Mental Narratives: Courage and Doing Your Own Thing

• Health & Social Care
• Lower Secondary (Key Stage 3)
• Upper Secondary (Key Stage 4)
• Further Education (Key Stage 5)
• BTEC, GCSE

Introduction

Using Vincent van Gogh’s work and life story, and a film by Mentale Thee, the students will explore the subject of ‘courage and doing your own thing’. Propositions and assignments will be used to prompt discussion, to enable them to reflect and determine their own view.

Instructions

General goals

- To prompt discussion of ‘courage and doing your own thing’.

- To get to know Vincent van Gogh.

Link with curriculum

- The subject of this lesson is suitable for tutor group sessions.

Differentiation

- This lesson can be combined with the lessons on stress, sad feelings, and friendship and asking for help.

- Feel free to give the lesson as you see fit, adapting it to suit the level and age of your students. Slides may be omitted or added.

Materials

• The students can use their mobile or another device to read the propositions and questions. The lesson can also be given without the use of mobiles.

• Pen and paper.

Mental narratives

How do you get students talking about subjects like stress, courage, asking for help and sad feelings? And how do you shape the discussion? We have developed four lessons based on the art and life of Vincent van Gogh to help you start a discussion on these subjects and explore them further. The videos feature Maren Porte and Sanne Haak from the Mentale Thee (‘Mental Tea’) podcast talking to their peers about these subjects. The lessons have been developed with academic experts, and people who have personal experience of these issues.

Mental Narratives: Courage and Doing Your Own Thing

Vincent van Gogh

Question: What do you know about Vincent van Gogh?

Practical instructions: The students may answer using their mobile. If you prefer to give the lesson without using mobiles, the answers can be written on the smartboard (click on the pencil icon).

Vincent

Vincent van Gogh was headstrong. He always did his own thing, even though it was often not the easy choice. He looked for inspiration everywhere, and eventually came up with his own style, which was very innovative.

Introduce the subject of the lesson, incorporating the students’ answers (to the previous slide). See the hotspot for the context. 

Vincents’ parents’ home in Nuenen

This is where Vincent was living when he painted his masterpiece The Potato Eaters. He was 32.

Social climbing

Vincent lived in a class-based society. He had to climb the social ladder in order to be successful. His father was a pastor in the church. Vincent had to do at least as well, if not better, for the family’s honour.

Free choices?

Not really. Your family decided what you trained for and what job you did, and who you married. And not just your parents – members of the wider family, like uncles, had a say too. Vincent had a few relationships that were brought to an end by his family.

Vincent and his parents

The photos on this slide show Vincent and his parents.

Unsuccessful

The path that Vincent’s family had chosen wasn’t right for him. He was not successful as an art dealer, teacher or pastor. At the age of 27 he decided to become an artist. Not everyone believed in this decision, but Vincent did. He was certain this was his path.

CITAAT

I feel I have a raison d’être! I know that I could be a quite different men! For what then could I be of use, for what could I serve! There’s something within me, so what is it!

Vincent wrote:

Innovator

Vincent’s art was incredibly innovative. He experimented with clashing colour combinations, depth effects and brushwork. He developed his well-known dots and stripes, and he put feeling into his work. That took courage, because apart from his brother, a few good friends and some art critics, most people didn’t understand Vincent’s art yet.

It’s sometimes risky to ‘do your own thing’. What risks do you think Vincent faced?

The students can answer this question individually or in pairs. Then discuss with the whole class. 

Proposition: The risks Vincent took when
he chose to do his own thing still exist today.

Agree

Disagree

Have the students answer individually using their device or by standing on the left (agree) or right (disagree) side of the classroom. Then debate the matter.

You also need COURAGE to do
your own thing. Complete the
sentence: Courage is…

Make groups of 3 or 4 who will complete the sentence: "Courage is...".

Each group should come up with a number of options. Then mix up the groups. Each student takes a sentence to their new group and explains why they decided on this answer. Does everyone agree, or do some have a different opinion?

Courage can also include:

- standing up for someone else

- looking at yourself critically

- going back on a decision

- admitting you’ve made a mistake

Duration of film: 2.57 min.

Match your views

Place the things in the category where you think they belong. 

I decide these things MYSELF:

These are things to decide TOGETHER:

These are things to be decided by OTHERS:

What you study

who your friends are

whether you’re doing your best

what sport you do

what subjects you do

who you love

how much time you spend on your phone,

what job you do

what music you like 

etc...

Have the students do this assignment individually.

Ask them to swap answers in pairs.

Then you can discuss it with the whole class.

Think of a time when you decided
something for yourself. How did it feel?

Each student should do this assignment individually on their device, or on paper.

Then check answers in pairs.

What do you need to be able to do your own thing?
Describe it in one sentence.

Share the answers with the whole class.

Students may give their answers individually or in pairs.

CITAAT

'But even as we stray we sometimes find the track anyway, and there’s something good in all movement.'

Vincent wrote:

Talk some more?

• Tutor/teacher
  
• Counsellor
  
• Pastoral care coordinator
  
• Someone you trust
  
• GP/school doctor
• Mind www.mind.org.uk / YoungMinds www.youngminds.org.uk