Ideas for the classroom

Lifegame can be used for orientation to a new subject, dealing with a specific subject or for reviewing a subject. Each of these ideas for teachers is suitable for a one hour lesson or for combining into several lessons. They can be elaborated for specific needs, combined together or supplemented by other material (such as magazines). You can, of course, also use your own ideas. We welcome all suggestions for using the material, and these can be sent using the feedback box.

Start the class outlining the concepts of physical, psychological and social health, and that of coping ability. Discuss with students what these concepts mean to them and how they are manifested in their daily lives. Consider also the circumstances of life, and changing needs according to one?s age. It should be emphasized to students that the Lifegame character is only a virtual one whose life situations and choices are not real ? even if students might identify with the character during the game. After this groundwork the Lifegame is played in one group, several smaller groups, or individually.

Students might want to play the game several times and thus follow up consequences of their choices in the life of the character. The Lifegame is most often played by taking supposed risks, choosing best options, or from the point of view of one?s own real life choices.

When the game is over, collect and discuss the experiences and observations gathered. The printed Lifegame evaluation enables conversation about the health dimensions, and gives a basis for reviewing them once more before the end of the class.

1. What affects your choice?
Everyone creates an image of a difficult decision-making situation they have experienced. What feelings did this situation arouse? How did the situation proceed? What role did other people have in that situation? What factors affected your decision? How long did it take to decide? What helped or made the situation difficult? You can also use any situation from the Lifegame as a starting point.

Discuss these experiences in small groups and look for joint answers. Write a summary of these and then compare the experiences of the groups. Look for similarities in these situations. Why do people take risks?

2. Different paths
The class can be divided into groups. Students in each group imagine an important decision-making situation of concern to their own age group and act it out. One of the learners acts the role of a person who is to make the choice and starts by presenting the situation to the class. Two or three students present each alternative option and try to tempt the first student to choose them. The learner faced with making the decision then comments out loud on their thoughts while listening to the temptations offered by the others. Some members of the group can join in and discuss the decision, giving their views and trying to persuade their classmate in different ways.

Each short drama is followed by a discussion. How realistic was it? What kinds of consequences would each alternative imply? What other options would there be in such a situation? What kind of effect did friends have in the decision making process?

3. Unnoticed choices
Instead of making active choices, big part of the decisions affecting our health is done alongside other things. Ask students to think about their normal day, to specify the matters and situations that have a health impact and to write them down. All dimensions of health should be covered. The list should include things concerning home, school and leisure time. How have you related to your friends, parents, brothers and sisters and to other people? How much have you used your muscles during the day? What have you been eating and drinking? Have you been active in school/ in your hobbies? Do you get enough sleep?

Ask students to choose a few things from the list and think about what are the health dimensions of them, and how much they count and in what ways. They can use a scale from, for instance, -3 to +3 (+3 being the most beneficial, -3 being the most negative, and 0 not having any influence).

Each student tells the class about their own choices and their scores. Discuss the health impacts implied. Also, consider possible contradictory situations (for example, the good and bad aspects of risk taking).

4. Being in another?s situation
Here, small groups of learners work out health-related choices for different age groups. The task is to come up with a realistic situation for a child, school student, young adult, mature adult and for an elderly person. Students should develop alternatives for each situation, and give different points on each health dimension according to the idea outlined above on unnoticed choices. Each situation should aim to be credible and typical rather than artistic or clever. The point is to see things from the viewpoints of people of different ages.

Each group presents the situations to the class supplemented, for instance, with news images from papers, or as a short drama. The class discusses these choices and their scoring. Think about what circumstances were not included in these considerations, and observe which issues and dimensions are accentuated in different points of life span.

5. Choice or chance?
Consider the bases for making choices and what things guide this process? What is the significance of a person?s own decision-making, the surrounding environment and learnt courses of action? What part does chance play in these situations? How do choices reflect a person?s values, and how do values alter in different situations and ages?

6. Mind map on health
Using the mind map technique, small groups of students list all factors that come to mind concerning of the concepts of physical, psychological and social health (each group considers one dimension). Each factor is classified as promoting or damaging health. Such deliberations can be done according to each age group or on a general level.

These mind maps can be illustrated with texts and images from papers or with drawings. Factors can be valued by thinking how important each factor is in terms of a specific health dimension. Students should define how close each factor is to the main concept. These maps can be completed after playing Lifegame.

7. School operational environment and culture
Students consider the physical, psychological and social environment of the school, and the general impact of school going on the different health dimensions. Make lists of the elements affecting health, and discuss their effects. The list should include such things as the school?s physical space (stairs/lifts, air conditioning, chairs and desks, the school yard and its layout, places to hang out and talk), eating, snacks (vending machines for refreshments or sweets), methods and practices of behaviour (arriving late to class, using mobile phones, smoking, respect or the lack of it between students and teachers, behavioural codes, action taken over bullying), sitting and moving about (during class and outside it), group and individual working methods, school health care services, and other support structures and people at school.

Think about suggestions for improvements. The outcome of this discussion can be used to develop the operational environment of school.

8. Whose responsibility?
Collect different situations from the Lifegame (or from the output of the student work) and contemplate who is the person for making decisions on each matter? What is the individual?s responsibility and what should be regulated (by family, school, municipality, legislation)? What kinds of things should a child or adolescent be allowed to decide, and what kinds of issues are for parents to decide? What about the relationship between a student and a teacher? Who is to make decisions concerning an elderly person? Should you, or do you have to try to influence a friend?s choices?

9. Uses of Lifegame across school subjects
-You can play Lifegame with parents as a basis for discussion and debate when a new class joins the school or gets a new class supervisor. Cooperation between home and school is important to health related matters, for instance, when agreeing on joint principles.
-During a thematic day at school, Lifegame can be used as one of the assignments
-Lifegame is available on CD ROM in three languages: in Finnish, Swedish and English. You can integrate health education with language instruction.
-Lifegame situations can be used in other than health education classes, for instance in writing assignments, drawing or role playing in drama lessons
-For life skills or religion class the Lifegame offers various real life situations for deliberating on issues from the viewpoints of values, responsibility or leading a good life
-During the music lessons students can look for music that would describe well the different stages of life and the situations connected to them.