Chopin, Einstein, Picasso as Migrant Stars (LS-PL-81)
The lesson “Chopin, Einstein, Picasso as Migrant Stars” was carried out in 8th-grade on June 4, 2019, at St John Paul II Primary School, Bialystok, Poland. The same learning scenario was repeated to two other peer groups. The students spoke English during these classes. The aim of the lesson was to promote interdisciplinary teaching and give students a chance to discuss the concept of migration through the prism of three chosen role models.
STEAM methodology
The learning scenario was prepared in reference to the Europeana resources and STEAM methodology. As the author of the scenario, I based the lesson on the experience I have gained while working on the Erasmus+ project “Atelier for STEAM”. During the lesson, students developed various language skills (listening, reading, speaking) by learning about three famous characters in a cultural context. The selection of notable figures was not accidental. They are people whose creative and timeless achievements we admire no matter in which country we live.
Migrants stars as inspiration
Chopin, Einstein, Picasso belong to the most important Migrant Stars. The learning environment centres around the selected Internet resources and students use their smartphones to interact with the worksheet. Teachers are not required to make special arrangements, the interactive handout attached to the scenario makes it easier for every teacher to navigate through. The lesson is aimed at teenagers, who often do not have specific interests yet. They are guided by a teacher in order to further develop their skills under his/her supervision.
The skilful use of technology tools was one of the priorities of my lesson. To reflect that, Mentimeter was used to activate the students and generate their interest in the topic. The constant students’ contribution to the presentation enabled them to answer a question and get real-time feedback in the interactive opening activity. What is more, the QR codes consisting of an array of black and white squares were used for storing URLs, readable with smartphones. The followers were actively involved in the learning process. They took advantage of the self-assessment traffic light code or ExitPoll created with ClassroomScreen.
Aim of the lesson
My goal was to build a positive interdisciplinary STEAM learning environment in which the students could communicate freely and openly, so they could arrive at a new understanding. Therefore, this lesson provided students with an opportunity to explore the endeavours and pursuits of a pianist, a scientist and a painter who all had a migrant background from a fresh perspective. We recognized them as migrants, in the context of a cultural and political climate.
All the students enjoyed the lesson and left positive feedback.
Would you like to know more about this learning scenario? You can download it below:
If you find this learning scenario interesting, you may also like the following ones:
- Migration Socratic Seminar
- Feel the Moment – touch the 19th-century image and discover
- No migration no history
The featured image used to illustrate this article belongs to the public domain. Click here to find it.