Tolerance and Empathy in Today's Classroom

Building Positive Relationships within the Citizenship Curriculum for 9 to 14 Year Olds

Tolerance and Empathy in Today's Classroom is an activity-based teacher's guide to fostering positive group interaction through imagined experience and discussion at Key Stages 2 and 3 (age 7 to 14).

In a series of interactive workshops, each one providing a context, a scenario and a list of characters, pupils are invited to engage in discussion, debate and negotiation to solve problems and meet challenges.

The primary focus is the promotion of tolerance, empathy and cooperation, as prescribed in the non-statutory framework for PSHE and Citizenship. Key transferable skills in oracy, enquiry and problem-solving are introduced and practised through each role-play, with

- specific links to the National Curriculum attainment targets for Speaking and Listening
- suggestions for extensive cross-curricular work.

The scenarios include local, national and international issues that will engage and interest young people. There are comprehensive facilitator notes and all the resources needed for groups of 30 young people.

Knowledge of citizenship is acquired most effectively through active participation. A culture of listening, valuing and responding to others needs to be established. This book helps promote active pupilship as a model for citizenship.

Andrew Hammond has worked as a KS2 Class teacher, KS3 Coordinator and Head of English and Drama. He writes extensively for educational publishers in the fields of Literacy, Drama, PSHE, Citizenship and classroom management. He is currently Head of English and KS2 Coordinator at a school in Surrey, where he lives with his wife and three children.