Teaching Sequence

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

Optional Preparation – Ground Rules For Classroom Discussion
30 minutes – Part A: Homelessness Is A Human Rights Issue
40 minutes – Part B: The Impact Of Media Representations
20 minutes – Reflection

Part A: Homelessness Is A Human Rights Issue

Step 1.

Start the lesson by organising the class into 4-6 groups. Ask each group to discuss the links between homelessness and human rights, taking notes along the way.

Step 2.

Instruct students to remain in their groups, and distribute pages from the Homelessness is a Human Rights Issue resource - a different page to each group. Ask them to read through the sheet and prepare to report back on what it says about the relationship between homelessness and human rights.

Note: There are seven pages in the document, but you could have any number of groups - not all of the information has to be used for the task to be effective. Some extracts are also slightly bigger or smaller - you may wish to distribute according to the skill level of different groups. You might even give one group multiple pages if they needed extension.

Step 3.

Summarise this part of the lesson by asking some volunteers to share their thinking about the link between homelessness and human rights.

Student responses may include:

A person experiencing homelessness may experience violations of their human rights.
A person experiencing homelessness may experience violations of the following human rights:
- adequate standard of living
- the right to education
- the right to liberty and security of the person
- the right to privacy
- the right to social security
- the right to freedom from discrimination
- the right to vote
The rights of people experiencing homelessness are just as important as the rights of everybody else.

Step 4.

Invite students to sit in a place where they can see the screen, and show this short clip from Life After The Oasis. The clip features Haley and her story of life as a person experiencing homelessness. Before you begin watching, remind students that the clip they are about to see features real people courageously sharing their stories.

Hayley's Story (https://vimeo.com/347230350/89c438565d)

Step 5.

Ask students to reflect on Haley’s experiences, paying special attention to what they now know about the link between human rights and homelessness. Guide students to write down their reflections in the space provided on the Student Worksheet.

Step 6.

Remind students of their learning from the Tuning In Lesson about the concepts of society and the institutions within society. Highlight that if a person’s human rights are being violated, it could be assumed that one or more of the institutions in society is failing in its role to achieve society’s common goals.

Part B: The Impact Of Media Representations

Step 1.

Ask students to move the classroom furniture so that they are seated in a large circle, with or without tables.

Explain to students that in this part of the lesson, they will find out more about whether the way that homelessness is portrayed in the media, impacts upon people’s view of homelessness and the decisions made by democratically elected governments. They will do so in a Socratic Seminar.

The Socratic Seminar strategy is based on a close analysis of a text – in this case, an online article. Students will read the New Matilda article, 'Media Lead Beat-Up Of Homeless, Bad Government Policy Follows', and draw conclusions about whether media representation of the issue of homelessness impacts upon the way the government addresses the issue. In a Socratic Seminar activity, students help each other understand the ideas, issues, and values reflected in a source through a group discussion. Students independently facilitate a group discussion around the ideas in the source. They should avoid using the discussion to assert their opinions or prove an argument. Through this type of discussion, students practice how to listen to one another, make meaning, and find common ground while participating in a conversation.

Step 2.

Before beginning the discussion, develop a set of classroom agreements around conduct during the discussion. These seminars have procedures that may not apply to other forms of discussion, so before beginning, it is important that everyone is aware of the protocols. Below are typical agreements that can be used to structure a Socratic Seminar activity. The needs of the whole class should be taken into consideration when setting these agreements.

Talk to each other, not just to the teacher.
Refer to evidence from the text to support your ideas.
Ask questions if you do not understand what someone has said, or you can paraphrase what another student has said for clarification (“I think you said this; is that right?”).
There’s no need to raise your hand to speak, but please be aware of how much you have spoken in relation to other students.
Avoid interrupting each other.
Don’t “put down” the ideas of another student. Instead, state your alternate interpretation or ask a follow-up question to help probe or clarify an idea.

Remind students that the purpose of the seminar is not to debate or prove a point but to more deeply understand what can be interpreted from the source.

Step 3.

Distribute the article 'Media Lead Beat-Up Of Homeless, Bad Government Policy Follows', and give students time to independently read, clarify their understanding and prepare ideas before beginning the seminar component of this activity. Students should have an opportunity to read and annotate the source with their own interpretations and ideas before the start of the class discussion.

Step 4.

Begin the seminar with the discussion leader, a student or the teacher, asking the following open-ended question:

Common statements or questions that can be used to facilitate discussion in a Socratic Seminar include:

Where does that idea come from in the source?
What does this word or phrase mean?
Can you say that in another way?
Who was the audience for this text? How does that shape our interpretation of these words?
Who was the author of this text? What do we know about him/her? How does that shape our understanding of these words?

If students require some more guidance during the discussion, you could prompt them with the following questions:

Describe some of the ways that the media portrayed people experiencing homelessness, as described in the article.
Describe the response that the council featured in the article had, to people experiencing homelessness.
Does the government reaction match what you know about how homelessness can result in human rights violations?
What responsibility does the government have to ensure that people’s human rights are not violated?
What do you think about the actions of the government described in this article?

While the seminar should run for between 15-30 minutes, it may take a few minutes for students to warm up - silence is normal and should be permitted, if not embraced! If students are feeling challenged by the Socratic Seminar activity, adapt the approach to a Fishbowl activity, with some students participating in the discussion in the centre of the room and the rest of the class acting as observers. Students can swap in and out of the middle as the feel their confidence grow.

Step 5.

After the Socratic Seminar activity, give students the opportunity to conduct a general evaluation of the process, and a specific analysis of their own performance. This will encourage students to consider how their ability to participate in future discussions can be improved. Ask students to respond to the following on the Student Worksheet:

At any point, did the seminar revert to something other than a shared conversation? If so, how did the group handle this?
What evidence did you see of people actively listening and building on others' ideas?
How has your understanding of this source been affected by the ideas explored in this seminar?
What parts of the discussion did you find most interesting? In what parts were you least engaged?
What would you like to do differently as a participant the next time you are in a seminar?

Click here to find out more about the Socratic Seminar teaching strategy from Facing History.

Reflection

Invite students to reflect, in writing, to the prompt below. There is space on the Student Worksheet for their response.

"In your opinion, why is it so important for the media to present news/issues in a fair and balanced way? Think about and refer to Haley's experiences, what you have learned about homelessness and human rights, and the impact of the media on government decisions?"

Differentiated Learning

Extension –Students could read this article from the Victorian Council Of Social Services’ Insight Magazine to gain a deeper understanding of the impact of media representation on government decisions.

Provisions for Learning Support – In Part B, while students are reading through the source material, facilitate a small group discussion with students who might feel challenged by the article. Highlight key phrases, clarify terms and concepts and work together to annotate the article so that students understand and can talk about the issues raised in it when the seminar activity begins.

Teacher Reflection

Take this opportunity to reflect on your own teaching:

What did you learn about your teaching today?
What worked well?
What didn't work so well?
What would you share?
Where to next?
How are you going to get there?

Life After The Oasis - Citizens, the Media and Government Policy

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