Active Citizenship and the Democratic World · 1st Year

Active learning ideas

Understanding Personal Identity

Active learning helps students grasp identity as a dynamic concept rather than an abstract idea. By engaging with hands-on tasks, students connect theory to their lived experiences, making the topic more relevant and memorable. Collaboration also builds empathy as they hear peers share varied perspectives on belonging and identity.

• NCCA Curriculum Specifications
• NCCA: Junior Cycle - Human Dignity

• 20–40 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 3 activities

Activity 01

• Hundred Languages
• 40 min · Whole Class

Identity Web Mapping

Students create visual maps of the different groups they belong to, such as sports clubs, music groups, or cultural organizations. They then use colored string to connect with classmates who share similar affiliations, creating a physical web of the classroom community.

Analyze how personal experiences contribute to individual identity.

Facilitation Tip

During Identity Web Mapping, circulate and ask students to explain connections between their circles to ensure they move beyond listing traits to describing relationships.

What to look for

Students will respond to the prompt: 'Write down one internal influence and one external influence that has shaped your identity. Then, explain how one personal experience has impacted how you see yourself.'

• Understand
• Apply
• Create
• Self-Awareness
• Self-Management
• Social Awareness

Activity 02

• Think-Pair-Share
• 20 min · Pairs

Think-Pair-Share: Community Rules

Students individually list three rules they think are essential for any group to function fairly. They then pair up to negotiate a combined list of five rules before sharing their top priority with the whole class to find common ground.

Differentiate between internal and external influences on self-perception.

Facilitation Tip

For Think-Pair-Share: Community Rules, provide sentence stems like 'In my community, we...' to guide students in articulating shared values without assuming uniformity.

What to look for

Facilitate a small group discussion using the question: 'How might understanding your own identity help you understand someone else's perspective, even if they are very different from you?' Encourage students to share specific examples.

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

Activity 03

• Role Play
• 35 min · Small Groups

Role Play: The Newcomer

Small groups act out scenarios where a new person joins a community group, focusing on how the group can make the newcomer feel a sense of belonging. Students discuss which actions were most effective in upholding the person's dignity.

Explain how understanding one's own identity can impact interactions with others.

Facilitation Tip

In Role Play: The Newcomer, assign roles randomly to encourage students to step outside their own experiences and consider multiple viewpoints.

What to look for

Present students with a list of scenarios (e.g., 'Joining a new sports team,' 'Moving to a new school,' 'Celebrating a family holiday'). Ask them to identify whether the primary influence on identity in each scenario is internal or external, and to briefly justify their choice.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness

A few notes on teaching this unit

Experienced teachers approach identity work by creating a safe space for vulnerability, modeling curiosity about differences, and normalizing change in identity over time. Avoid framing identity as fixed or requiring consensus on group values. Research suggests that students benefit from structured opportunities to reflect on how their roles shift in different contexts, which builds critical thinking about belonging.

Students will demonstrate an understanding that identity is layered and evolves through participation in different groups. They will articulate how internal traits and external influences shape their sense of self. Successful learning is evident when students respect diverse identities and recognize the value of multiple viewpoints.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Identity Web Mapping, watch for students who create a single central circle with all traits listed in one layer.

  Gently redirect by asking, 'Which of these traits feel most connected to your family? Which ones come from your hobbies?' to help them see layers as overlapping rather than hierarchical.

• During Think-Pair-Share: Community Rules, watch for students who assume all group members share the same values without discussion.

  Prompt the pair to list one area where they disagree on a community rule and explain why the rule matters to them, then share with the class.

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Methods used in this brief

• Hundred Languages
• Think-Pair-Share
• Role Play