diversity
From this lesson, I want students to walk away with two important messages.
- What you see depends on where you are standing
- Sometimes things aren't right or wrong, they are just different.
What do you see in the photo below?
If you look at the photo below from far away, you see a cat face, but up close you see a photo mosaic created from hundreds of images of flowers. People standing different distances from the image may debate what they see, but in the end, both are correct. In class we discussed that most of our students have only stood in Northeast Wisconsin. The few students that have come from other places in the United States or the world, may have very different views about what is "normal" or "expected" in their lives or in their community.
Here is another example!
Check out this photomosaic of people on Earth waving at Saturn through a compilation of pictures taken off of social media. Then check out the picture below it...ALSO of Earth, but taken from Saturn. From this shot, Earth looks like nothing more than a star!
http://mashable.com/2013/08/21/wave-at-saturn-collage/#mZAR4T8RCsqC
http://mashable.com/2013/08/21/wave-at-saturn-collage/#mZAR4T8RCsqC
the story of the wise men and the elephant
Next, the students heard a story called the Wise Men and the Elephant. In the story, six wise blind men wanted to "see" an elephant. Since they cannot see in the typical way, the chose to feel it. They all stood around the elephant, feeling different parts. They argued about what an elephant truly "looked" like and never could agree.
The students and I decided that no one was really "wrong" or "right" about what they saw. Again, it just depended on where they were standing. The only way for them to truly understand would have been to genuinely and thoughtfully listen and seek understanding or to move around and experience the other perspectives. We compared this to people who may experience different cultural norms within our own country and around the world.
The students and I decided that no one was really "wrong" or "right" about what they saw. Again, it just depended on where they were standing. The only way for them to truly understand would have been to genuinely and thoughtfully listen and seek understanding or to move around and experience the other perspectives. We compared this to people who may experience different cultural norms within our own country and around the world.
cultural customs
Finally, we looked at some of the different customs from cultures around the world. Many of them seemed strange, unusual, or silly to us, but we discussed that many of our cultures probably seem that way to them as well!
culture clash game!
As a class, we tried to experience what it might be like when different cultures "clash" or don't have the same customs. Our experience today was limited to communication, but the areas that we may have misunderstandings are endless! We must be willing to share and listen when there is confusion or unexpected behaviors with someone from a different culture. Remember: Some things are not right or wrong, but just different!
culture grams Website
http://online.culturegrams.com/
IN-CLASS ACTIVITY: Choose ONE country and be prepared to share:
IN-CLASS ACTIVITY: Choose ONE country and be prepared to share:
- ONE similarity to life in Wisconsin
- TWO differences to life in Wisconsin
- THREE facts about this country that you would like to share.