Problem of Practice: How can we develop criticality in our students so that they learn to question and/or unlearn their own  hegemonic ideas/experiences?”

​

Our change idea was to choose an interview of a diverse/marginalized person as a primary source for a writing reflection. 

- Each group member implemented this in a slightly different way.

- The interview primary source fit into the project unit or study for each individual classroom.

 

What do we want to learn from this cycle?

1. Does using interviews as primary sources add to the ability to empathize with the experiences of others? If so, how?

2. Will students be more interested in learning from primary sources?

​

Data to collect:

- Student work samples produced from studying the interview (looks different for everyone).

​

We predicted: 

-Students will give more insightful commentary about the information because the info came from someone’s actual point of view.

​

We learned:

- Students connected more with the emotions, feelings, and thoughts of the person being interviewed. 

- The connection was shown in their work and discussions after (more thorough).

- Experiences felt more real because it was from a primary source.

- Kids appreciate it because it feels like they’re learning from an “expert.” It’s a very real, up close source. 

- Connecting human concerns with scientific issues/topics allowed some students to draw conclusions about what they can do to help. Some heard the interview but didn’t tie it back to the issue (they just looked at how it affected their own lives).