Lesson video

Hi, I'm Mrs. Allchin and I'm going to be taking you through this citizenship lesson today.

I'm going to give you all the information that you need to be successful and I'm also going to pause and tell you when to complete a check for understanding or a task.

Hope you enjoy the lesson.

This lesson is called "Why is it important to consider the views of others?" and it's taken from the unit of work "How can I be a changemaker in my community?" By the end of this lesson, you will be able to understand how you can use the views of others to make your citizenship action more successful.

Our keywords for today's lesson are: views, which are people's opinions or what they think about something; collaboration, which is working together towards an outcome or to produce something.

A campaign group, for example, should support each other and communicate well.

And successful, which is achieving what you set out to do or getting a good result.

Our lesson outline for "Why is it important to consider the views of others?" is we're going to look at Why are the views of others important? and also, Why is team collaboration important? So we're going to start by looking at Why are the views of others important? So in planning your citizenship action, it's important to carefully consider the views of others as this will help you to be more successful.

It can ensure that you listen to and understand diverse perspectives, it strengthens evidence and it improves the methodology of your action.

So Jun is asking, "Why is it important to listen to diverse perspectives?" For any action to be successful, people need to believe in and support the issue that the action is seeking to address.

It's no good to simply presume that because you think something is an issue, other people will too.

You need to check this via primary research.

So you need to ultimately check that the thing that you think is an issue is actually an issue to others.

And that's why listening to diverse perspectives is really important because different people are going to have different views and their opinions could be different to yours.

So it just gives you that much more grounding about whether or not your action is actually appropriate in the first place.

So Jun is asking, "What is primary research and how can I use this to gather diverse perspectives about my issue?" Pause and have a think about that question.

So primary research is the research that you carry out to yourself.

So that might be questionnaires, that might be observations, that might be a focus group, and it's a great way to find out what people think about the issue you are hoping to tackle and it'll provide evidence as to whether what you perceive to be an issue is shared by others.

If it is not shared by others, this suggests that it's a good idea to rethink and perhaps change your initial plans, because if you and a couple of your friends really want to tackle a certain issue and you're really passionate about that, but then when you talk to lots of other people, no one else seems to think that's an issue, you might need to rethink that a little bit.

So let's have a check for understanding.

How did Sam's primary research give her confidence that her citizenship action could be successful? So let's listen to Sam.

"I want to lobby our local government for an increase in street lighting.

I surveyed lots of students in school and staff that live locally too.

87% thought there needed to be improved street lighting and 62% of these actually said they currently felt unsafe in certain areas due to the lack of visibility." So how did that primary research give Sam confidence that a citizenship action could be successful? So she gathered views from young people and adults and an overwhelming majority agreed that the lack of lighting was an issue.

This will make it easier to lobby local government as she can evidence how many others also want to see action about this issue.

So it's not Sam saying, "I don't like the fact that there's not much street lighting." She's actually able to use these statistics to actually explain and describe how people are feeling and that it is an issue for lots of people.

So Jun is asking, "How can listening to the views of others strengthen evidence?" Pause and have a think about that question.

As well as providing evidence that people agree with your issue, listening to the views of others can also provide further evidence to support your action.

Carrying out observations or speaking to people during a focus group can provide important data that can then be used to try and instigate change with decision makers.

So let's have a check for understanding.

How might Alex's primary research help his action to be successful? So Alex is saying, "I'm asking our senior leadership team to add more recycling bins in the canteen.

I think this will help us recycle more.

I watched students at lunch and saw that those near a recycling bin used it.

27 pupils on the other side of the canteen put bottles in the normal bin instead.

I spoke to eight of them and they all said they used the normal bin because it was closer and the recycling bin was too full." So how might Alex's primary research help his action be successful? So Alex's primary research might have helped him to be successful because the observation has provided evidence that supports his theory.

He can then use this to try and persuade his senior leadership team to increase the number of bins.

So Jun is asking, "How can listening to the views of others improve the methodology of my action?" So that's actually how can it improve what it is you actually do, the methods that you use? So pause and have a think about that question.

Seeking the views of others can also help you consider the logistics behind the action you are carrying out.

You can use questionnaires and interviews to ask people questions that could then support you with tailoring your action in a way that will make it more successful.

If a group of pupils wanted to set up a food donation point in school to support a local food bank, listening to the views of others within their school community could be very useful.

Asking questions such as: Would you be likely to donate? How many times a month would you be likely to donate? Where would you prefer to donate? What could we do to make donations easy for you? Are there any logistical barriers that would make donating difficult? So let's have a check for understanding.

How did gathering the views of others support this action? So let's have a look together.

"74% of staff said they'd be happy to donate, most likely once a month.

They said they preferred to drop off food near main reception so they could do it quickly when arriving at school.

They also said it needed to be fast as they're often busy and can't wait around.

I shared this with our caretaker and she agreed that we can put a large drop off bucket in reception.

She'll move the donations to a store cupboard each month ready for the food bank to collect." So how did gathering the views of others support this action? Gathering the views of others' support of this action because it showed that staff, first of all would actually support the idea, as many said they would be happy to donate.

And it also gave the group lots of useful tips like making sure the donation point's in an essential place and quick to use.

Pupils can use this to set up a better donation point, making that action more likely to work, because ultimately, people will be more likely to donate.

For Task A, I'd like you to write an opposing argument to Laura's statement.

Your argument should include examples of why considering the views of others can make an action more successful.

So Laura is saying, "I don't really see the point of finding out the views of others.

I know the issue I've chosen is important, so therefore I don't really see the point in wasting time finding out what others think." So pause while you have a go at this task.

Your opposing argument may have included: "I understand that Laura is passionate about her issue, but I don't agree with the fact that finding out other people's views is a waste of time.

In fact, listening to others can make your action more successful.

For one, it helps you understand different perspectives.

Just because you think the issue is important, it doesn't mean that everyone else sees it in the same way.

By hearing others' views, you can see the bigger picture and maybe even discover new angles or problems you hadn't thought about." You may have also included: "Also, it helps you strengthen your evidence.

If you're campaigning about something like food poverty or sustainability, collecting opinions through surveys or interviews gives you real data to back up your point.

This makes your action more convincing to decision makers.

Finally, listening to others can actually improve how you take action.

Someone might suggest a better method or point out a flaw in your plan.

For example, if you're planning a school event, talking to students or teachers first could help you make it more effective and get more support." We're now going to have a look at Why is team collaboration important? Working together collaboratively as a group is important within active citizenship as this will: build teamwork and communication skills, reflect skills that are needed for real life democratic action; it helps projects be more organised and therefore have greater impact; and help to prepare pupils to be active and informed citizens.

Group collaboration will take place during each step of your active citizenship project and particularly during the Get Planning and Taking Action stages.

So Aisha's asking, "Why will my team and I need to collaborate?" Pause and have a think about that.

So let's think about the Get Planning phase.

So you'll need to work together to pick an issue that everyone supports.

When planning your action, use each of the strengths and think carefully about who will do what and why.

So Aisha's saying, "I'm good at public speaking, so I will take a lead on these aspects of our action.

Izzy has amazing writing skills, so she'll be taking a lead on writing to MPs.

This will help us to be successful." So it makes sense to collaborate and talk to each other about what you enjoy and where your skill sets are 'cause that will help you to be more successful.

In the Take Action stage, ensuring that everyone has a clear role will help active citizenship to be more successful.

If everyone has an identified role that has been agreed collaboratively, this avoids people duplicating work because that's just gonna waste time if you've got people overlapping on jobs.

It helps everyone to do their best if they work in areas they're confident in.

For example, if someone finds numbers tricky, it's better for someone else to take the lead on budgeting.

Let's have a check for understanding.

State three ways in which team collaboration can support the success of an active citizenship project.

So you might have said any of these: That it ensures everyone is comfortable with the chosen issue and action.

Supports organisation.

Allows people to work to their skillset.

Everyone has a clear role.

Ensures time is used effectively and not wasted.

Collaboration with an active citizenship also develops the skills needed for real life citizenship where change often happens through collective action.

For example, through petitions, group campaigns and lobbying.

So Aisha's asking, "How do these involve collaboration?" So think about those: petitions, group campaigns and lobbying.

How do they involve collaboration? Petition needs lots of people to support it.

They won't be successful if only one person signs it.

So collaboration helps to spread the message behind the petition, collecting signatures and raising awareness about the issues involved.

A successful campaign means planning, communicating and action, which is why working as a team can be a good idea and help an action to be more successful.

A group can also work together to troubleshoot when things don't go to plan.

This might involve supporting team members who are struggling, adapting the action plan or changing key aspects of the action completely.

And that's really important.

It's really important to go into these active citizenship projects, understanding that things very possibly will go wrong.

That's very, very normal in these sorts of projects.

And actually collaborating together to troubleshoot and try and work out what's gone wrong and how to unpick it and how to get back on track is a really, really important part of collaboration.

And people bring different skills and ideas to a project as well.

And that's again why collaboration is so important.

Lobbying means trying to influence decision makers like MPs or local councillors.

Lobbying is more powerful when lots of people work together to show how important an issue is and how much public support is behind it.

A united voice is therefore much harder for decision makers to ignore.

Let's have a check for understanding.

State three examples of collective action that requires skills of collaboration.

So you hopefully have said: petitions, group campaigns and lobbying.

Team collaboration is vital within active citizenship.

Working as a team ensures a more effective and successful project, as work can be divided up, people can work to their skillsets and setbacks can be tackled together.

It also gives your project a unified voice.

Working as a team and developing collaboration skills will also support with future active citizenship as these reflect how real citizenship often works in groups and communities.

So let's have a check for understanding.

What are the missing words? So have a read and can you work out what the missing words might be? Let's see how you got on.

Team collaboration is vital within active citizenship.

Working as a team ensures a more effective and successful project, as work can be divided up, people can work to their skill sets and setbacks can be tackled together.

It also gives your project a unified voice.

Working as a team and developing collaboration skills will support with future active citizenship as these reflect how real citizenship often works in groups or communities.

For Task B, I'd like you to write an opposing argument to Jacob's statement.

Your argument should include why team collaboration is important, both during the active citizenship project and for future citizenship action.

So let's hear what Jacob's saying.

"Team collaboration is really not that important for active citizenship.

As long as I know what I'm doing and I can do this well, that's all I will need to be successful.

What other people can and cannot do won't impact the success of the action." So you need to write an opposing argument to that statement.

Pause while you have a go at this task.

So your opposing statement might have included: "I disagree with Jacob's statement.

Team collaboration is really important for active citizenship.

Even if you are confident and capable on your own, working with others can make your project stronger and more effective.

For example, during the active citizenship project, you often need to do lots tasks at once, like research, interviews and planning events.

You can't do all of that properly by yourself.

A team helps you share the workload so everything is done to a high standard.

Also, collaboration means more ideas and different perspectives.

This helps you understand your issue better and come up with a range of ideas for actions.

It also means people can work to their skillset, which helps you to be more successful.

Working in a team also helps build important citizenship skills that are essential for future citizenship action, for example, helping you to gather signatures on a petition or lobbying decision makers.

In the real world, change usually happens when people work together as a united group, not when they work alone." So in summary of the lesson, "Why is it important to consider the views of others?" Considering the views of others can ensure you listen to and understand diverse perspectives, strengthen the evidence that you can present to decision makers and improve the methodology of your action.

Collaboration with your team and considering their views can build teamwork and communication skills that reflect the skills that are needed for real-life democratic action.

It helps your action be more organised and therefore have greater impact and meaning is more likely to be successful.

That brings us to the end of this lesson.

Well done for all your hard work, and I hope you come back with some more citizenship lessons in the future.