About this Collection
What do I want to find out?
What pupils think about armaments.
‘What do we think about weapons in schools?’ can be used first, to gauge pupils’ attitudes to the issue of weapons being brought into school.
‘What do we think about nuclear weapons?’ can be used independently or as a follow-up to measure pupils’ attitudes following a topic or course exploring armaments and/or the arms trade.
What do I need?
- A set of ‘What do we think about weapons in schools?’ cards for each group of pupils.
- A set of ‘What do we think about nuclear weapons?’ cards for each group of pupils if you choose to use these as a repeat activity.
- Cards with ‘Agree’, ‘Disagree’ and ‘Not sure’ for each group of pupils.
What do we think about weapons in school? cards
| I would bring a weapon into school in case I had to use it in a fight
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Teachers should also carry weapons | If I brought a weapon into school my teachers would be angry with me |
| If nobody had weapons, our school would be a safer place | Having a gun at school is worse than having a knife | Gun/Knife amnesties can work (i.e. When everyone turns in their weapons at a special deposit point)
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| If everyone had weapons in school then no one would get hurt | Talking through a disagreement with a teacher or peer mediator is more effective than violence
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I would bring a weapon into school to protect myself from others with weapons |
| I am scared of other students bringing weapons to school | Hitting people gets my point across | You should be excluded for having a weapon at school
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What do I do?
The Bomb Factor: Exploring Peace and Nuclear Issues in the Classroom, CND Peace Education
Timing: 10 minutes
- Ask each group to respond to the question ‘What do we think about weapons in schools?’ using their set of cards.
- Ask them to discuss what they think about each card and when they’ve reached a consensus, place it under one of the headings ‘Agree, ‘Disagree’ or ‘Not sure’.
- Where possible record their discussion to gain an insight into how consensus was reached.
- Take a photograph of the cards in their final position once each group has reached agreement about where to place them.
How do I analyse the results?
- Using the analysis table, refer to the photographs and tally the number of times each card has been placed under each heading. Record the totals.
- To what extent do pupils agree, disagree or feel unsure about bringing weapons into school? How does their justification for sorting the cards reflect their decisions?
What do we think about weapons in schools? Analysis table
| Card | Agree | total | Disagree | total | Not sure | total |
How do I measure the change?
- Depending on the work that has taken place following the first activity, either repeat it or use the second set of cards and ask pupils to respond to the question ‘What do we think about nuclear weapons?’
- With older pupils the additional, more complex cards, can also be introduced to open up discussions.
- If you have repeated the first activity about weapons in schools compare the results. Look for any change in attitudes towards weapons. To what extent do their discussions reflect their ability to relate this issue to conflict in the wider world?
- If you have used the second set of cards exploring attitudes to nuclear weapons look for evidence that pupils can relate the historical use of weapons to current events. To what extent are they positive or negative about disarmament?
What do we think about nuclear weapons? cards
| Britain should not be the first to use a nuclear bomb in a conflict | Nuclear weapons should not be used as they cause illness and birth defects in future generations
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Britain has never used any nuclear weapons, so there is no point in keeping them |
| Nuclear weapons should not be used as they kill civilians. They cannot just aim for military targets
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As Britain has about 225 bombs, it should reduce its numbers. It does not need more than 1 | Britain should enter serious discussions with other countries to all get rid of their weapons together |
| Britain could use the nuclear bomb if one had already been used against itself or its allies
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Britain needs nuclear weapons because other countries have nuclear weapons | Britain should take the first step and get rid of its nuclear weapons |
| I would be willing to campaign against nuclear weapons | If Britain disarms, it will be bombed | Britain can never use nuclear weapons because the results would be so horrific. (One of Britain’s nuclear bombs could kill over a million people)
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This activity is adapted from The Bomb Factor: Exploring Peace and Nuclear Issues in the Classroom, CND Peace Education
Featured image : Toy soldiers by Kyle May via Flickr