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Pillars of Character – Fairness
Introduction
People often see decisions that help them as being "fair" and
those that do not as being "unfair." Fairness is often a matter of perception.
Although some decisions are clearly unfair, the fact is there is usually more
than one fair choice.
How can one be fair? Use the same rules for everyone so no one
has an unfair advantage. Being fair means you:
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Are open-minded and impartial – consider what people have to
say before you decide.
-
Are careful – get the facts, including opposing viewpoints,
before making decisions (especially blaming or accusing others).
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Treat people equally. Use the same standards for everyone in
the same situation.
(Adapted from Show-Me Character, University of
Missouri, and CHARACTER COUNTS! – The Six Pillars of Character, Josephson
Institute of Ethics.)
Target Audience
This guide provides 4-H leaders, EHC leaders and teens with
information and an activity to teach lessons on character to youth 9 to 12 years
old.
Objective
Participants will reinforce concepts of fairness by
participating in an experiential process of learning.
Teaching Recommendation
Experiential learning takes place when a person is involved in
an activity, looks back at it critically, determines what was useful or
important to remember and uses this information to perform another activity. In
the past few years, research in the area of experiential learning has
strengthened this approach by adding several key processing steps beyond simply
doing the activity or experience. These steps include:
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having the participant(s) experience the activity – perform
or do it;
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having the participant(s) share the experience by describing
what happened;
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asking participant(s) to process the experience to identify
common themes;
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having participant(s) generalize from the experience to form
principles or guidelines that can be used in real-life situations, e.g.,
life skills;
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asking participant(s) to apply what was learned to another
situation.
Providing an experience alone does not create "experiential
learning." The activity comes first. The learning comes from the thoughts and
ideas as a result of the experience. This is a "learn by doing" or experiential
process (Do–Reflect–Apply). Addressing each step in the process assures a
purposeful plan to obtain a specific goal.
Activity
| Activity: |
Rock/Paper/Scissors Tag |
| Pillar |
Fairness |
| Audience: |
10 or more 9 to 12 year old youth |
| Time: |
10 minutes or until everyone gets tired. |
| Objective: |
Participants will practice concepts of fairness by
playing a game of team tag. |
| What you need: |
Two teams of approximately the same number, a "free
zone" for each team, and a center line over which the two teams meet.
|
What you
say / do: |
Each team huddles and collectively decides which symbol
they will all throw. A fist means rock, a hand held flat is paper, and
two fingers , is for scissors. In two lines, the teams face each other
over the center line and begin to chant "Rock/Paper/Scissors" – one hand
beating the rhythm in the air – and on the next beat everyone on the
team throws the symbol that the group decided in the group huddle. The
team that throws the winning symbol chases the other team, trying to tag
as many of their players as possible before they reach their free zone.
Winning is determined as follows: Paper covers Rock, Rock breaks
Scissors and Scissors cut Paper. It takes a quick eye and lightning
response to realize whether you should chase or run. You’ll be surprised
at how often you get mixed up. If both teams find they have cast the
same symbol, just ¡egin again. All the tagged players join the team that
caught them. The teams constantly change numbers and faces, and the game
keeps going with everyone in it. |
Discussion Questions
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Which team won this game of tag?
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What determined which team won?
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Did you feel that everyone played fair? Why or why not?
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Did you see others only trying to tag certain people? Was
that fair?
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Did anyone try to get tagged by the other team? Was that
fair? Why or why not?
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Do you think everyone interpreted the instructions for the
game the same? Did that make the game unfair?
-
Because we all like to win, sometimes we are tempted to see
anything which puts us at a disadvantage as "unfair." How can you apply what
you learned in this game of tag to other situations?
(Adapted from The New Game Book by Beverly Hines, 4-H
Specialist/Section Leader - 4-H Program.)
Additional Resources
-
"Exercising Character" curriculum available through the
county Extension office has activity-based lesson plans to help teens and
other teachers to work with kids on issues of developing and strengthening
personal character.
-
"Building Assets Together: 135 Group Activities for Helping
Youth Succeed" is a collection of group activities and worksheets that help
young people explore assets that strengthen their lives, sources of support
and areas for growth. Available through the county Extension office or from
the Search Institute (800-888-7828).
-
Character Education Websites:
Character Counts!
Character Education/Utah State Office of
Education
Beverly Hines, 4-H Specialist/Section Leader - 4-H Program, and
Mike Klumpp, Youth Development Specialist
Back to 2001 Leader Training Guide
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