I hate to say it, but already, I'm struggling with topics. The straight reflection on the day will have to suffice. In Grade 11 today, I had to resort to the standard stand and deliver for a good portion o
f the activities. Though I was able to squeeze in some time for the students to get some clarification on the their introductory essays; "To what extent should Canada be considered a nation?" As it turns out when we look at the academic characteristics of a nation, Canada does not seem to meet the criteria. This can provide a difficulty for Canadian students as the one nation they are all aware of, is the anomoly, not the rule. That said, Canada's pluralism is on fine display in my classroom and this provides an entry point to the discussion of a nation of nations. A lively discussion also developed around the current political strife in Egypt, to the point that it was 
worthwhile to spend 20 minutes streaming CBC's coverage of the events.
f the activities. Though I was able to squeeze in some time for the students to get some clarification on the their introductory essays; "To what extent should Canada be considered a nation?" As it turns out when we look at the academic characteristics of a nation, Canada does not seem to meet the criteria. This can provide a difficulty for Canadian students as the one nation they are all aware of, is the anomoly, not the rule. That said, Canada's pluralism is on fine display in my classroom and this provides an entry point to the discussion of a nation of nations. A lively discussion also developed around the current political strife in Egypt, to the point that it was 
worthwhile to spend 20 minutes streaming CBC's coverage of the events. My grade 12 group got started on developing their own ideologies or recognizing the aspects of their beliefs and values that influence their ideologies. We practiced this skill by looking at a variety of t-shirts (some are seen in this post) and discussing the ideology, obvious or hidden the person follows. In summary they are making their own (paper) t-shirt design that hopefully illustrates their ideology. This along with an introductory essay where I can get a sense of their ability to write need to be complete for Monday.
2 comments:
I wish I had a teacher like you Sean. Wow. To think that you try and get students to ponder. What a gift to give a 16 or 17 year old - the ability to consider...
I love slogan t-shirts... it's so much fun to think of fun slogans and to make t-shirts, never mind how subversive and political the act can be. I'm glad you decided to spend some time discussing the situation in Egypt I often worry that our students don't get enough of a chance to debrief these tragic events and spend time doing a critical analysis of where they stand and how they feel and what's the story. So thanks!
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