Post by farmerbrown on Mar 2, 2017 17:13:50 GMT 9
Some would say that introducing moral dilemmas to a group of elementary school students is too much. To them I say, "well, it seems like we've reached a moral dilemma."
Objective
For students to answer the questions:
"What should I do?" with "You should..." answers
or
"What should you do?" with "I should..." answers
Instruction
I spread this activity out over a number of days so the students get used to their ideas before you pull them into an existential crisis. This is a potential time waster so make sure you keep an eye on that clock.
I found two basic sketches of the trolley problem online (these don't belong to me) and edited one to create a third scenario.
start here:
Explain that there's a train going down the track. A bad man has tied a person down in front of the train. If you push the switch, the person will be alright. Ask students, "What should I do?"/"What should you do?"/"Should I take a nap?" Students normally tell you to push the switch. Take note of students who say not to for future FBI watch lists.
Next time you do the activity explain that the bad man is back and this time he tied down many people. "What should I do?"/"What should you do?"/etc. Students normally sacrifice the 1 in favor of the 5.
Next time you do the activity explain that the bad man cannot be stopped. This time, there are many people on the track and you are watching from a bridge. You know if you push the big man off the bridge the train will stop. Ask, "What should I do?"/"What should you do?"/etc.
Most students will not push the fat man. Pushing a switch is easy, but pushing the fat man would feel like murder. Watch as your students slowly descend into madness. Enjoy!
FarmerBrown
Objective
For students to answer the questions:
"What should I do?" with "You should..." answers
or
"What should you do?" with "I should..." answers
Instruction
I spread this activity out over a number of days so the students get used to their ideas before you pull them into an existential crisis. This is a potential time waster so make sure you keep an eye on that clock.
I found two basic sketches of the trolley problem online (these don't belong to me) and edited one to create a third scenario.
start here:
Explain that there's a train going down the track. A bad man has tied a person down in front of the train. If you push the switch, the person will be alright. Ask students, "What should I do?"/"What should you do?"/"Should I take a nap?" Students normally tell you to push the switch. Take note of students who say not to for future FBI watch lists.
Next time you do the activity explain that the bad man is back and this time he tied down many people. "What should I do?"/"What should you do?"/etc. Students normally sacrifice the 1 in favor of the 5.
Next time you do the activity explain that the bad man cannot be stopped. This time, there are many people on the track and you are watching from a bridge. You know if you push the big man off the bridge the train will stop. Ask, "What should I do?"/"What should you do?"/etc.
Most students will not push the fat man. Pushing a switch is easy, but pushing the fat man would feel like murder. Watch as your students slowly descend into madness. Enjoy!
FarmerBrown