Predicting the likelihood of harm
In a unit of work exploring risk and strategies to minimise harm, students will need to be familiar with the language used to describe the likelihood of an event occurring. In this activity, students will predict the potential for harm in a variety of scenarios where the interaction of factors influences the level of harm.
- Introduce the concept of risk and potential for harm.
- Brainstorm and discuss the types of factors that can interact to increase the potential for harm in common situations, e.g. peers, drinking alcohol and road use or being at a party, taking drugs and driving in a car.
- Discuss the relationship between the factors and how the interaction of factors can increase or decrease the potential for harm. The drug use triangle is an example of how this interaction of factors can be portrayed. For example, having a glass of wine at a family party would have a low potential for harm. However, drinking alcohol at a park with friends with no adult supervision there will be greater potential for harm.
- Introduce the following terms that can be used to describe the likelihood of events occurring.
- equal chance
- no chance
- impossible
- possible
- mostly
- fat chance
- likely
- sometimes
- often
- maybe/maybe not
- unlikely
- 50-50
- no hope
- always
- might
- probably
- certain
- Buckley's
- even chance
- Ask students, in pairs or small groups, to place each of these terms on a continuum, with one end being the event is impossible and the other end being the event is certain. Discuss the positioning of each term and similarities and differences between groups.
- Provide students with a series of situation cards. Ensure there a range of situations that portray low potential for harm, moderate potential for harm and high risk of harm.
- In small groups, ask students to select a term from the above list to describe the likelihood of harm for each situation. Ask students to justify their position. In their responses, encourage students to argue their position using the descriptors from the word bank. For example, Josephine is unlikely to come to harm compared to Paulo who is likely to come to harm if he gets involved in the drinking games.
- For each situation develop a range of strategies that could be implemented to reduce the likelihood of harm. Share these with the class and generate a class list of strategies.
- Ask students to select from the class list, those strategies that they would feel comfortable implementing in situations where there is a likelihood of harm. Ask students to discuss with their group the reasons for their selections.
© State of New South Wales through the Department of Education and Training, 1999 - 2009. All rights reserved.
Conditions of use | Help | Contact us
Report incorrect, out-of-date or missing information