Living in a Polyphonic World:
A Lesson Encouraging Learners to Critically Think About the Voices Which Shape Them and the Society in Which We Live
Learning Outcomes
Learners will:
1. Engage in critical thinking about how our world is shaped by many different voices.
2. Consider the voices which have shaped their lives so far.
3. Consider the opportunities, challenges and responsibilities of living in a society with many different voices and perspectives.
National Curriculum Statement linked to:
Key Stage 2 and 3 PSHE and RSE Curriculum (non-statutory)
Before the lesson
Organize the classroom so that learners are sitting in a circle.
Blank paper
Pencils
Key Vocabulary
voice, polyphony, perspective, influence, society
Suggested Additional Reading
The following texts have had an indirect impact on the creation of this lesson and are fantastic sources for further reading on dialogue, polyphony, multiple perspectives and critical approaches to education.
Bakhtin, M. (1981). The Dialogic Imagination: Four Essays. University of Texas Press.
Bakhtin, M. (1984). Problems of Dostoevsky’s Poetics. University of Minnesota Press.
Freire, P. (1970). Pedagogy of the Oppressed. Continuum.
Prelude
Begin the lesson by facilitating a discussion about a light-hearted subject which people feel very strongly about. Examples include loving vs hating Marmite, the Ronaldo vs Messi dilemma, adding milk to a cup of tea before vs after adding water.
Exposition
Listen to a fugue (we would recommend introducing learners to Bach’s Fugue in G Minor BMV 578, the entrances of the different voices are very clear).
After listening, ask learners:
What can you hear?
What is your response to it? Why?
Is it easy or difficult to listen to?
Does it make sense to you?
How would you describe it?
Is it like anything you’ve listened to before?
Introduce the concept of polyphony and decode the word: a word with Greek origins, poly meaning many and phonic relating to sound or voice (in this lesson, “voice” refers broadly to a person’s perspective, ideas, experiences or influence, rather than simply their ability to speak).
Explain how, like the musical work they just listened to, we could see the society in which we live as polyphonic – something which contains many simultaneous voices. Draw attention to the Prelude activity, and how this could be seen as an example of polyphony.
Discuss how we could relate a polyphonic society to political frameworks such as democracy. However, explain that today we are going to consider the concept of polyphony separately, focusing more on the individual voices and perspectives which shape our lives.
Development
Task 1 - The Voices Which Shape Us
Ask learners to consider the voices which have shaped their lives so far - this could be in a seemingly insignificant way or hugely influential. The voices could be from family members, friends, acquaintances, responsible adults or more peripheral figures.
Instruct learners to create a mind map, with themselves at the center, connecting them with people/voices who have influenced them. As an extra challenge, learners may want to add a second layer to the mind map considering who the people who have impacted them were previously impacted by (i.e. a parental figure being influenced by a parental figure of their own).
After independent learning, allow learners to lead a discussion around the voices which have shaped their lives. Prompts you may wish to use include:
_____ influenced me because _____ .
The most influential person in my life is/was _____ because _____ .
If learners bring up people/voices who had a negative impact, this should be acknowledged. You may wish to state that some of the voices in our lives can have a negative influence. For such influences, ask learners to keep examples anonymous. If safeguarding disclosures arise, follow your setting’s safeguarding and child protection policies.
Task 2 - Polyphonic Society
The second task takes a much more global approach to the concept of living polyphonically.
Engage learners in a discussion about how our society is made of many voices. After the previous exercise, this task may develop naturally, however here are some prompt questions you may wish to use:
Is it important to live in a society where there are many voices?
Who decides if some perspectives are ‘wrong’?
Should people with ‘wrong’ perspectives be allowed to have a voice?
What would happen if only one voice, or set of voices, was allowed? What happens if one voice is stronger than the rest?
Do you think that everyone has an equal opportunity to voice their thoughts and ideas? Do you think that everyone should have an equal opportunity to voice their thoughts and ideas?
Would you rather keep your voice and have to listen to lots of voices which you thought were wrong, or not let anyone have a voice at all?
Discussions with older learners may naturally lead into discussions around societies which have become singular-voiced / ideological (i.e. Nazism, Stalinist Russia). Acknowledge these if they arise and use your professional judgement to navigate discussions sensitively.
Coda
Ask learners to share one thought which they are going to take away from the lesson.