No Man is an Island (LS-GR-715)
Is it possible for human beings to live in isolation from each other? Or do they need others to thrive? Indeed, every single species in the universe is connected as part of a greater whole.
The Rationale
John Donne’s poem No Man is an Island inspired Athanasia Kakali, an EFL Teacher, to create this Learning Scenario, so as to involve students in a four-level route to inclusion through a S.A.M.R. Model WebQuest. The Learning Scenario favours an interdisciplinary approach. Moreover, it is versatile and its implementation can be either in class, by distance learning (synchronous & asynchronous), or in a blended-mode.
Regarding the Learning Scenario’s aims, it aspires to familiarise students with Europeana and aid them develop inquiry skills through the No Man is an Island Webquest with an authentic orientation: students exploit web resources to raise inclusion-awareness campaigns. By the end of the project students expand their knowledge about all types of inclusion, reconsider the way modern society is organised, grow empathy and acquire the conscience of active citizenship fighting against all forms of discrimination.
The S.A.M.R. Model
The whole project has the form of an authentic WebQuest adventure. All WebQuest tasks follow the four levels of the S.A.M.R. Model: The S.A.M.R. Model created by Puentedura integrates classroom technology categorised in four degrees: Substitution, Augmentation, Modification and Redefinition. The first two stages enhance learning, whereas the last two transform it opening up new possibilities. In all stages, students exploit Europeana resources to address all types of inclusion: origin or race, religion, disability and gender. All tasks take into account Bloom’s Taxonomy Action Verbs, as well. In Level 1 learners remember and recall, in Level 2 they understand and apply, in Level 3 they go further into analysing and evaluating and in the last Level they create and evaluate, as well.
Outline
Students have to follow the steps in the Process WebQuest Page where they find guidelines accompanied by resources, the Web 2.0 tools they have to use and even online manuals . First, in the Substitution Stage students cope with technological soft skills by watching YouTube videos (Video 1, Video 2, Video 3, Video 4), taking part in a Quizizz quiz, identifying inclusion types in Europeana images, keeping notes in Sticky-notes and forming groups. Then, in the Augmentation Stage, students become independent learners writing reports in Prezi about inclusion-awareness campaigns. They gamify their reports using Kahoot in the same stage.
After that, in the Modification Stage, students go further into designing dynamic tasks. They use Restream to produce podcasts where they present their inclusion-awareness campaigns. They share their podcasts in the plenary for peer feedback, as well. Last, in the Redefinition Stage students connect their learning with the real world and acquire a growth mindset. They use Windows Movie Maker to create documentaries or short films about their inclusion-awareness campaigns and address their work to a global audience since they disseminate their final products through social media and blogging. Concerning evaluation, learners are evaluated according to preset criteria found on the Evaluation WebQuest Page.
Outcomes
All in all, the implementation of the current WebQuest has been beneficial for both the learners and the teacher. Undoubtedly, the teacher integrated technology and Europeana resources meaningfully opening new doors for learning in all four stages of the S.A.M.R. Model. Students’ reports about inclusion-awareness campaigns are ready to help anyone who is in margin because of race, colour, ethnicity, gender, disability or religion. Besides, students’ podcasts and their documentaries or short films may help people who are victims of discrimination regain strength and fight for their rights.
Afterthoughts
Students have made a contribution against intolerance and prejudice. They have become respectful of other people and their rights. As Conclusion WebQuest Page states, learners have really made a claim for inclusion and equal opportunities. In a sense, they did their best to create change and a better world to live in. Last but not least, the overwhelming majority of them were eager to work in groups throughout the WebQuest putting actually in practice the fact that No Man is an Island.
When everyone is included, everyone wins.
Jesse Jackson
Would you like to know more about this learning scenario? You can download it below:
Did you find this learning scenario interesting? You might also like:
- An inclusive world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (Goal 16) created by Sandra Troia
- Travel for All created by Ksenija Skoric
- To say and to listen created by Laurentina Soares
CC BY-SA 3.0: the featured image used to illustrate this article has been found on Europeana and has been provided by the United Archives / WHA.