woman to woman
This linguistic mediation task to commemorate International Women’s Day is presented in two sessions beginning with «48:1 as preparation» for the final task When they have completed the previous tasks on 48:1 you can ask your students to finally describe the profile of their ideal female leader [below].
female leadership
Glued to earlier seasons of The Crown, I very much enjoyed the portrayals of exceptional women in British History displayed throughout the series. Leaving aside the stories of the Countess of Snowdon and the Princess of Wales , which I personally find sadly fascinating, my main focus today is on the relationship between the first female PM of the United Kingdom and The Sovereign (Netflix The Crown S4:E10).
Margaret and Elizabeth
Here follows the encounter between Mrs Thatcher and the Queen where a defeated prime minister is shown leaving office after a challenge was launched to her leadership [Sequence three 16:08 – 18:14]. «An act of national self harm» in the PM’s words that puts an end to eleven and a half years of a controversial figure in the United Kingdom.A figure, nonetheless, viewed favourably in historical rankings of British prime ministers. This encounter is representative of a grand gesture overcoming all other failed meetings between the two women. I would like to draw particular attention to the presentation of one woman acknowledging and celebrating one other woman’s accomplishments, and focusing on what they both have in common instead of the differences that bring the two apart.
Shocked by the way Mrs Thatcher left No. 10, Downing Street, Queen Elizabeth calls her in to audience to not only offer her sympathy from woman to woman but award the Order of Merit to her in recognition of exceptionally meritorious service [Sequence One]. The order of merit is limited to just 24 recipients no matter their background.
female leadershipaccountabilitycollaborationcooperationempathyintegrityproblemsolvingsharedvision
To close up this set of activities the first five minutes of Netflix The Crown S4:E8 (episode 48:1) can be played in class «Princess Elizabeth 21st birthday speech from Cape Town«. The clip parallels the fresh start of the two iconic women’s careers. Do not forget to hold your round table and ask for volunteer students to deliver their video lesson practice (as proposed in session a «48:1»), and eventually complete this profile of their ideal female leader. These activities can well complement your textbook units on Politics.
[Go to 48:1 ]
