Choices Y5 Resource Hub

Session 6:

Me in the world (part one)

Session overview

Until now, we've mainly considered how things are 'received' by us; our internal perspectives on situations. We've evaluated the impact external factors have on our internal view, in essence, our identity. These include:

the impact of how we are seen by other people
how friends and groups influence our behaviour and actions
how our needs and the extent to which these are met can drive us towards specific actions

During the subsequent three sessions, we'll explore how searching for answers to our unmet needs can create significant vulnerability and a mechanism for other people to access this and manipulate us. The focus shifts to examining what we 'transmit' to the world due to these factors (with particular consideration of our unmet needs). We'll continue to build a picture of how this not only makes us more vulnerable but also provides a way for people to use that vulnerability to identify, target and gain access to us. This can create an opportunity for others to manipulate us for their own ends.

We'll consider how we communicate more generally and in online spaces to understand that we are constantly sharing with the world, consciously by what we say (in person or online) and subconsciously through our actions, behaviour and demeanour.

Specifically, we'll look at some of the negative influences that we might encounter, firstly from the perspective of Marcus but broadening out to our own situations. Pupils will consider how these can put us at risk from people or groups intent on taking advantage for their own ends (e.g. gangs, CSE, and radicalisation). We'll begin to consider what 'grooming' means and what the process entails, exploring how some groups can identify, target, and access young people to lure them towards potentially harmful outcomes that put their futures seriously at risk.

A. Session aims & objectives

Understand that what we say and how we communicate could identify us to others
Begin to understand the processes sometimes used to groom young people

B. Learning outcomes

I understand how my actions might communicate things that could put me at risk
I can recognise and identify behaviours that negatively influence young people

C. Terminology introduced

Example definitions of key terminology are included but, wherever possible, use pupils' own agreed descriptions as per previous sessions.

Grooming
A process of befriending and establishing an emotional connection with a child to abuse or exploit them. This can occur online or face-to-face, by a stranger or by someone they know - for example, a family member, friend or professional.

D. Resources required

❏ Pupils handheld devices (eg iPads, Chromebooks)

❏ Checklist for Session Six

❏ Slide pack for Session Six

Session title
Optional homework - Scene 1: Identifying Karl
Optional homework - Scene 2: In the park
Basic human needs
Statements by Marcus
Grooming
Definition of 'grooming'
Digital facts
Online influence

❏ Sticky notes

❏ Flipchart

E. Assessment opportunities

Activity one offers an opportunity to benchmark pupils' understanding of the term 'grooming' and then check how much that understanding has developed throughout the session by retesting understanding during the plenary.

Starter activity: Session five recap

Last time we looked at some of our needs and vulnerabilities and understood the importance of having values (i.e. looking specifically at British Values and Children's Rights). In this session, we take a closer look at Marcus's choices.

Recap and review ground rules as a class.

Discuss any rules created that worked well, together with any that didn't work – do they need to change?

Make amendments if required. Either way, ensure that pupils understand why we have ground rules and why they are essential.

EXPLAIN:

Last time we looked at the basic needs that drive us to make certain choices and how this affected Marcus.

Introduce Learning Outcomes for this session.

Optional extension / homework activity review

Carefully review the two scenarios pupils completed. They may wish to refer back to any notes they made on Resource Sheet: 5a Identifying with Karl and 5b: In the park, to draw out the relationship between our basic needs and the choices we make.

Use Slides 2 and 3 that show the scenarios. Allow additional 10 minutes.

Activity one: Marcus' needs

This activity will help pupils build empathy with Marcus and, in doing so, safely explore their own feelings via his dilemma. The term 'grooming' is introduced, so you may wish to think about how best to pitch this to pupils. The word mustn't be associated with particular forms of abuse. For the purpose of this programme, it means the process for any exploitation of young people by whoever may be trying to influence them. It's also vital to stress/explore with pupils how their needs drive actions and behaviours, as we see in Marcus' case. Being aware of this will help them to keep themselves safe.

Hand out devices for pupils to read the interactive story from where they read to last time, up to the fifth check point (see below).

For pupils using iPads: To progress from the first checkpoint it will ask for check point 1 password (identity) and to progress from the second checkpoint it will ask for check point 2 password (influence) to progress from the 3rd checkpoint it will ask for check point 3 password (need) to progress from the 4th checkpoint it will ask for check point 4 password (dilemma)

For pupils using non-iPad devices: Read Episode 5

ASK: (open question to pupils by teacher):

What were the five 'basic needs' we looked at last time?

SHOW:

Slide 4: Basic human needs

A reminder before moving on to the following questions for discussion.

ASK: (open question to pupils by teacher):

Which of Marcus' needs does Andy appeal to?
What is different about the way Marcus acts as a result of this?
In what ways might someone like Andy help Marcus resist negative influences?

Draw out the kinds of things he might do (someone to talk to, offer advice, listen, get him involved in different hobbies or interests, etc.).

Recap the basic human needs first introduced during session five.

1. To survive — driven by the basic physical needs of food, water and security
2. To have power-driven by the need for success, acknowledgement and achievement
3. To love and belong — driven by the need to connect with others
4. To be free, to choose — driven by the need to have choices and control of your life
5. To have fun — driven by the need for enjoyment and reward for learning

EXPLAIN:

Like most people, Andy is a positive influence. However, some people may wish to influence us for their own negative reasons. They do this by manipulating our needs and befriending us by seeming to have an answer to those needs. So our psychological needs can potentially make us more visible to a whole range of people or groups. This is particularly important as we spend more time and share more thoughts and feelings online, where it's not always easy to work out exactly who we are interacting with.

ASK: (open question to pupils by teacher):

Considering Marcus, which basic need do you believe drives his thoughts?

SHOW:

Slide 5: Statements by Marcus

As a whole class, read through the nine statements that Marcus has made. Ask pupils to put themselves in his shoes and then discuss which of the basic needs is driving him to think/say each of the statements:

I need to protect myself
The only way to get respect from Karl is to act like him
I don't care what my parents say, it's my choice
Andy told me I'm talented
No one will mess with me now I know these guys
Watch me make this kid cry, guys
If I could learn how to be as good as these guys at art, it could really take me places
What do those teachers know? I don't have to do what they say
I'll always be there to look after my sister

Try to draw out that Marcus' needs drive his actions, either positively or negatively.

ASK: (open question to pupils by teacher):

What do you understand the term 'grooming' to mean?

Pupils should record their answers on a sticky note and place them on a flip chart entitled 'Grooming Definition 1'.

EXPLAIN:

We'll now look more closely at the methods used by others to influence us for their own reasons. You might have heard of the term 'grooming' to describe this. Basically, grooming applies to any situation where an individual is continually or repeatedly influenced to do things that they wouldn't ordinarily, or that could lead them to harm. This is usually the result of them feeling vulnerable in some way (e.g. acting upon one of the basic needs driving them).

SHOW:

Slide 6: Grooming

Review the definition with pupils, ensuring they understand the term. Working in tables, pupils should briefly think about and discuss how grooming might take place on and offline, sharing examples for a broader class discussion.

NB: It is more often the case that younger adults or older young people engage in the grooming of other young people, and while we should try to help pupils avoid becoming distrusting, we should make them aware of these risks both online and in the 'real' world.

Activity two: Understanding digital

In this activity, pupils will reflect on their own and other young people's use of technology and online interactions. Research suggests that young people experience a heightened risk of negative influence online and are potentially more vulnerable to being exploited due to the lack of the usual social cues, checks and balances that naturally come from face-to-face interactions.

EXPLAIN:

Marcus was influenced by the people around him because of the needs he demonstrated and how others used them to drive him towards a particular course of action.

In the same way, we will now look at how young people communicate to and with the world and how these communications can signal vulnerability.

Communication comes in various forms, not only how we speak to each other face-to-face or through our actions and body language, but increasingly through how we act online (e.g. gaming, social media, group chats, live streaming, etc.).

NB: Many young people will not clearly understand what 'going online' means; they may not consider the use of certain technologies as 'going online'. Therefore it's helpful to clarify what we mean by this, i.e. any activity that uses a device (phone, tablet, laptop, etc.) to connect to the internet or other people. Examples include browsing the web, using social media, playing games online, watching videos, etc. This activity is designed to draw out the ways people can 'connect' online.

Working in small groups and using sticky notes, ask pupils to list different ways they know or communicate online. Ask them to talk about the platforms they use (e.g. Instagram, Snapchat, House Party, TikTok etc.).

Record answers to evidence programme outcomes (e.g. a photograph of the sticky note wall).

SHOW:

Slide 8: Digital Facts

EXPLAIN:

We live in a time where:

half of all 9-16-year-olds have a smartphone
most 9-16-year-olds go online (either through smartphones or games consoles) at least once a week and often every day
two-thirds of all 9-16-year-olds have at least one social media account

Young people have more freedom to explore online spaces than ever before and for most digital technology plays a positive role in their lives:

it's a great way to keep in touch with friends and feel part of a community
it can be an essential distraction from pressures like exams
it provides somewhere else to hang out when family life gets a bit challenging, or even a place to find help from like-minded people who share our interests, passions and desires

ASK: (open question to pupils by teacher):

Apart from friends, who else might look at what we post online?
What about people you don't know? Can they access your online profiles or 'digital footprint'?

SHOW:

Slide 9: Online Influence

EXPLAIN:

Explain that although it's not common, sometimes people use the internet to find out about or gain access to us. They do this by:

sending content - videos or pictures that we might be interested in, to become our 'friends'
making contact - participating in online activity, discussions, chats, etc. • their conduct - peer-to-peer exchange encourages us to share images or other intimate data.

Therefore we must be aware of the things we post and the choices we make online and in the real world, as this can 'send signals' about our vulnerabilities.