1st year SPHE students in a “Murder Hunt”

To ensure your child is reaping the benefits of the Junior Certificate Key Skill: Working with Others, ground rules need to be established. A really great method of demonstrating the need for establishing rules for group work is 'Murder Hunt'. It's so much more effective than just imposing a set of rules in the class; as when they get to create them, they take ownership of them, as the rules are based on their own experiences.

Through the process of discovering the murderer, they must communicate with each other in their ascribed roles as facilitator, note taker, researcher etc. Any problems that arose in the group are identified and resolved through establishing agreed behaviours for group work. This is then converted into an Action Plan to use for the next session of group work.

Also, students must identify what they did that either hindered or helped the group and award themselves a grade for their % of the total group effort. This form of self assessment is also another key aspect of the New Junior Cycle and it's a fabulous way of teaching your child personal responsibility.

'Being allocated different roles made it easier to listen to each other'. Charlie Ward-Pratt

Our SPHE students will get another opportunity to develop good relationships and resolve conflict during our Friendship Week (21st - 25th October, when they'll attend a workshop on conflict resolution. (Click on blog title to see more photos.)

Ms. Reynolds