Cultural Literacy Sample Module: Values

The AjA Project

CULTURAL LITERACY

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MODULE : WHO ARE MY NEIGHBORS?

MODULE : HEROES OF MY CULTURE

MODULE : RITUALS OF MY CULTURE

MODULE : VALUES OF MY CULTURE

TABLE OF CONTENTS

28MODULE : IDENTITY AND STEREOTYPING

MODULE : PHOTOGRAPHY AS LANGUAGE

MODULE : SYMBOLS OF MY CULTURE

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08

GUIDELINES

MODULE: INTRODUCTION TO CULTURE

“You can’t force me the way you want to. But you can learn the way I am.”

Fadi, age 14, Iraq

The AjA Project

CULTURAL LITERACY

Lead DeveloperAshleigh Starke, M.A., Program Director, The AjA Project

Key AdvisorsSandra Ainslie, Executive Director, The AjA ProjectHeather Lattimer, Ed.D., Assistant Professor of the School of Leadership and Education Sciences at the University of San Diego

Key ContributorsJules DownumKate SheridanJena Olson, Program Manager, The AjA Project

DesignerSenem Goctu, Communications & Design Manager, The AjA Project

VideographerShinpei Takeda, M.A., Co-founder, The AjA Project

Special ThanksJames Irvine FoundationJustin Apger, M.A., Finance and Operations Director, The AjA Project

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The AjA Project

CULTURAL LITERACY

OVERVIEW: Students recognize and explore their own values, and understand the ways in which both our individual experiences and cultural background affect our values and how we judge the values of others.

TIME FRAME: 4 to 5 hours

SUPPLIES: AjA Visual Collection on values, empathy role-play exercise, word map on values, digital cameras, SD card, batteries, card reader, computer and projector

Â Activity 1: Values SlideshowPurpose: Participants are introduced to values and the impact they have on our actions.

Time frame: 30 minutesSupplies: projector, computer, screen, AjA photos on valuesPreparation: none

Instructions: The facilitator begins by broadly defining values and opens up the discussion by asking participants to shout out their responses to the following questions.

Guiding Questions Ö What qualities do you look for in a friend? Ö What do you want to do when you graduate from

high school? Ö What makes you smile, laugh, feel joyful? Ö What do you do for fun? Ö Do you have responsibilities in your home? Ö If you were given $1,000,what would you do with it?

What is a Value? Definition: The beliefs or standards that guides ones behavior about family, education, community, relationships, religion, work, etc.

Learning Outcomes Â Participants identify their cultural values and

create photographs that communicate these values.

Â Participants write or record a narrative explaining the significance of their cultural values.

Â Participants analyze the photographs of others using Visual Thinking Strategies, and compare and contrast their experiences with others.

Â Participants assess how the media frames cultural values.

Â Participants explain how their cultural values shape who they are as individuals, and influence how they view the world and interact with others.

SETTING THE STAGE


YOUR IDENTITY

The AjA Project

CULTURAL LITERACY

As participants begin to identify their own values, the facilitator deepens the conversation by showing photos from AjA’s Visual Collection on values.

Guiding Questions Ö What is going on in this photo? Ö What makes you say that? Ö What else do you see? Ö What value could the photo represent? Ö What other values could the photo represent? Ö Why do we have different responses? Ö Do values need to be shared among people?

Â Activity 2: Media Literacy and Values Purpose: Participants continue to learn about values by unpacking how the media frames values.

Time frame: 1 hourSupplies: value articles, journals, pencils/pensPreparation: select articles for participants

Instructions: Instructors select a reading for students related to a value. The reading may be an article pertaining to a historical or current event/issue, or about an individual. Relevant articles can be found in New York Times Upfront, New York Times Scope, New York Times Action, BBC, Times for Kids, Teen Inc. and Teen News. Refer to end of module for a list of specific articles.

Journal PromptWhat is a value? What event/issue is being represented in the article and what value(s) could be represented? Think about where you came from, your family history, the things you’ve learned from your parents, where you went to school, and the country you grew up in. How does your background influence your thoughts/feelings about this issue/experience? How might other people understand this message differently from you? What lifestyles, values, and points of view are represented in or omitted from this article?

Activity 3: Your ValuesPurpose: Participants increase empathy by looking at AjA students’ photos and perceiving another person’s perspective on a value.

Time frame: 1 hourSupplies: AjA photos on valuesPreparation: print and laminate the pdf from the Visual Collection on Values

Instructions: In groups of 3 to 4, participants view 2 to 3 printed photos/narratives from the AjA Visual Collection related to values, and as a group, select 1 photograph/narrative to discuss the following questions.

Guiding Questions Ö What issue/event is represented in the photo and

narrative? Ö What are your own thoughts/feelings about this

issue/experience? Ö Think about where you grew up, your family history,

the things you have learned, where you went to school, the country you grew up in, etc. How does your background influence your thoughts/feelings about this issue/experience?

Ö Now think about the photographer. How might their background influence their thoughts/feelings about the issue/experience?

Ö Is it possible to empathize with the experience of others despite having different life experiences? Why or why not?

Ö How do your values impact your actions?

Following the small-group discussion, the instructor invites each group to present their selected AjA photo and narrative to the class, and share responses. The facilitator should project each photo via slideshow, and use Visual Thinking Strategies to engage the entire class in the discussion and incorporate a variety of voices. Great follow-up questions are, “Does this remind anyone else of an experience they have had?” “Tell me more about that.”

Â Activity 4: My ValuesPurpose: Participants examine photographs and narratives of their own cultural values and understand how their individual experiences shape their worldview.

4A: Photography ExerciseTime frame: 1 hourSupplies: markers, construction paper, tapePreparation: remind participants to bring printed photos from home

MY IDENTITY


The AjA Project

CULTURAL LITERACY

Instructions: Participants each bring in 2 to 3 printed photos that represent what is important to them. In small groups, students individually view their own photos, list the details they see, and discuss how the details might translate into a value they hold. Based on the exercise, participants discuss what they value in their small groups and list some examples. After students discuss what they value, the facilitator writes the value categories on different signs throughout the room. Participants place their photo(s) under the category that they feel best fits what they value. The dominant value categories are listed on the board and the instructor leads a large-group discussion.

Value Categories: Economy, government & politics, happiness & health, leisure & friends, religion, society & nation, morality, education, emotions, family, gender & sexuality, ecology

Guiding Questions Ö What do you value individually? Why? Ö Which do you value as a class? Why? Ö What values do you prioritize as a class? Ö What does this say about our society? Do you agree

or disagree? Why?

4B: Reflective WritingTime frame: 30 minutesSupplies: journals, pens/pencilsPreparation: none

Instructions: Utilizing the images, participants write a 4 to 5 sentence caption for each, answering the following questions.

Guiding Questions Ö What do you value? Ö Which values do you prioritize? Ö How did you develop these values? Consider the

role of family, friends and community Ö Before doing this exercise, did you know what was

important to you?

Discussion around this activity will occur in the Reflective Connection section.

Â Activity 5: Gallery WalkPurpose: Participants continue rebuilding positive

cultural frameworks that invite humility and cooperative learning.

Time frame: 30 minutesSupplies: printed photos and text from participants and AjA Visual Collection, hanging materialsPreparation: print photos and text from participants

Instructions: The facilitator displays participants’ printed photos and narratives alongside of the AjA photos and narratives on values, on the classroom wall. Participants view the body of work and complete a take-home writing assignment that answers the following questions.

Guiding Questions Ö What is a value? Ö What values do you prioritize? Ö How does your social and cultural framework inform

your values? Think about where you came from, your family history, the things you’ve learned from your parents, where you went to school, and the country you grew up in.

Ö How do your values influence how you view the world and interact with others?

Ö Can values change over time? Why or why not? Ö How can you live in a society with people who have

different values?

Supplemental Materials:French council advises against total ban on burqa- USA Todayhttp://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/2010-03-30-france-muslim_N.htm

Islam: Not in My Backyard- Scholastic Newshttp://teacher.scholastics.com/scholasticnews/indepth/upfront/features/index.asp?article=f092010_mosques

Controversy shrouds Muslim women’s head coverings- USA Todayhttp://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2010-04-14-headscarves-muslim_N.htm

Cartoon outrage bemuses Denmark- BBChttp://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4669210.stm

Unmarried: The Tempest in Tampa - Huffington Postht tp: / /www.huf f ingtonpost .com/page-gardner/unmarried-the-tempest-in_b_837686.html

REFLECTIVE CONNECTION


The AjA Project Visual Collection

CULTURAL LITERACY MODULE : VALUES OF MY CULTURE

“These crosses remember people who have died trying to cross the border. I think these are sad pieces of art work. It is important to cross the border because in Mexico you don’t have the opportunities that you have in the United States. The wages are low there.”

Rene, age 13, Mexico

IMMIGRATION



“This picture makes me feel sad. This picture is about a girl that wants to be with God and doesn’t want to live any more in the world. She wants to be with her mom who is with God.”

Monica, age 12, Mexico

DYING AND AFTERLIFE



“The basket is my goal to go to college and the ball is me. When I go to college I can get a good job, get more money and buy my mom a house. I don’t know what kind of job, maybe a policeman.”

Mesa, age 14, Cambodia

TAKING CARE OF PARENTS



“In Afghanistan, for three years, I could not go to school because we were scared that we might be killed for getting an education. My grandfather was determined and secretly brought in a teacher. My father decided to find a way to get us out of the country.”

Nargis, age 13, Afghanistan

EDUCATION



“I wake up in the morning. I hear music and I take shower and I brush my teeth and I go get water in the faucet. The morning was cold. To get water I have to walk. I walk with my friends for twenty minutes to get to the water faucet. It’s cold because it’s in the morning. I put one jirgane on my head, hold two and one I push with my feet. We talk and laugh as we walk. A lot of people walk to get water. When we get there we get a number from a camp worker. Then we wait for our number to be called. I get number 15. We wait for ten minutes. Then he calls my number and I fill my jirgane (eight gallons) and five small containers. Now they are heavy, and it’s warming up outside. I wait for my friends to get theirs and we walk back home together. It’s easy to carry it on my head because I learned when I was seven. On the way home, we are more quiet because we are working. We do this to help our parents. We bring water home and put it next to the house. This water will last us a couple of days, but I will go for more everyday so we have extra. After I am home I go to my neighbor’s house. She is old and lives by herself so I go and get water for her.”

Khadija, age 15, Kenya

HELPING YOUR FAMILY AND COMMUNITY



“Through my life I’ve had a lot of friends, but my best friend is My. She is in Vietnam. When I was a little girl she is the first friend who I’ve meet. After that we were doing everything like two chopsticks can’t separate. We swim, eat, play and study. She has a lovely face. When I had problem or I were sad, she’s always next to me and listen carefully my heart. Then we together find the way to solve the hard problem.”

Cuc, age 16, Vietnam

FRIENDSHIP

Documents

Cultural Literacy Sample Module: Values