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11-07-2023, 05:34 PM
(This post was last modified: 11-07-2023, 05:35 PM by Anika Sinha.)
Session 1: This Is Your Life, NPR: Out of a Nigerian Slum, a Poet Is Born, Nation Building
What are key elements of a capitalist economy?
New: What are some examples of government failures? How do these contribute to conflicts?
We started off the session by reading the NPR case study with the podcast playing so everyone would read at the same pace. After reading it, we gave students some time to answer the first few questions on the back of the handout either individually or think-pair-share. Because it was our first time with them, they seemed hesitant to talk. So, we got help from the teacher when she told the students that they could brainstorm and work together to answer the questions. After we gave them some time, we asked students to give their answers to the class. Student A spoke about the role that oil plays in the economy and Student B spoke on the importance of infrastructure. Moving forward with the questions, there were more analytical and broad-based questions that Kenny, Marissa, and I decided would be more productive to discuss as a class. We gave students some time to think about the questions and discuss them with their classmates, and then we ultimately guided the conversation and brought in more complex issues regarding access to resources and governmental functions. To touch on governmental functions, we showed the first page of the Nation Building documents and expanded on how several responsibilities and different sectors were all interlinked and dependent on each other. We applied the learnings of this document to the case study and asked the students if they believed that Nigeria had each function of government. After speaking on what the article mentioned, we asked if they believed that the United States had all three functions of government, too. Student C touched on the fact that there is a lot of police brutality that goes on that is unpunished. We then spoke on how several pieces of legislation that are passed can often go unenforced, so all three responsibilities of government matter, because beyond creating laws, they must be enforced. After connecting the nation-building document with the NPR case study, we moved on to the four worlds activity. We split the students up into four worlds and asked them to come to an agreement about a collective ranking of the most important aspects of their world. We then told them that after they rank these aspects, they must be ready and able to defend their decisions. Once they completed their rankings, we asked them to create new groups, each with at least one person from each world. Once there was a representative from each world, we asked them to rank overall the most important aspects of a properly functioning government. After they discussed with one another, we reconvened as a class, and Kenny asked the students to write on the chalkboard their top 3 overall rankings, emphasizing there was no right answer. We discussed as a class which aspects seem to come up a lot among all the teams and why that could possibly be the case. After this discussion, we ran overtime and said goodbye to both the students and the teacher after picking up our documents.
Session 2: NPR: U.S. economy is slowing as fewer immigrant workers come to fill jobs
How do the interests of the market and government support/oppose each other?
New: How do different actors within a country derive their power and express their priorities?
We entered the classroom and immediately pulled up the NPR article podcast and handed out the documents to all students. Wasting no time, we collectively followed along with the podcast and read as a class. Before reading, we encouraged the students to highlight and annotate any aspects of the case study that stood out to them or they felt were important. Like last time, we asked the students to talk to the students around them about the answers following the end of the podcast, as these questions were relatively direct. This time, they seemed more comfortable around Marissa, Kenny, and me, so they seemed more relaxed and talkative. All three of us went around the class to listen to the ideas and thoughts that these students had while reading along to the case study. Generally, the students seemed interested in the topics at hand that were being addressed. After we walked around the classroom, we asked the students to raise their hands and offer answers. Student A spoke about how immigrants boost the economy by taking on jobs that are available to them. There was a bit of an intense reaction by some of the students, as the topic of immigration can become heated. Therefore, Student B responded and mentioned how with greater immigration restrictions, native-born workers can have more of an opportunity to pursue the jobs that are open. Marissa, Kenny, and I worked diligently to ensure that the environment would be a calm one to maturely discuss such issues. I moderated the conversation by validating both sides of the issue and as a role model, I showed through my approach of responding to both students that it is perfectly acceptable to understand and empathize with an opposing view, while also disagreeing with their words. We all ultimately agreed that the issue is definitely very complex and we could have a conversation for hours and not address every aspect of it, including the different groups that affect policy decisions and various conflicts of interests. Like last time, we split into different groups for the four worlds activity. We asked the students to identify the actors, priorities, and power that their respective world would have. This seemed more difficult than our time conducting the four worlds activity. When I walked around to speak with each individual group, Student C mentioned that she was very confused and didn’t necessarily understand what she was supposed to be doing. I spoke with her individually and explained the tasks she should be completing. Soon, I realized that she wasn’t the only student confused. Therefore, I reconvened the classroom and conveyed their task once again, this time more thoroughly and with a step-by-step explanation. Finally, they understood and collaborated with their respective teams. Like last time, we asked them to find new groups with at least one person from each world. Instead of coming to a consensus and agreement on which world would have the most influence, we asked them to “defend” their world, and debate with their group why their respective world has the most power to make a difference in policymaking. We reconvened at the end and brought the discussion to a more broader understanding of how different priorities can clash among international powers.
Session 3: NPR: An island crusader takes on the big brands behind plastic waste
How does a capitalistic market affect the environment?
New: How do individual, national, and global attitudes influence policies?
Like all of our previous sessions, we started this session with the NPR case study. Unfortunately, we could not find the audio podcast to go along with the reading. Marissa, Kenny, and I still wanted the classroom to move through the reading as a unit, so we improvised and decided to ask the students to read a few lines and then popcorn it off to someone else. This worked well, and everyone comprehended the material since I saw several students highlighting and annotating while their peers read the article out loud. Like before, we asked the students to answer the first few questions with their peers. These questions were basic comprehension check-ins, with the students finding the lines in the article to cite and answer the questions. After a few minutes, we reconvened and the students volunteered their answers to the class, and we held a brief discussion on the topics covered. We soon moved on to discuss positive and negative incentives. There were examples of different incentives, and students were prompted to identify whether they provided a reward or punishment. After the activity, we held a discussion asking students whether positive or negative incentives are more effective in enforcing a policy. Student A believed that positive incentives like monetary rewards were more effective due to the “money mentality” culture that the general population of the United States holds. Student B disagreed and stated that negative incentives can be more effective in enforcing policies since they would deter citizens from taking actions that could result in a personal cost, emphasizing how the United States holds more individualistic views rather than collective, community-oriented values. I chimed in and offered a perspective that based on the policy, negative or positive incentives can both be considered effective. We then moved on and asked them if they actively participated in the topics covered in the NPR article, which focused on consumerism and how it can harm the environment. We presented a slideshow with various famous brands that engage in harmful environmental practices and asked the students if they had bought products from these brands. Everyone raised their hands. We moved on to the levels of analysis and asked students to point out the different factors that the article mentioned. We walked through the individual level of analysis as a group, and Marissa, Kenny, and I led by example. So, we went through each aspect and determined in the NPR article if there were examples there that could apply to what is stated on the worksheet. Specifically, we talked about how the article mentioned police patrolling, and how according to the levels of analysis that would be a form of military presence. We then asked them to conduct the next level of analysis in small groups with their peers around them. I walked around and listened in on the interesting student conversations; I also did not realize certain aspects that were present in the article that the students pointed out. I got to Student C and could tell that she was stuck and didn’t know how to approach the prompt, so I walked her through a few examples and let her complete the rest on her own. We reconvened as a group and the students presented their findings. Since this was our last session, we ended the conversation by having them ask us questions about USC and college in general.
