Essential Question:
How does exposure to different cultures challenge preconceived notions and promote global understanding?
Assumptions:
Supporting Questions:
Research Tools:
Some of my research tools:
How does exposure to different cultures challenge preconceived notions and promote global understanding?
Assumptions:
- I assumed students from both Morocco and the U.S. had preconceived notions about each other.
- I assumed the lives of students in Morocco and the U.S. were culturally different.
- I assumed the media played a significant role in shaping preconceived notions about each other.
- I assumed students from Morocco and the U.S. had not been exposed to the culture of the other prior to my trip.
Supporting Questions:
- What impact does the media have in defining preconceived notions about countries?
- To what degree do students notice differences rather than similarities between the two cultures?
- How do students in both Morocco and the U.S. know of each other?
- What impact does knowledge of world geography have on their understanding of each other?
- To what degree is the teacher the catalyst for exchanging cultural understanding?
- To what degree could technology challenge the preconceived notions students had about each other?
Research Tools:
- pre-travel questionnaire for my students in the U.S. (about Morocco, its people, culture, etc) see document below
- pre-travel questionnaire for Khadija's students in Morocco (about America, its people, culture, etc)
- cultural exchange information sheet for my students in the U.S. (completed prior to my trip)
- cultural exchange information sheet for Khadija's students in Morocco (completed prior to my trip) see document below
- video evidence of Moroccan student reflecting on preconceived notions toward U.S. teens
- video evidence of Moroccan student reflecting on commonalities between Moroccan and U.S. teens- see video below
- video evidence of Moroccan students identifying their newly learned knowledge about U.S
- observations of Moroccan students reading my U.S. student's culture exchange sheets-see below
- observations of my U.S. students reading the culture exchange sheets of the Moroccan students (upon my return)
- observations of my U.S. students identifying their newly learned knowledge about Morocco (upon my return)
Some of my research tools:
My Essential Question Findings and Reflections:
Upon being accepted to the TGC program, I was immediately excited about how my travels could impact the lives of my students- most of whom will never get the opportunity to travel outside the country. I can’t help but think about the image of the United States as it must be portrayed in the media- likely an inaccurate version of our lives, but one that makes headlines and sells movies. As I began to prepare for my international experience, I wanted to know to what degree my trip could promote a better understanding of culture, hopefully replacing the preconceived notions about the world that many of us have, not out of spite, or apathy, but out of ignorance.
I decided to research this question by first having my students in the U.S. complete a pre-travel questionnaire about Morocco- what did they already know about the country and its people? I was surprised to overhear the conversations of many of my students as they filled out the form. Several students were discussing how embarrassed they were- they didn’t know anything about Morocco- literally nothing. Others jokingly apologized, as they mentioned Morocco being the land of sand and camels. While I had assumed my students would not have an accurate view of Morocco, I hadn’t anticipated them being apologetic about their lack of knowledge. I reminded them that this lack of knowledge was not their fault- at what point in their education have they been introduced to cultures other than their own? After completing the questions, I then had my students fill out information about themselves- their school day, extracurricular activities, values, family, etc. When I learned I would be in Morocco, I sent the same two questionnaires to my host teacher, for her to assign to her student prior to my arrival.
As I landed in Morocco, I was eager to see how my student’s images of Morocco stood up to the real version. I was excited to also see what Moroccan teens thought about the United States. What is their source of information about the United States? Or do they even have a source of information about us? I was fortunate to get the chance to conduct a lesson with the Moroccan teens that had filled out the advance questionnaires. I collected their responses and then provided them with my student’s pre-travel questionnaires. The Moroccan teens found it hilarious that my students thought of Moroccans living in the desert with turbans. They also found it interesting how little our students knew about them- perhaps due to their low profile in American news? The most interesting part of the exchange was having the Moroccan students read the personal information about my American students. They were incredibly interested in the average school day- as the Moroccan teens do not have any classes in the arts (band, art, newspaper, etc) and they additionally do not have any extracurricular activities (sports, clubs, etc). After allowing the Moroccan students some time to read several American student profiles, I began to ask questions about their preconceived notions and their new understanding. When asked about their preconceived notions about the United States, I was surprised to hear that the United States seemed like a land of “milk and honey”. It was where “equality was respected”, “there are no poor”, and “freedoms” prevailed. On the other hand, many also connected Americans as being “fat” and “lazy”, America being “dangerous”, and “not believing in religions”. The Moroccan students pointed out however, that after reading the profiles of my students- they recognized that American teens have lives similar to those of Moroccan teenagers. Below, you will find a video of a young Moroccan student talking about the things American and Moroccan students have in common. The importance of family became apparent for both sets of students and in terms of media, they listened to similar music and watched the same movies. The Moroccan students were interested in where Kansas City was in the United States, what the city was like, what my students wore, and whether they were all “fat”. I felt as though the exchange went incredibly well while in Meknes- the responses of the Moroccan students supported the idea that through my travel, they were able to have a more accurate view of American teen life. Some of the more negative preconceived notions, several admitted, were from movies- which also reinforced the idea that the image of the United States in the media is not an accurate portrayal of the ordinary life of myself or my students. Of course, that likely wouldn’t sell movie tickets, though.
When I returned to my classes in Kansas City, my students were excited to see what the Moroccan teenagers were like. They poured over the pre-travel questionnaires and several commented that the Moroccan teens knew more about the U.S. than they had known about Morocco. We discussed why that might be- with the United States playing a pivotal role in the global economy and entertainment. Students then read the cultural exchange profiles of the Moroccan students. I wish I had videoed the room, as the energy was truly electrifying. There were “aha” moments all over the room, with my students seeing that the Moroccans listened to their same music, liked the same foods, valued family, had pets, and… had social media accounts! Talk about turning their preconceived notions around- now my students understood that these Moroccan students had cell phones, with facebook and twitter, and they were just as obsessed about posting their own thoughts as American teens are! You could see the barriers of distance and ignorance come crashing down as students passed around the profiles of my Moroccan students. Many of my students then contacted the Moroccan teens on twitter and facebook, and there are several who still keep in touch! I will admit, I was floored by the response. My students will likely never visit Morocco, nor will many of my Moroccan students visit the United States, but the newly formed mutual understanding between the two groups of students was incredible. Something I hadn’t considered, the idea that my students would then share this new knowledge with other students and even their families, began to occur. I received emails from parents talking about how excited my students were to learn about Moroccan teens being “just like us”. My travel experience had now reached far beyond the realm of my classroom- and was moving in to my community- truly encompassing the idea of global competency!
Perhaps the most interesting anecdotal evidence I observed was that in both classrooms, as students read about the lives of the other teens, there was an emphasis on commonalities rather than differences between the two groups. Call me an optimist, but wouldn’t this perspective toward others solve so many world problems? Instead of focusing on the things that separate our cultures, why not focus on our commonalities? Most of the differences the students found were in small aspects of life- their schedule, their food, their traditions and their names. The only major difference that divided the two groups was that of religion, with most of my students being Catholic or Southern Baptist and the Moroccan students being Muslim. The major elements of life, like family, friends, and goals, however, were remarkably similar. It seemed to me that no matter where in the world you travel- kids are kids, people are people- we all want and care about the same things when it comes down to the most basic elements of life- love, belonging, acceptance, protection, and respect.
While I think my essential question provided an incredible learning experience for myself and both communities of learners, I do have remaining questions. Did students find any resistance to the new knowledge they learned about each other? Did friends disagree with their new perspective toward the other country? Did parents challenge their new perspectives? How could social media be utilized as the exchange tool rather than the teacher? Would it have the same effect? How instrumental was I to the process of developing cultural competency and global understanding?
Upon being accepted to the TGC program, I was immediately excited about how my travels could impact the lives of my students- most of whom will never get the opportunity to travel outside the country. I can’t help but think about the image of the United States as it must be portrayed in the media- likely an inaccurate version of our lives, but one that makes headlines and sells movies. As I began to prepare for my international experience, I wanted to know to what degree my trip could promote a better understanding of culture, hopefully replacing the preconceived notions about the world that many of us have, not out of spite, or apathy, but out of ignorance.
I decided to research this question by first having my students in the U.S. complete a pre-travel questionnaire about Morocco- what did they already know about the country and its people? I was surprised to overhear the conversations of many of my students as they filled out the form. Several students were discussing how embarrassed they were- they didn’t know anything about Morocco- literally nothing. Others jokingly apologized, as they mentioned Morocco being the land of sand and camels. While I had assumed my students would not have an accurate view of Morocco, I hadn’t anticipated them being apologetic about their lack of knowledge. I reminded them that this lack of knowledge was not their fault- at what point in their education have they been introduced to cultures other than their own? After completing the questions, I then had my students fill out information about themselves- their school day, extracurricular activities, values, family, etc. When I learned I would be in Morocco, I sent the same two questionnaires to my host teacher, for her to assign to her student prior to my arrival.
As I landed in Morocco, I was eager to see how my student’s images of Morocco stood up to the real version. I was excited to also see what Moroccan teens thought about the United States. What is their source of information about the United States? Or do they even have a source of information about us? I was fortunate to get the chance to conduct a lesson with the Moroccan teens that had filled out the advance questionnaires. I collected their responses and then provided them with my student’s pre-travel questionnaires. The Moroccan teens found it hilarious that my students thought of Moroccans living in the desert with turbans. They also found it interesting how little our students knew about them- perhaps due to their low profile in American news? The most interesting part of the exchange was having the Moroccan students read the personal information about my American students. They were incredibly interested in the average school day- as the Moroccan teens do not have any classes in the arts (band, art, newspaper, etc) and they additionally do not have any extracurricular activities (sports, clubs, etc). After allowing the Moroccan students some time to read several American student profiles, I began to ask questions about their preconceived notions and their new understanding. When asked about their preconceived notions about the United States, I was surprised to hear that the United States seemed like a land of “milk and honey”. It was where “equality was respected”, “there are no poor”, and “freedoms” prevailed. On the other hand, many also connected Americans as being “fat” and “lazy”, America being “dangerous”, and “not believing in religions”. The Moroccan students pointed out however, that after reading the profiles of my students- they recognized that American teens have lives similar to those of Moroccan teenagers. Below, you will find a video of a young Moroccan student talking about the things American and Moroccan students have in common. The importance of family became apparent for both sets of students and in terms of media, they listened to similar music and watched the same movies. The Moroccan students were interested in where Kansas City was in the United States, what the city was like, what my students wore, and whether they were all “fat”. I felt as though the exchange went incredibly well while in Meknes- the responses of the Moroccan students supported the idea that through my travel, they were able to have a more accurate view of American teen life. Some of the more negative preconceived notions, several admitted, were from movies- which also reinforced the idea that the image of the United States in the media is not an accurate portrayal of the ordinary life of myself or my students. Of course, that likely wouldn’t sell movie tickets, though.
When I returned to my classes in Kansas City, my students were excited to see what the Moroccan teenagers were like. They poured over the pre-travel questionnaires and several commented that the Moroccan teens knew more about the U.S. than they had known about Morocco. We discussed why that might be- with the United States playing a pivotal role in the global economy and entertainment. Students then read the cultural exchange profiles of the Moroccan students. I wish I had videoed the room, as the energy was truly electrifying. There were “aha” moments all over the room, with my students seeing that the Moroccans listened to their same music, liked the same foods, valued family, had pets, and… had social media accounts! Talk about turning their preconceived notions around- now my students understood that these Moroccan students had cell phones, with facebook and twitter, and they were just as obsessed about posting their own thoughts as American teens are! You could see the barriers of distance and ignorance come crashing down as students passed around the profiles of my Moroccan students. Many of my students then contacted the Moroccan teens on twitter and facebook, and there are several who still keep in touch! I will admit, I was floored by the response. My students will likely never visit Morocco, nor will many of my Moroccan students visit the United States, but the newly formed mutual understanding between the two groups of students was incredible. Something I hadn’t considered, the idea that my students would then share this new knowledge with other students and even their families, began to occur. I received emails from parents talking about how excited my students were to learn about Moroccan teens being “just like us”. My travel experience had now reached far beyond the realm of my classroom- and was moving in to my community- truly encompassing the idea of global competency!
Perhaps the most interesting anecdotal evidence I observed was that in both classrooms, as students read about the lives of the other teens, there was an emphasis on commonalities rather than differences between the two groups. Call me an optimist, but wouldn’t this perspective toward others solve so many world problems? Instead of focusing on the things that separate our cultures, why not focus on our commonalities? Most of the differences the students found were in small aspects of life- their schedule, their food, their traditions and their names. The only major difference that divided the two groups was that of religion, with most of my students being Catholic or Southern Baptist and the Moroccan students being Muslim. The major elements of life, like family, friends, and goals, however, were remarkably similar. It seemed to me that no matter where in the world you travel- kids are kids, people are people- we all want and care about the same things when it comes down to the most basic elements of life- love, belonging, acceptance, protection, and respect.
While I think my essential question provided an incredible learning experience for myself and both communities of learners, I do have remaining questions. Did students find any resistance to the new knowledge they learned about each other? Did friends disagree with their new perspective toward the other country? Did parents challenge their new perspectives? How could social media be utilized as the exchange tool rather than the teacher? Would it have the same effect? How instrumental was I to the process of developing cultural competency and global understanding?