At the start of a series of lessons focussing on the effect of “culture” on food choices and diet, students were introduced to the concept of “culture” through a synectics exploration. Elena Teixeira, Great Neck South Middle School, NY.
Outline of the Class
In this lesson, the synectics model, a seven-step system for deepening understanding of an abstract concept, was used to help students make analogies in order to explore the concept of “culture” is, and to understand that it is “dynamic, multidimensional, changing, collective, shared, and unique.”
Students began by brainstorming three to five words that sprang to mind when they heard the word “culture.” The teacher then explained the purpose of analogies and synectics, after which students practiced following the seven steps in order to make connections and analogies.
Their final goal was to create an analogy for culture in the following format:“Culture is like a ______ because ______.”
After following the steps, the students decided that “Culture is like a wolf because there are different species, but some elements are shared and that there are different ways of living that occur in harmony.”
LoiLoNote's Application
LoiLoNote was used to segment, sequence, and connect information on various kinds of cards. It was ideally suited to this task, as cards can simply and easily be connected in a logical order and annotated with writing and drawings to clarify. It can also be played simultaneously and with voiceovers.
A Voice from the Classroom
Elena Teixeira gave us her feedback on the advantages of using LoiLoNote in the classroom: “I found it great for organizing information and writing in a digital format that could be seen via Apple TV by all students. The students liked the app very much.”
She also rated its ability to foster logic and creativity in students: “LoiLo is a great tool for teaching students to organize, segment, and sequence their thoughts. The app really allows for individual creativity due to the different types of cards. I encourage students to consider how they can utilize all the different types of cards to best represent the information they’re working with.”