faced with a threat.
The Values Game allows students
to experiment with root causes to personal and social responses
to situations.
1. Ask the class to generate
a set of values. These need to include both positive and negative
ones. They need at least twenty.
2. Put these into a ‘hat’ and divide class into groups
of 4-6. Have each group draw four values from the hat and ask them
to use these values to explore possible responses to the following
set of unexpected events.
• You win the lottery
• A shadowy figure follows you as you walk through a dark
park
• A woman offers you a gift
• A parking attendant books you for parking too long
• You take a friend out for a meal and find they are vegetarian
These scenarios can of course
be added to by the class.
1. Have the class reflect
on the way they chose responses according to the matrix of values
they had.
2. Replay the game a week later and observe any growing sophistication
on the part of students in handling the process and thinking.
3. Have the settings role played for greater effect.
For further elaboration
of the thinking involved:
Look at history.
4. Choose figures from history
and look at their actions and make educated guesses as to the values
that underpinned their choices and actions.
Look at the recent history
of the group.
5. Consider some recent
experiences faced by the group. What were the values that generated
the responses to these situations?
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