Part II: Project Outline
The following lesson has been designed to transform the understandings that my students hold of other cultures. I am designing these lessons to give exposure to my students, by focusing on all six facets of understanding, as described by Wiggins and McTighe, in “Understanding by Design,” (1998), with special emphasis put on self-knowledge.
As this transformation of cultural understanding will take place over the course of the semester, students will also be learning the skills of photography as well. These skills are vital to do well in my photography course, but they are also of great importance for capturing the aspects of their culture. As mentioned above, special emphasis will be put on students’ self-knowledge, as this semester long assignment focuses on developing understanding of others’ cultures, while utilizing existing knowledge. In turn, students will make alterations to their previous personal understanding, based on what knowledge they have acquired.
Although, this lesson focuses on students’ self-knowledge, it cannot go without mentioning the presence of the five other facets of understanding. Students must be able to explain what the goal of this cultural exchange is. Once they understand, students will apply their knowledge of photography and the online photo database, Flickr, to share quality photos that represent their culture. After they have completed this, it is time to share with the collaborating classroom. This exchange of photographs from class to class will require students to interpret the images, have a perspective that allows them to see the big picture, and to emphasize based on personal prior experience and knowledge.
Flickr will allow students to easily upload and share their own photos with the cooperating classroom. Skype in the classroom will have students connect face to face at multiple points in the semester, and have students speak about each other’s cultures “face to face.” Thus, students are enabled to interpret, have perspective, and empathize, while they develop a self-knowledge that is based on their previous understandings.
In the end, I want to see a successful transformation in my students’ understandings of other cultures. By understanding how these six facets will all come into play, how my pedagogy must change, and how technology can be utilized, I can help the transformation be successful.
As this transformation of cultural understanding will take place over the course of the semester, students will also be learning the skills of photography as well. These skills are vital to do well in my photography course, but they are also of great importance for capturing the aspects of their culture. As mentioned above, special emphasis will be put on students’ self-knowledge, as this semester long assignment focuses on developing understanding of others’ cultures, while utilizing existing knowledge. In turn, students will make alterations to their previous personal understanding, based on what knowledge they have acquired.
Although, this lesson focuses on students’ self-knowledge, it cannot go without mentioning the presence of the five other facets of understanding. Students must be able to explain what the goal of this cultural exchange is. Once they understand, students will apply their knowledge of photography and the online photo database, Flickr, to share quality photos that represent their culture. After they have completed this, it is time to share with the collaborating classroom. This exchange of photographs from class to class will require students to interpret the images, have a perspective that allows them to see the big picture, and to emphasize based on personal prior experience and knowledge.
Flickr will allow students to easily upload and share their own photos with the cooperating classroom. Skype in the classroom will have students connect face to face at multiple points in the semester, and have students speak about each other’s cultures “face to face.” Thus, students are enabled to interpret, have perspective, and empathize, while they develop a self-knowledge that is based on their previous understandings.
In the end, I want to see a successful transformation in my students’ understandings of other cultures. By understanding how these six facets will all come into play, how my pedagogy must change, and how technology can be utilized, I can help the transformation be successful.