Lesson video

Hello, my name's Mrs. Hastings.

Welcome to today's lesson.

It comes from the unit How is UK Society Diverse and Changing? And today's lesson is called Can Identity be Defined? So this is quite a challenging concept, the concept of identity.

So I'm expecting us to learn a lot and think really hard during our learning journey today.

Good luck with your learning.

By the end of today's lesson, you will be able to explain how identity is shaped by different factors and how people may have multiple changing identities.

Because of the nature of this topic, there are some important ground rules that we're going to go through now.

Firstly, as Laura says, "We need to listen to others.

It is okay to disagree with each other, but we should listen properly before making assumptions or deciding how to respond.

When disagreeing, challenge the statement, not the person." Andeep says, "We must respect privacy.

We can discuss examples, but do not use names or descriptions that identify anyone, including ourselves." Izzy says, "Choose your level of participation.

Everyone has the right to choose not to answer a question or join discussion.

We never put anyone on the spot." And Jacob says, "There should be no judgement.

We can explore beliefs and misunderstandings about a topic without fear of being judged." So it's really important to ensure that everybody feels happy and safe, that we follow these ground rules.

So keywords for today's lesson.

Identity.

Who a person is or the qualities of a person or group that make them different than others.

Nature.

These are the traits that we inherit through genes like eye colour, skin tone, or height.

And nurture, the environment and experiences that shape you after you are born.

There are two parts to our learning cycle in today's lesson, Can Identity be Defined? Firstly, what shapes a person's identity? And secondly, how do people have multiple identities? So let's start with the first learning cycle: What shapes a person's identity? What do we mean by identity? Can you have a discussion with your learning partner about what that actually means? So you might have explored the following in your discussions.

Your identity is basically what makes you, you.

It is the qualities that you have that make you unique.

And your identity can be shaped by many different factors.

So how is our identity shaped? Genetics.

Genes are passed down from your biological parents and they affect things like your appearance.

So things like your hair colour or your eye colour.

Your biological sex.

So whether you are born male or female.

And even aspects of your personality.

So it might be that you have a particular personality trait that your parent has passed on from your parents.

Family and upbringing.

So the people who raise us and the environment we grow up in shape our values, beliefs, and traditions.

So it might be that you're brought up in an urban area or in the countryside and those sorts of things would affect your values, your beliefs, and the traditions.

Culture and religion.

So maybe linking to your family and upbringing, you might be from a particular culture or follow a particular religion.

So your culture can include language, food, customs, and religion.

And these influence how we see the world, how we behave, and where we feel we belong.

Media and technology.

So social media, music, TV, and online trends can influence your interests and how you think and therefore, impact on how you identify and your identity.

Education and school.

So what you learn, who you meet, so who your friends are at school, maybe your teachers can help to shape your ideas, your values, and your future goals.

And your biological sex, your body's hormones and the way others treat you based on your sex can affect how you see yourself and your identity.

So if you see yourself as female and other people see you as female, they might treat you in a particular way and that impacts on your identity.

Your friends and your social groups.

So the people you spend time with can affect your interests.

It might be that you spend a lot of time with people who enjoy playing football or cricket, and that can influence your identity.

Your style.

So how you dress, how your appearance is, and even how you speak.

Personal experiences.

The things can happen in your life, both good and bad things.

And that can change your identity, change how you think and how you feel about yourself.

And location and community.

So where you live, I've already mentioned urban or rural areas, maybe in a wealthy area or a less wealthy area.

And these can affect your opportunities and therefore, your identity.

So let's check our understanding of those things that we've learned about so far.

So I'd like you to match the named identity to the description.

So A, genetics, B, culture, C, personal experiences, and D, location.

And then the descriptions are one, language, food, and religion can shape your views.

Two, affect how you look and aspects of your personality.

Three, where you live can affect your opportunities and identity.

And four, things that happen in your life impact how you think.

So match the named identity to the description.

So let's check whether we've got those correct.

So A, genetics, this is matched to number two, affect how you look and aspects of your personality.

B, culture matches to number one, language, food and religion can shape your views.

C, personal experiences matches to number four, things that happen in your life impact how you think.

And D, location, therefore, matches to number three, where you live can affect your opportunities and identity.

So well done if you matched those correctly.

So the factors that shape our identity can be separated into nature.

So these are the traits that we inherit through our genes.

So it could be things like personality traits or looks, how we look.

And then nurture.

This is the environment and experiences that shape you after you are born.

So what I'd like you to do is identify the correct term for each of the following sentences.

So what refers to the traits that we inherit through our genes and what refers to the environment and experiences that shape you after you are born.

So nature refers to the traits that we inherit through our genes, and nurture refers to the environment and experiences that shape you after you are born.

So well done if you correctly identified those.

Onto our first practise task.

What I would like you to do is to organise the following factors that shape a person's identity under the correct headings on the table.

So we've got nature on one side and nurture on the other.

So remember what those two terms mean.

And then can you correctly put the factors that shape a person's identity underneath the correct heading on that table? And you might wanna think about whether it it comes under, which of those two it comes under.

So you've got genetics, family, culture, religion, community, school, friends, and social media.

So pause the video whilst you complete that task.

So well done for completing that task.

So I asked you to organise the following factors that shape a person's identity under the correct headings on the table.

So your completed table should look like this.

It's actually only one under nature, and that's genetics.

All the other things are to do with nurture, experiences and things that shape us, not genetics.

So nurture would be family, culture, religion, community, school, friends, and social media.

So well done if you put those under the right headings.

So let's move on to the second part of our learning cycle today.

Second learning cycle is how do people have multiple identities? So more than one, many different identities.

So Aisha's asking the question can identity be multiple or changed depending on context? What do you think? Well, the answer is yes, it can.

People can have multiple identities because different aspects of who they are become more visible in different situations.

For example, someone might be a daughter at home, a pupil at school, and a football player on the pitch.

And they may behave differently in each situation, but all of these versions are still part of their overall identity.

So when you're a daughter at home, you might be helpful around the house.

When you're a pupil at school, you might be a really good learner and know what good learning means.

And as a football player on the pitch, you might be quite competitive and have that competitive edge.

So they're all different parts of personality and identity that you're changing and adapting in different situations.

So is identity fixed or does it evolve? Does it change over time, Aisha's asking.

Again, what do you think? So again, the answer is yes, it does evolve.

It's not a fixed thing, our identity.

Over a lifetime, we experience new things and our views and values and beliefs, they can shift and change as we get older, as we have different experiences and it can be influenced by many things.

For example, our education, our relationships, media, personal challenges or major life events, they can all change and have an impact on our identity.

So because of this, our identity is often described as fluid.

It changes as we learn more about ourselves and the world around us.

Our identity can change over time as we grow, learn, and have new experiences.

How you see yourself at 10 years old might be very different from how you see yourself at 16 or at 30.

You might be into different things.

You might have different relationships.

You might have had different experiences or new experiences that impact on your life and your identity.

So for example, as we get older, new influences like social media, friendships, or education can shape how we think, behave, and express ourselves.

We also begin to understand ourselves more deeply, and this might lead us to connect with new values, beliefs, interests, or communities that shape who we are.

So let's check our understanding.

True or false: a person's identity is shaped by one significant thing.

Is that true or false? It is false.

So well done if you correctly identified that that statement, a person's identity is shaped by one significant thing is false.

Why? Most people have multiple identities.

This is because our identity is shaped by many factors.

It can change over time and in different situations.

So Amina is 15 years old and lives in the UK.

At home she speaks Urdu with her family, celebrates religious festivals, and helps her younger siblings with homework.

At school, she's a hardworking pupil and part of the science club.

On weekends, she plays guitar in a local youth band and hangs out with friends at the skate park.

So what different identities does Amina have and how might they show up in different parts of her life? Have a think about that question.

Have a conversation with your learning partner, what you think the answer to it might be.

So Amina's identity is made up of many different parts.

She's a family member, she's a pupil, she's a musician, she plays guitar, and she's a friend who hangs out with her friends at skate park.

All of these parts come together to form who Amina is.

She might show different sides of herself in different places, but every part is important and helps to shape her identity.

David is 45 years old and works as a community artist who creates murals to celebrate local history and culture.

At work, he collaborates with schools and neighbourhood groups to bring people together through art.

At home, he's a single dad raising two teenagers and enjoys cooking meals from his multicultural heritage.

On weekends, David mentors young people at a community centre helping them develop confidence and skills to become active citizens.

So again, think about this question, have a conversation with your learning partner.

In what ways might David's identity as an artist, parent, and mentor influence how he takes part in and shapes his local area? So David has many parts to his identity and your conversations might have included the fact that he's an artist, he's a parent, he's a mentor, and all of these elements will influence how David participates in and impacts his community.

Each part of his identity helps him contribute in different ways to shaping the local area.

So for example, the fact that he's a parent of teenagers and a single parent might shape his identity into thinking, "Well, what do I need as a single parent and what do my teenagers need in the local area? What things might help them to have a better life in that area?" So let's check our understanding.

I'd like you to fill in the missing words from this paragraph.

A person's identity can change over what.

With time, views, values, and beliefs may change because of our what.

For example, an individual may not have a religious belief at a young age, but this may change as they get older.

So a person's identity can change over time.

With time, views, values, and beliefs may change because of our experiences.

For example, an individual may not have a religious belief at a young age, but this may change as they get older.

So well done if you correctly found the missing words in that paragraph.

So onto our practise task.

I'd like you to complete the following.

How can people have multiple identities? I'd like you to describe how someone can have more than one identity.

Consider what shapes someone's identity and how it can change depending on the situation and time.

I'd like you to use examples to show how this works in real life, perhaps drawing on your own experiences and identity.

So I'd like you now to pause that video whilst you complete the task explaining how can people have multiple identities? So well done for completing that task.

How can people have multiple identities? And I asked you to describe how someone can have more than one identity.

So how does your answer compare to this example? People can have multiple identities because different parts of who they are might come out in different situations.

For example, someone might be a sibling at home, a volunteer at a local charity, and a musician in a band.

They might behave a little differently in each place, but all these versions are still part of who they are.

Someone might also have more than one cultural identity.

For instance, a person born in the UK to Indian parents might feel connected to both cultures.

They might speak English at school, but eat Indian food and celebrate cultural festivals like Diwali at home.

And we continue.

How does your answer further compare to this example? A person's identity can change as they grow, learn new things, or have different experiences.

For example, becoming a parent can add a whole new part to someone's identity.

They might still be a friend, an employee, or part of a certain culture, but they also see themselves as a parent which can influence their priorities, values, and relationships with others.

So check how your answer compared to that example and well done for completing that task.

To summarise then what we've learned in today's lesson Can Identify be Defined? Identity is made up of the qualities, characteristics, and experiences that make each person unique.

Everyone has an identity, but no two people have exactly the same one.

There are many different factors that help shape our identity.

Some of these come from nature, the things we are born with, others come from nurture, the environment we grow up in.

Both nature and nurture work together to influence who we are.

People can have multiple identities because different parts of who they are show up in different situations, e.

g.

, at home, at school, or in cultural and religious settings.

Identity can also change over time.

It is not fixed, it's fluid.

As we grow and experience new things, our views, values, and beliefs may shift too.

Well done for completing today's lesson.

I hope you enjoyed it and that you've learned lots.

It's made you really think about identity, who you are and how that can change, and how you can be having multiple identities and how it's not a fixed thing.

I look forward to seeing you again soon.

Goodbye.