Ask the class to think about a time when they have had to make a tough decision.

Ask the class to consider the following situation.

You break one of your mum's special ornaments at home accidentally.

How would the class deal with this?

Extension activity
Kohlberg invented a step-by-step question and answer process for understanding dilemmas.

Plenary
Recap on the main teaching points and discuss the answers the students have written for each of the situations.

Teachers' Background

• A moral dilemma involves a situation in which there are only two courses of action.

• Each action requires performing an action that is morally wrong.

Plato's classic dilemma:

• A man borrows a weapon from his neighbour promising to return it at the lender's request.

• One day the lender, in a fit of rage, asks for the weapon back apparently with the intention to kill someone.

• The man is faced with a dilemma - if he keeps his promise, then he will be an accessory to a murder. If he refuses to hand over the weapon, then he violates his promise.

• Select some of the dilemmas given above or some of the situations described by Kohlberg.

• Ask for volunteers to role-play the situations.

• Put forward the arguments for each of the choices. It would be a good idea if selected students could do this.

• Discuss questions raised and put each situation to the vote.