Sunday, July 16, 2017
Overall Reflection
I wanted to say that it was such a pleasure to work for the Balfour program and to work with Amy Aiyegbusi as my partner. We were very collaborative and open to new ideas (from each other and from the kids during the program). The kids were just amazing, bright and well-behaved. I am amazed how creative they were with their t-shirt projects and the pictures. It has been such a wonderful experience both for me and Amy and I believe that those kids will continue their educational journey successfully!
Thursday, July 13, 2017
Productive Scholars!!!
One thing you don't expect is how passionate the scholars can be once they're very into their individual projects. We have 5 group projects and 2 individual projects. Dan, Rachel, and I really wanted to leave it up to the students as far as what to do. We asked them to tell a story that goes beyond the stereotypes that sometimes follow refugees, particularly those from Syria. These students took it and ran with it!
We have 3 physical projects- an essay, skit, and portrait- and 4 digital projects- a spoken word, book, poetry, and a picture essay. Each project is a testament to each student's hard work this past week.
Reflection 4 Day 4
Wow. What a day. Our students--every single one of them--came up with an introspective way to represent their story of migration on their T-shirt and in relation to the props they used in their picture of themselves in their T-shirts. The energy in the room today was electric--the kids were excited to finally be creating their digital representations of their shirts, one of their Balfour educators from another program came into the classroom for a while so that they could model and explain their shirts to him, and we even had about 10 minutes of time at the beginning and end of class so that they could finish what they have called "their" game of Guess Who--where they draw out a card with 3 facts about someone in the room and try to guess who the person is. They LOVE that game:) This week has been wonderful for both Derya and I, and we hope that at the end of their journey tomorrow they will take away the love and understanding they have shown for each other into all facets of their lives forever. They are great kids and deserve the best always.
Day 3 Balfour Galactic Reflection
Day 3 Balfour Galactic
Today we decided to start with a parking lot where students could ask any questions they'd like if they were still unsure about anything related to or about inequalities on the pink sticky notes. Then I briefly introduced the Tanzania library project with them and told them to ask any additional questions on the orange sticky notes (we will Skype with the Peace Corps member on Thursday and she will answer the questions and more), we ended by starting and continuing to work on our global inequality local maps. Students used various art forms to express these such as magazines, words, symbols and more to show their communities and inequalities present there. We felt like it was a great session and were especially impressed with their questions and ways they expressed their communities. Today, (Thursday) we plan to Skype with former Peace Corp member, Ellen Jorgenson, explore how music art forms are educational with Julie, and continuing to work on their maps.
Wednesday, July 12, 2017
Reflection 3: Day 3
Today was another great day. We started out the day letting the students interview us again, and they learned that while both Derya and I have seen negative things in the countries we have traveled, our positive experiences far outweigh any challenges we have encountered. Each time they ask us a question, someone in the class volunteers their own story about movement, whether pertaining to physical or ideological, and we all are getting to know and appreciate our unique and diverse backgrounds. We introduced two visual artists who specialize in migratory photography, showing them collections and explaining how each artists' work overlaps with the other. After that discussion, the students completed their T-shirt designs--all of their creativity is amazing! They have really taken to our group's theme of migration and have represented themselves well through their shirt designs. During the artwork period, we played more world music, and some of the students contributed their own favorites in that category as well. Tomorrow is the digital component of our artwork project, and they are already thinking about how best to represent themselves through photography and how to comprise that into a classroom representation of their work. The only challenge we faced today was the shortened time we had with them, but we all adjusted our schedules for the time we did have and honestly did not think about it too much. We completed our lesson plan for the day, each student completed their shirt, so all in all was another wonderful day with our group of Balfours:)
Day 3 Reflections
I learned early in my teaching career that you have to be seaweed: rooted, but flexible. So when we got our students later than expected, we just rolled with it! We started with some prompts:
We used this discussion to lead into a video that talks about how we as humans are really connected, and that the differences we feel are fairly insignificant. This is not to say that inequalities aren't there, but that we actually need to talk even MORE about issues of race, culture, gender, class, etc. to combat these toxic narratives. The video shows a Kurdish woman refugee who goes on a DNA Journey and finds her ancestry is quite mixed with groups she feels animosity toward. She also connects with a distant relative, who is also from a very unexpected ancestral group.
- What would happen if we allowed prejudice and stereotypes to govern us?
- What would happen if we actively counteracted our biases and preconceived ideas?
We used this discussion to lead into a video that talks about how we as humans are really connected, and that the differences we feel are fairly insignificant. This is not to say that inequalities aren't there, but that we actually need to talk even MORE about issues of race, culture, gender, class, etc. to combat these toxic narratives. The video shows a Kurdish woman refugee who goes on a DNA Journey and finds her ancestry is quite mixed with groups she feels animosity toward. She also connects with a distant relative, who is also from a very unexpected ancestral group.
Before jumping to work on our final project, we took some time to step into the mindset of a Syrian refugee. We asked the students to write an "I Am" poem from the perspective of this refugee. This helped them really identify with who's stories they were trying to tell, and built on yesterday's 4 Corners activity dealing with how someone identifies versus how the world sees them, and eventually how they would like everyone else to see who they really are.
Reflections Day 1 & 2
Day 1-The students seemed to enjoy the activities we had planned for them. It was like a rollercoaster of events which included a fun get to know you beach ball activity, then unique facilitator introductions using instagram profiles where students formed predictions of us based on our images, then students surprised with their reactions in response to the inequality treat activity, followed by completing a K-W-L on their knowledge of inequality and what they would like to learn. We had an overview of inequality and then the students did a museum walk to observe different students view of various forms of inequality. This was a great foundational day to get the background knowledge noted and see what they wanted to get out of the session.
On day 2 it was great to open up with debriefing the museum walk a little more by having each group look more in-depth at various inequality fact sheets-we had them read each unique fact sheet in their group and highlight the interesting or shocking information, we added new information to the KWL chart, watched a news clip highlighting apartheid and inequality in education within South Africa, then Hogan led an overview of maps and their usage and what we can learn from them. This activity transferred to them creating their own maps of their communities in which they were to start thinking of how to map out their own communities and the inequality within. Julie informed the students that to upload their celfies (selfies) to the Balfour Instagram with their own unique caption to represent themselves.
Day 2 concerns were regarding time, so Julie suggested shortening or cutting activities to have more time to go more in-depth in conversations regarding topics. I mentioned making sure that we keep activities varied (some teacher-led and some student cooperative and led) to keep the energy and engagement up. We solidified our Day 3 plans/agenda and talked about copies/supplies needed.
Overall, the students engaging in critical discussions and opening their minds up to global and local inequalities that they hadn't thought about and their effects.
Day 1-The students seemed to enjoy the activities we had planned for them. It was like a rollercoaster of events which included a fun get to know you beach ball activity, then unique facilitator introductions using instagram profiles where students formed predictions of us based on our images, then students surprised with their reactions in response to the inequality treat activity, followed by completing a K-W-L on their knowledge of inequality and what they would like to learn. We had an overview of inequality and then the students did a museum walk to observe different students view of various forms of inequality. This was a great foundational day to get the background knowledge noted and see what they wanted to get out of the session.
On day 2 it was great to open up with debriefing the museum walk a little more by having each group look more in-depth at various inequality fact sheets-we had them read each unique fact sheet in their group and highlight the interesting or shocking information, we added new information to the KWL chart, watched a news clip highlighting apartheid and inequality in education within South Africa, then Hogan led an overview of maps and their usage and what we can learn from them. This activity transferred to them creating their own maps of their communities in which they were to start thinking of how to map out their own communities and the inequality within. Julie informed the students that to upload their celfies (selfies) to the Balfour Instagram with their own unique caption to represent themselves.
Day 2 concerns were regarding time, so Julie suggested shortening or cutting activities to have more time to go more in-depth in conversations regarding topics. I mentioned making sure that we keep activities varied (some teacher-led and some student cooperative and led) to keep the energy and engagement up. We solidified our Day 3 plans/agenda and talked about copies/supplies needed.
Overall, the students engaging in critical discussions and opening their minds up to global and local inequalities that they hadn't thought about and their effects.
Tuesday, July 11, 2017
Group 2 Reflection: Day 2
Reflection Day 2
Today was only the second day each of us in our group has known the others, but we already feel connected to each other. We believe that is due to our desire to share our own stories of migration and identity with all our students and listening to theirs, as well. We began the day by answering questions they had for us about our life stories, and then we moved into a discussion about social movements as an ideology migration. During that portion, we taught them the 6 types of social movements including the target audience and desired outcome of each type. The discussion was interactive, as the students had many great ideas about both recent and past social movements including discussion of the short and long term success of each. We them moved into the artistic portion of the program, which is T-shirt design. Each student is designing a shirt based on either their self-identity or social issue important to them, or a combination of both. Yesterday we posted pictures of varying movements around the room to give them ideas for the shirts and to facilitate discussion, as well. We stressed the success of peaceful activism, successful social change and the importance of leadership and tolerance in all forms of migration. We gave them a small "homework" idea for tomorrow, which was to pick out one world music song for us to play during tomorrow's completion of the T-shirts. We will let you know tomorrow what they come up with:)
Today was only the second day each of us in our group has known the others, but we already feel connected to each other. We believe that is due to our desire to share our own stories of migration and identity with all our students and listening to theirs, as well. We began the day by answering questions they had for us about our life stories, and then we moved into a discussion about social movements as an ideology migration. During that portion, we taught them the 6 types of social movements including the target audience and desired outcome of each type. The discussion was interactive, as the students had many great ideas about both recent and past social movements including discussion of the short and long term success of each. We them moved into the artistic portion of the program, which is T-shirt design. Each student is designing a shirt based on either their self-identity or social issue important to them, or a combination of both. Yesterday we posted pictures of varying movements around the room to give them ideas for the shirts and to facilitate discussion, as well. We stressed the success of peaceful activism, successful social change and the importance of leadership and tolerance in all forms of migration. We gave them a small "homework" idea for tomorrow, which was to pick out one world music song for us to play during tomorrow's completion of the T-shirts. We will let you know tomorrow what they come up with:)
Day 2: Learning about Refugees
Discussion Starter
Today we got a little deeper into the discussion about refugees. We began the session with a great conversation starter/ice breaker that Caitlyn developed called "4 Corners". We had four labels set up in the corners of the classroom- Race, Belief System, Social Class/Education, and Gender/Sexuality. During this time, the Balfour scholars were asked a series of questions and then reported to one of the four corners in our classroom that represented the way that that label would affect them. For example, "Which of the four corners are you most proud of or love about yourself the most?" Students reported to corners and partook in some good dialogue about how each of these four corners represented them and affected them in their lives. We then asked how these four corners would represent the Syrian refugees. Students went back to their table groups to continue this discussion.The Eye-Opener
Next, the scholars were asked to brainstorm who the "average American" would be. In their journals, they drew pictures, made lists, and wrote descriptions of this average America. Then, we watched a video that described the made it evident how diverse our country really is. We found that some students were happily surprised by what they heard. For example, there are 3 million Muslim Americans living in the United States, which is nearly three times the amount of people active in the US military.Syrian Refugees
To help the scholars see some different examples of how they could do a photograph and/or map project, Dan gave an awesome presentation to show them several resources to help them brainstorm. He showed this resource from 2016: http://www.cnn.com/2016/02/29/us/indiana-syrian-refugees-lawsuit/ which explains how the federal court is blocked Pence's order to block Syrian refugee settlement in Indiana. He also showed students how to use maps to make a visual representation of where Syrian refugees came from and what journey they took to reach Indiana. Really good discussion came about as student asked about refugees and looked at journeys that were taken to get to the United States and other countries. One of our students shared a personal story about refugees.Projects
After the scholars were assigned to start their projects today, groups began brainstorming about, planning for, and working on their projects. They all seem to be pretty excited about what they're working on!First Day Thoughts
Not surprisingly, this is an outstanding group of students. They are already comfortable with each other and enthusiastically dove into the activities. We started with a think/pair/share about global health then moved to a short research activity about health challenges in Africa. Problems logging in to the laptops forced students to do their research on their phones but they easily transitioned to using them. (I think that issue has been resolved) Students then made posters with information about the disease they had been assigned and shared them with the "class". Addison gave a short presentation about the Gnawa in Morocco. Finally, students signed up for the art form they will use to express their feelings about Global Health. My one complaint would be that the science lab in which we are meeting is rather open and impersonal. I would prefer interacting with students in a more intimate setting.
Monday, July 10, 2017
Progress from Day #1
Today was the first day that Dan, Rachel, and I had worked with our students in the classroom. We opened with the idea of deconstructing stereotypes and judgments that we place initially on one another. We had the students write down their initial thoughts of who we were and what we do, along with a picture of a girl from Syria. Students eagerly added to the sheets behind us.
I believe that this went very well, because the students were laughing at some of the comments their peers had made and teasing us not to peek. After this, we asked the students to silently introduce themselves to the person across from them. This was done in a charades style of gesturing. Some students tried to write or point when finding the words to say, and others had found unique gestures for number of siblings to what their hobbies are.
Our group is very driven and interested. They all engage, whether with the full classroom or in smaller groups. We showed them this video from the Love Has No Labels campaign. We asked them to think about how the video relates to the prior activities. The students were able to make great connections and shared about times judgments had affected them personally or they had judged. These students are open and understand that sharing their stories help others learn.
Following, we worked on a matrix of oppression that looked into different judgments that different groups of people face. Students did not have to fill it out, but were encouraged to write down thoughts and feelings in a personal journal. Our original intent was to have the students decide what would be the matrix of a Syrian refugee; however, time was not on our side! We decided to bring this back on Thursday to compare to the Iceberg theory.
Afterwards, we began to read a denser article from CNN about Islamophobia. We allowed the students to spread out, go down the hall, and read alone or in pairs so they could digest the article in the best way possible. Rachel shared tips for note-taking and annotating that some students adapted while reading their article.
Lastly, we asked the students to think about what they would like to do to tell the story of a Syrian refugee. We wanted to leave it open-ended to students, so they could be free with their projects. We hope to have many creative displays of stories that students can tell a story beyond what stereotypes of a refugee come into play.
We have groups that want to work with images. Does anybody have any suggestions about how to use google images or magazines for photo collages? Any other suggestions in general?
Day 1: Global Infusion Group Reflection 1
July 10, 2017
8:50pm
As Derya and I discussed when our students left the room today, we are pleased with their engagement with our topic of migration and movement. Our group seems to get along with each other, not only sharing a laugh with everyone about the activities we did with them, but also very helpful and respectful of each other. We have an interesting day planned for them tomorrow, as we will introduce social movements as a part of migration, and are looking forward to their ideas on the subject. All in all, it was a good day and we can't wait to share with them again tomorrow.
Amy/Derya
Group 2
8:50pm
As Derya and I discussed when our students left the room today, we are pleased with their engagement with our topic of migration and movement. Our group seems to get along with each other, not only sharing a laugh with everyone about the activities we did with them, but also very helpful and respectful of each other. We have an interesting day planned for them tomorrow, as we will introduce social movements as a part of migration, and are looking forward to their ideas on the subject. All in all, it was a good day and we can't wait to share with them again tomorrow.
Amy/Derya
Group 2
Saturday, July 8, 2017
Group 2 Lesson Plan
Lesson Plan:
Monday - Welcome & Intro to Course Topic (5 min)
Introduction to Facilitators (5 min)
Ice-breaker Activity--Paired House Drawing (30 min)
Grouping them up to know each other (10 min)
Free Talk, 3 Individual Facts and Questions for Facilitators-On index cards
TED Talk (~ 10 min)
Discussion + Push/Pull Factors Activity (30 min)
Tuesday- Intro Activity (Interviewing the facilitators) (15 min)
Introducing Social Movements (30 min)
Making t-shirts (45 min)
End of session reminders: Personal Stories (Wednesday) & Personal Props (Thursday), Give website addresses to digital editing sites
Wednesday - Intro Activity (Interviewing the facilitators) (15 min)
Making t-shirts (45 min)
Sharing Personal Stories (30 min)
Thursday - Card game (5 min)
Introducing the 2 digital artists (30 min)
Omar Victor Diop (Senegal)
Shadi Ghadirian (Iran) http://www.saatchigallery.com/artists/shadi_ghadirian.htm
Introduction of some digital tools (5 min)
Presentation Construction (50 min)
Friday- Presentations/Session Close
Thursday, July 6, 2017
Reading/articles for class activities and discussions for group 1:
I have found several articles that, to be honest, I have only skimmed. I will be reading them in more depth soon, but for now, here are some links to things that I have found. I am not sure if some lean to liberal in perspective and if I need to look into finding more unbiased pieces.
We will probably need about 3 -4 articles to read about and gain perspective on the topic of Syrian refugees and Islamophobia.
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2015/03/syrian-refugees/salopek-text
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/23/world/middleeast/lebanon-syria-refugees-geneva.html
http://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/syrian-refugees-united-states
http://time.com/4234128/islamophobia-in-america/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2016/09/16/how-muslim-women-bear-the-brunt-of-islamophobia/?utm_term=.acf2509da7cb
http://www.cnn.com/2016/09/23/us/islamerica-secret-costs-islamophobia/index.html
I have found several articles that, to be honest, I have only skimmed. I will be reading them in more depth soon, but for now, here are some links to things that I have found. I am not sure if some lean to liberal in perspective and if I need to look into finding more unbiased pieces.
We will probably need about 3 -4 articles to read about and gain perspective on the topic of Syrian refugees and Islamophobia.
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2015/03/syrian-refugees/salopek-text
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/23/world/middleeast/lebanon-syria-refugees-geneva.html
http://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/syrian-refugees-united-states
http://time.com/4234128/islamophobia-in-america/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2016/09/16/how-muslim-women-bear-the-brunt-of-islamophobia/?utm_term=.acf2509da7cb
http://www.cnn.com/2016/09/23/us/islamerica-secret-costs-islamophobia/index.html
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