Is+it+fair?

=** 5. Is it fair? **=
 * //They are committed to equity and fairness, not just for themselves but also for others. They are committed to the common good. //**

How can we develop in students a commitment to equity and fairness? Such commitment begins in the classroom, with teacher modeling and with classroom meetings. It is echoed in the school with a fair and thoughtful disciplinary program and a school culture that involves students in discussions about the disciplinary program. This culture promotes student contributions to the common good, in the school and outside the school, in community service learning. Contributions to the common good can take many forms. Joel Westheimer has described three levels of citizenship, giving an example of how they might approach the issue of hunger in out society.

__Personally responsible citizens__ contribute food to a food drive. __Participatory citizens__ help organize food drives. __Social justice orientated citizen__s explore why people are hungry and seek to solve root causes.

====** Group discussion and problem-solving situations When there is a classroom discussion or a whole-school discussion, place an empty chair in the room. This chair represents those who are not being represented in the discussion. Ask whether everyone's needs are being equitably addressed. If fair always equal? Is equal always fair? What is the difference between Fair and fair? **==== ====An effective exercise to engage students in questions of fairness and equity is the National School Reform Faculty (NSRF) protocol called "Chalk Talk." In the center of a large blank sheet of newsprint (4 feet by 12 feet) write the question "What is fair?" Call on students to answer the question silently on the newsprint. They can build on each others' insights and make connections, but it is all done silently, on the newsprint. The teacher can feel free to add devils advocate questions. ====