Global Skills: Creating empowered 21st century citizens

In their shoes
Instructions

How this activity supports learning Global skills covered:

The ability to empathize with others and  Communication and
appreciate different perspectives is crucial for collaboration
effective and sensitive communication and
 Intercultural competence
collaboration. It is also at the heart of tolerance
and citizenship
and respect for diversity. In this activity, students
imagine that they are standing in the shoes of
another person – real, hypothetical, or fictional.
It is designed to help students become more aware
of perspectives that might differ from theirs and the
factors that may shape those perspectives.
For more on developing empathy,
see page 12 of Global skills:
oxelt.gl/globalskills

Classroom instructions Variations

The activity is best carried out in relation to a specific The worksheet could be used to lead into creative writing
event or situation. For example: or drama activities. For example, students could write a
blog post or diary entry from the perspective of a person
● After watching a scene from a film or reading an
or character. Alternatively, they could imagine the next
extract from a book, students could complete the
scene of a film or play and perform it to the rest of
activity for one of the characters and then compare
the class.
their ideas.
The worksheet could also be used as a starting point for
● As a follow-up to an activity relating to a social issue or
the creation of students’ own characters in role-play or
an event from history, students could imagine they are
creative writing activities.
a hypothetical person affected by that issue or event.

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 In their shoes
Example

Person / character: Event / situation:

Miss Honey Matilda’s first day at school

Thoughts Feelings
What are you thinking? How are you feeling?
She’s so good at reading and maths! excited, curious, amazed
How is this possible? Did her parents
teach her?
What other things can she do?

Values Physical sensations

What is important to you? What can you see / hear / taste / smell / feel?
Helping children learn 18 children sitting at their desks
Being kind Children talking

Hopes / goals Fears

What do you want? What are you afraid of?
To be a good teacher Miss Trunchbull
To keep the children safe

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Global Skills toolkit.indd 3 07/11/2019 13:36

In their shoes
Example

Person / character: Event / situation:

A European immigrant to the Arriving in New York City for
U.S., in the early 1900’s the first time by boat

Thoughts Feelings
What are you thinking? How are you feeling?
I can’t believe we’ve finally arrived! nervous, excited, homesick, tired,
What will my new life be like? relieved
New York is so big!
I want to get off this boat.

Values Physical sensations

What is important to you? What can you see / hear /taste / smell/ feel?
Giving my family a better life. I can see the New York City in the
Having enough to eat. distance.
Being able to work. I can hear people talking and shouting
and the sound of the boat.

Hopes / goals Fears

What do you want?
a job, security, food, a safe place to
live, money to help my family
What are you afraid of?
Maybe they won’t let me enter the country…
What if I can’t get a job?
What if I catch a disease?
I might never see my family again.

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07/11/2019 13:38
In their shoes
1
Person / character: Event / situation:

Thoughts Feelings
What are you thinking? How are you feeling?

Values Physical sensations

What is important to you? What can you see / hear / taste / smell / feel?

Hopes / goals Fears

What do you want? What are you afraid of?

PRINTABLE © Oxford University Press