Children thrive on responsibility. It is part of our duty as schools to foster their sense of responsibility... both personal responsibility for the decisions that they make and communal responsibility that acknowledges their role, and others roles, within a social and communal context.
I wanted to explore the idea of responsibility. What could children be responsible for in school? How many children can actually have a responsibility? How could working to enhance the sense of responsibility in a school help both the individual and the community at large?
These are a few thoughts... with pictures to go with it. The pictures are photographs of badges I had made. Children love badges, just as they thrive on responsibilities. It could be badges, it could be stickers, it could be cards on lanyards worn around necks...
This is a good one to start with.
I thought of calling a child a Member of Parliament, rather than School Councillor, because it sounds grander and connects with the real word... one that they might actually hear about. It presents opportunities to develop a really democratic system for Parliamentary membership in school, with a professional approach to addressing the pressing issues of the day. It supports teaching about democracy and political representation... and about listening to the viewpoints of others, about representing other people's views and about advocacy, public speaking and debate.
The Digital Native is the classroom technical support. The Digital Natives know all there is to know about technology and what they don't know... they fiddle with the thing until it works. This responsibility group are a real help to both the teacher and other pupils in the classroom. They're the first people called upon in the event of a software or hardware issue.
Don't know where the Find and Replace option in Word is? Call a Digital Native.
Computer frozen? Call a Digital Native.
Don't know the password for the iPod? Call a Digital Native.
Computer crashes during the Assembly? Call all the Digital Natives......
Server crashes? Call an experienced and preferably qualified computer technician.
Children who attend Lunchtime University should be recognised with a badge. They are, after all, responsible for their own learning. The Lunchtime University might run in a quiet classroom. Lunchtime University students are independent learners, they might (for example) use a range of Apps on iPad to teach themselves a foreign language that is outside of the remit of the curriculum. They might study videos on iTunesU or learn about Rainforests, courtesy of National Geographic.
A Leader of Learning carries a very big responsibility in every classroom. A Leader of Learning is someone you ask when you're stuck in The Pit. The Pit is that part of the lesson that you feel like you're at the bottom of a pit and you don't know how to get out. It's the bit where you're stuck. What do you do when you're stuck? Ask a Leader of Learning. Every table might have a Leader of Learning. The role might change daily, it might be reserved for those who show their true expertise. A Leader of Learning helps enable learners in the room and enable the teacher because, of course, if it is the Leader of Learning who is helping someone up out of the pit, the teacher is able to focus on others. The more Leaders of Learning there are, the more everyone knows the steps they can take when they find themselves in The Pit... the more independent the learners are and the more powerful the teacher and the teaching is... because there are many, many teachers in the room.
The Eco Warrior has a really important responsibility in the classroom. It is the Eco Warrior (or Warriors) who ensures that the computers are switched off at the end of the day. It is the Eco Warriors who switches off the digital projector at lunchtime, because Miss forgot again. The Eco warrior looks after the Earth's interests by looking after the school's interests by looking after the consumption of non-essential electricity. Last Eco Warrior out... turn out the lights.
Being a Play Pal is an incredibly important responsibility in school. The Play Pals make sure that everyone has someone to play with. They may institute and manage games in the playground. They organise the leagues, the points, the tables, the scores and the games that keep things interesting (for the competitive types, at least). Play Pals are the oil that make the playground games run smoothly. They are happy and co-operative players themselves.
The Classroom Co-ordinators are responsible for ensuring that the classroom runs like a well-oiled machine. They keep the pencils sharp, they make sure there are enough rulers in every pot, they make sure that resources are in the right place at the right time and that they are then returned to the right location, they make sure that books are collected and that they are stored neatly. Classroom Co-ordinators are essential in every classroom.
And other roles that I haven't yet had badges made for?
Lunchtime DJ - every self-respecting Dining Hall has resident DJ's, doesn't it?
Assembly Crew - otherwise; who puts out the benches, checks the radio microphones, checks the sound system, looks after the computer, etc, etc?
Hall Help - those children who help out with the little ones in the Dining Hall and perhaps get first call on second helpings once a week as an extra reward.
Environmental Club - who look after the grounds.
The Animals - who look after the needs of the school livestock.
Peer Mentors - a very highly trained group of people with a key responsibility... for helping everyone to get along better and seeing one another's point of view.
And I'm sure there are many more very successful roles that are being used in our schools to build children's self-esteem, give them an important role in the management of the school and truly develop that sense of personal and community responsibility.
http://www.schoolbadges.net/literacy-school-badges/jumbo-metal-literacy-school-badges.html
