Unit 3: Week 5: Activity 1
Introduction:
When the local supermarket installs a new check out system, when peer groups use new conflict resolution skills, when a community votes money for a complete recycling center, or when a school initiates a new multicultural course, new ideas have entered your neighborhood. Because of the Internet, ideas are moving around our neighborhoods faster than ever before. Hospitals are using techniques tested in one part of the world, and doctors can even work under the televised supervision of a doctor in another country. New businesses are starting up all over the world, typically with components made in more than one country, and these businesses are based on ideas using new technologies. Finally, classrooms are filling with students from all parts of the world; multicultural education itself is a "new idea".
Summary:
In this activity we consider the flow of information, and obstacles to the good exchange of ideas. We will practice summarizing, visualizing and transmitting ideas. Finally we will consider ways in which transmission of ideas breaks down and can be repaired.
Materials:
Classroom Management:
You might want to arrange in advance to do this with several other schools. Practicing in the class beforehand may be useful.
Activity Steps:
Step 1: Warm-up brainstorming: How do ideas move around your neighborhood? Where do new ideas come from? How do we know we got them right? How important are new ideas? Can we get new useful ideas from people in other countries? Consider how prejudice acts as a barrier to the free flow of ideas.
Step 2: Community Work: "Telephone" Tag - Describe something in your neighborhood; post your description to another neighborhood classroom and ask the class to draw the idea. They should then describe the drawing in words and mail to yet another classroom to describe in words WITHOUT including the original document. It should be finally returned to the first school. Check to see where an idea gets off track and start over, trying to be more clear, explicit, detailed.
Extensions: Computers linked to the Internet are the major new means of idea exchange. Who knows where the school computers connected to the Internet are located? Who takes care of them? Are any students teaching hardware and software processes? Who does training in the area?
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