UNIT 1: IDENTITY

Introduction for teachers

“Who will my partner be?”

“Do we want to have children?”

“Which job will I choose?”

The focus of this unit: choices shape identities

These are three of the most important choices we make in our lives. In our teens and twenties, we ourselves looked for answers to these questions – and so do our students. By making these choices, we shape our identities – we decide what our lives will be like. Reversing these choices is painful and difficult, and as far as children are concerned, impossible. Our decisions not only impact on our own lives, but other people’s too.

Identity – An intimate, very personal topic

More than any other unit in this volume, this unit on the concept of identity probably comes closer to the students’ most intimate experiences and wishes. The tasks in this unit are designed as choices. The method reflects the students’ experience.

Outline of unit 1

Lesson 1 introduces the students to the importance of making choices. In lesson 2, the students look back: what choices have had the strengest impact on their lives and identities? In lesson 3, the stu­dents look into the future, addressing the three key questions above. In lesson 4, they focus on one of these questions – choosing a job. A job-shadowing project is suggested as an extension (see student handout 1.4).

Constructivist concept of identity

In this unit the concept of identity is understood in a constructivist way Our identity is not just there, as something static and complete, but rather our seif develops throughout our lives, in a process of learning, and it is shaped by choices. Some choices are irreversible; others can be changed and cor-rected if we so wish (see materials for teachers 1.3).

Competence development: links to other units in this volume

What this table shows

The title of this manual, Taking part in democracy focuses on the competences of the active citizen in democracy. This matrix shows the potential for synergy effects between the units in this manual. The matrix shows what competences are developed in unit 1 (the shaded row in the table). The strongly framed column shows the competences of political decision making and action – strongly framed because of their close links to taking part in democracy. The rows below indicate links to other units in this manual: what competences are developed in these units that support the students in unit 1?

How this matrix can be used

Teachers can use this matrix as a tool for planning their EDC/HRE classes in different ways.

• This matrix helps teachers who have only a few lessons to devote to EDC/HRE: a teacher can select only this unit and omit the others, as he/she knows that some key competences are also developed, to a certain extent, in this unit – for example, making choices, understanding the pluralism of identities, exercising rights of liberty, responsibility in making choices that affect others.
• The matrix makes teachers aware of synergy effects that help the students to be trained in important competences repeatedly, in different contexts that are linked in many ways.

UNIT 1: Identity – Making choices

We shape our lives, and other people’s too