Ah-Ha

Last week, I taught a lesson on culture. Students learned about two boys, Elliot, who lives in America, and Kailash, who lives in India. Students listened as I read aloud about the two distinct cultures from the book titled Same, Same, But Different. They compared and contrasted the cultures and identified similarities and differences between/among the cultures.

Afterwards they interviewed a friend and compared and contrasted their culture to their friend’s culture. Students enjoyed connecting with one another and making connections between/among their cultures. It was awesome to hear kids saying, “We both wear sneakers…We both like Mine Craft, but we live in different places. I live in a house and my partner lives in an apartment.”

Prior to Kenan Fellows, I used to teach culture a different way; I used a power point, video, and cooked a traditional dish. Now, I involve students by having them practice soft skills (listening and speaking) to gain a deep appreciation for diversity. In the end, students learned many valuable lessons: tolerance and we are more alike than we are different.

This year, I also tried out an inquiry-based approach. For example, I taught a data lesson using Legos. My students couldn’t believe that they were going to learn math using Legos. That day, my students and I learned through play.

Kenan Fellows is one of the reasons behind the variety in my lesson formats. Everyone I met at Siemens communicated the importance of teaching soft skills, in order to be successful in the workplace. At school, soft skills are equally important because it meets the social emotional needs of our children: the need to be accepted, heard, valued, and loved. This type of teaching has the power to “Break the Link,” ensuring children born in poverty, do not stay in poverty.