Teaching social relationships is hard.
Teaching social relationships is hard.
Of course it is just my opinion, but for me, teaching teenagers about social relationships is hard. Even emailing you with details of a book about social relationships is hard, because if I use a certain word beginning with “s” and ending with an “x” then about 40% of the schools in the UK will block the email!
That’s how sensitive we have become about anything to do with this word.
But I think this is in fact just part of the problem. What I find is that if I use a variety of different resources to teach teenagers about social relationships what I find is that the resources do not set the same tone or use the same methodology.
Of course it can be argued that in the field of social relationships there are many different approaches and many different views, and teenagers should appreciate that. But one might counter: “yes but not straight one after the other, each presented in a different manner.”
My aim has been to find a course book on social relationships which could be adopted with pleasure, with easy planning and preparation, and without concerns about what might turn up in the course.
One book that gets me very close to this aim is S and Sensitivity (I obviously use the single letter abbreviation again).
It is for me the best book on the topic that I have ever seen, covering everything from social influences to being yourself, from peer pressure to social responsibilities, from orientation to language.
As with an increasing number of volumes these days it comes in as a photocopiable book and can also be supplied on disk so that it can be loaded onto the school’s network, for use by teachers not only of PSHE, but also biology, sociology, art, science and literature.
(And if the final area seems a little unlikely I should add that the volume uses sources ranging from Shakespeare’s “True Face of Beauty” sonnet to a mystery love letter.)
Whether one wishes to look at branding, personality, the law, health or any other matter in this field, it is covered here. The book is available from the publisher and I’ve reprinted their details below.
S & Sensibility: A relationships course for secondary schools. Sample pages can be viewed at www.pdf.firstandbest.co.uk/pshe/T1760.pdf
Publisher’s reference: T1760EMN ISBN: 978 1 86083 754 8
Prices
Photocopiable report in a ring binder, £24.95 plus £3.95 delivery
CD with school-wide rights: £24.95 plus £3.95 delivery
Both the Ring Binder and the CD £31.94 plus £3.95 delivery
Prices include VAT.
You can purchase the report… please quote the order ref: T1760EMN
By post to First and Best, Hamilton House, Earlstrees Ct., Earlstrees Way, Corby, NN17 4HH
By fax to 01536 399 012
On line with a credit card at http://tinyurl.com/yjxe8su
Tony Attwood
Hamilton House Mailings plc