Using / Applying Dimensions of Learning
Applying Dimensions of Learning:
- Positive attitudes and perceptions toward learning - Students look forward to opportunities for meeting online students from other countries.
- Acquiring and integrating knowledge - Students link prior knowledge of holidays with more personal and detailed acquired knowledge.
- Extending and refining knowledge - Students classify and compare holidays and customs.
- Meaningful use of knowledge - Students engage in investigation tasks such as asking "what if...?" questions for historical holidays.
- Productive habits of mind - Students exhibit a desire to be life-long learners, to continue to explore cultural diversity on their own.
Addressing Multiple Intelligences:
- Bodily Kinesthetic - Students engage in role playing, drama, sports and games associated with various festival or holiday celebrations.
- Intrapersonal - Students work independently on holiday research.
- Interpersonal - Students work in groups to research holidays.
- Naturalist - Students research agricultural festivals and holidays.
- Logical/Mathematical - Students organize and classify holidays, customs, dates and calendars.
- Spatial- Students draw pictures to express holiday celebrations.
- Linguistic - Students are the scribes for the holiday descriptions. They interview elders for customs and folklore.
- Musical - Students identify the music that accompanies holiday celebrations.
Inquiry-based learning:
We nohave additional " technology tools" to use in our classrooms. In truth we have always had the best tool of all - a natural curiosity that drives us to ask questions. Questions are our best tools for learning. Encourage your students to ask questions...
The driving question
What do the students want to know? Building from what the students already know they will formulate their questions.
- Imagine that today is a holiday in your country. Are other students around the world in school today? Do they celebrate the same holiday? If they celebrate this holiday is it at the same time of year?
- Why are certain days designated as holidays?
- Do countries around the world have similar holidays?
- Do we celebrate in similar ways?
- Do most cultures have special music, dance or food for holidays?
- Why do some holidays have a bigger celebration than others?
- Are harvest holidays at the same time of year for everyone?
- Why do some holidays move to different dates each year?
- Do we have the same calendar around the world?
- Is it important to be aware of the holidays of other people and countries?
- What if there were no more holidays...?
- Suppose the reason for a national holiday didn't happen. Would history be different?