| Body | This month, we will be offering activities that exemplify thinking routines (for more information please see Project Zero out of the Harvard Graduate School of education at http://www.pz.harvard.edu/). These thinking routines are incorporated in the classroom in the hope that they will help learners dissect and acquire knowledge and skills in learner-directed contexts. This particular activity is designed to illustrate Haiti’s complex and rich cultural identity. It features the “See, Think, Wonder” thinking routine. This routine can be applied to a variety of contexts.
Goals: Learners will be able to:
- Describe colors, shapes, and basic imagery.
- Discuss their perceptions with others.
- Identify additional information that they need or want to know to promote further inquiry.
Mode: Interpersonal Communication
Materials: A photo or image. For this particular context (exploring the culture of Haiti), this image (https://i.ytimg.com/vi/U1rEIUu3NmA/maxresdefault.jpg) was chosen.
Procedure:
- Inform learners that they are going to complete the “See, Think, Wonder” thinking routine. Be explicit that this activity is designed to promote critical thinking and to bring learners’ awareness to their existing perceptions as well as the perceptions of others.
- Ask learners what they see in the image. Provide one minute for thinking and one minute for writing.
- Ask learners what they think about the image. Provide one minute for thinking and one minute for writing.
- Ask learners what they wonder about the image. Provide one minute for thinking and one minute for writing.
- Conduct a class discussion that explores what learners see, think, and wonder about the image. The success of this discussion rests upon a variety of factors. The most critical factors to keep in mind are listed below.
- What learners see must be objective. For example, if they are looking at a building made of red brick, they should not decide what that the brick building is. It is typical that they will (which illuminates their perceptions), so make sure to redirect the discussion to what they see.
- What learners think is subjective. Allow them to share their various opinions.
- What learners wonder about can and should prime further discussion and investigation.
Notes: If you use the image linked in this activity, the information below may be helpful.
- This vehicle is called a tap tap bus and is used for public transportation.
- Usher, the performer from the United States, is the image on the door.
- Writing is in English and French. The French phrase above the rear windows means “God acts without speaking.”
- A possible extension activity would be an exploration of the various cultures that comprise contemporary Haitian culture. This extension could involve the identification of various cultural artifacts and exploring the degree to which they are hybridized.
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