Rules and laws are put in place throughout society by governments, police, places of work, parents, teachers, and individual citizens, to regulate behaviour and avoid conflict or harm.
Although they both essentially aim to achieve the same goal of a fair, safe society, there are differences between the two. The biggest of these differences is consequence.
Rules are a set of instructions and consequences that are established to help individuals, and whole communities, live and work together harmoniously. You’re likely to find rules in schools, workplaces and in the home. They’re subjective to the person/group creating them, meaning they may vary depending on circumstance or other variables, such as personal values and morals.
As rules are personal, the consequences of breaking them are flexible and varied. For example, Primary School A might share a common rule with Primary School B - no footballs at playtime. If this rule is broken at Primary School A, the consequence may be that the ball is confiscated and nothing more. However, if this rule is broken at Primary School B, the consequence may be that the ball is confiscated and the child must stay with the playtime supervisor until it’s time to go back in for class. The same applies to different families when it comes to homework or chores.
Much like rules, laws are a set of instructions put in place to keep people safe, maintain order in society through good behaviour, and protect rights and property. The difference is that the consequences of breaking a law are much more severe.
Laws are created and enforced by the government and/or the police, and hold everyone to the same standard of accountability. The consequences of breaking the law are usually already well established and do not vary (except for some cases, determined by the court). As breaking the law is classed as a criminal offence, punishment can come in the form of fines, community service or even jail time.
If an individual breaks the law, the government may create a document of the offence called a ‘criminal record’. Criminal records are kept public, allowing employers, banks and education establishments to view them, which can limit an individuals opportunities within society.
Your task is to draw a Venn Diagram to compare the similarities and differences between rules and laws.
Once you have done this, you are to write around the Venn Diagram including examples of each.
Eg. Rule examples may include: no screen time after dinner, Knox Park must wear hats in Term 1 and 4, children aren't allowed to play on the playground in the cinemas at Knox Shopping centre while the movie is play etc.
Law examples may include: Speeding, assault, theft etc.
Today, your teacher will randomly draw 2 students out of a hat to be the class 'decision-makers'. These decisions will occur over one morning session and can include but are not limited to: game choices, which students can go to lunch first, where students sit, timing of each activity etc.
The 'decision-makers' are not to consult the rest of the class about any decisions they make.
At the end of this morning session, you will write a reflective journal entry where you can record any feelings and perceptions about the decision making. You can use these questions to help you:
Did you agree with the way the decision-makers were chosen?
How are you feeling about the situation?
Are the decisions being made fairly?
Let's have a discussion about what happened this morning! First let's hear from our 'decision-makers' and then let's hear from the rest of the class. We want to hear the positives, the negatives and things that were interesting about the decisions that were made.
How did you make the decisions?
What did you take into account?
Did you mainly consider yourself, your friends or everybody?
How did you feel about yourself and other class members when making these decisions?
Did you feel you were able to ‘represent’ other class members?
Would you feel the same if you had been making decisions with the help of everyone in the class?
Did you like or dislike this role? Why?
Did you like the decisions being made for you?
Did you feel that they ‘represented’ you?
What did you think about the decisionmakers?
How did they make you feel?
What did you think about the way the decision-makers made their decisions?
Would you have felt any different if there was a different group of decisionmakers?
Australia is a representative democracy, meaning that we choose representatives to make decisions on our behalf. An example of this is our SAT representative team.
Within Australia, we have three levels of government with different responsibilities and law-making powers. The citizens of Australia have chosen representatives in both houses (The House of Representatives and The Senate) of parliament to make the laws that govern all of Australians.
Task: Your task is to investigate 'decision-making' responsibility at different levels of government. You are to use your laptops to complete this research, but also use your own experiences to help you.
Diversity is about embracing differences and including people from all walks of life. Diversity can include race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, social and economic backgrounds, religious beliefs and much more.
Promoting and encouraging diversity means to actively respect, appreciate and empower people for who they are.
Diversity is essential for creating a world where everyone feels safe, included and respected. It's especially important in places such as schools and workplaces, where everyone deserves the same opportunities as everyone else.
Around the classroom, there are different discussion cards that prompt conversations about the diversity amongst our classroom community. Talk about:
-Similarities -Differences -What you find interesting
Now that we have discussed diversity within our classroom, let's value and embrace our differences.
What is something that you notice about the diversity within our learning environment?
An Inclusive Community is a community where its citizens and members feel safe, respected, and comfortable in being themselves and expressing all aspects of their identities. It is a place where each person shares a sense of belonging with its other members.
Let's have a discussion about how our local communities are being inclusive towards citizens who have a physical disability, in particular cerebral palsy. Watch the videos below to find out more!
For example: Equality would be giving everyone the same type of ladder to pick mangoes at the top of a tree. Equity would be realising that not everyone can use the same type of ladder and providing another way for them to reach the mangoes at the top of the tree.
In Australia, there are many organisations that support people who have disabilities. The aim of many of these organisations are to ensure that all Australian citizens feel supported and included in everyday life.
Your task is to choose one of these organisations within Australia to research and find out more information about how they support those with a disability. Some questions you may like to research include:
Background information about the organisation.
How does your organisation support those with a disability?
What services does your organisation provide to support people with disabilities?
How do they advocate for fairness and equity of access with government?
Rules and laws are made to help everyone feel safe, respected, and included. When people make rules, they think about everyone, not just a few people. This way, everyone—no matter how different they are—gets a fair chance to learn, play, and work together. For example, rules can help make sure that everyone can join in, like making ramps for people who use wheelchairs or letting people speak in their own languages at important places.
When rules are fair, it’s easier for people to understand each other and to make friends, which makes our communities happier and stronger!
When rules and laws are being established, it is essential that the following diverse needs are considered:
-Cultural and Ethnic Diversity -Age Diversity
-Socioeconomic Status -Gender Identity
-Gender and Family Dynamics -Mental Health
-Physical and Cognitive Abilities -Linguistic Needs
-Technology and Access Literacy.
Once you have cut and paste each law into the correct heading, think of some other laws you could add into your Y Chart.
Which subheading would they fall under?
Write these down in the correct section.
This term, we have looked at democracy, the difference between rules and laws, decision making, diverse communities, equity and inclusivity. We are now going to begin our Inquiry project to celebrate all concepts we have learnt.
Your task will be to create your own diverse community playground that takes into consideration all needs of your citizens.
Read through the Inquiry Rubric to help you understand what is expected of you to showcase at the end of week 10.