ERIC Number: ED434425
Record Type: RIE
Publication Date: 1999-Apr
Pages: 234
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Lessons for Understanding: A Junior and High School Curriculum on Perspective-Taking.
Walz, Lynn; Nelson, Marilyn; Scaletta, Kurtis
This curriculum is designed to increase junior high and high school students' awareness of their own and other people's paradigms, and how those paradigms influence beliefs, interactions, and relationships. The lessons have been developed to foster ongoing learning in heterogeneous classroom communities that seek to understand and value diverse perspectives. The curriculum is divided into four units. Unit A, "My Perspective," focuses on understanding perspectives and where they come from. Unit B, "Other Perspectives," focuses on developing awareness of different perspectives. Unit C, "Accepting Others," emphasizes developing skills and attitudes for valuing different perspectives. Unit D, "Working Together," looks at applying perspective-taking skills to improve group decisions. Each unit comprises lessons which contain activities that include readings, discussions, group and individual reflections, cooperative learning groups, and individual assignments. Lessons also include reflection questions for the teacher or other adult facilitators to contemplate prior to presenting the lesson, as well as questions to reflect upon with the students. An adaptation section provides suggestions for lesson modification for students with disabilities. Another section discusses how the curriculum can be used to meet graduation standards. Sample letters are also provided to communicate with students' families on the curriculum. (Contains 13 references.) (CR)
Descriptors: Consciousness Raising, Cooperative Learning, Curriculum, Curriculum Design, Disabilities, Diversity (Student), Educational Strategies, Empathy, Heterogeneous Grouping, Inclusive Schools, Lesson Plans, Peer Acceptance, Perspective Taking, Role Perception, Secondary Education, Secondary School Students, Self Concept, Social Cognition
Publications Office, Institute on Community Integration, University of Minnesota, 109 Pattee Hall, 150 Pillsbury Dr., SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455; Tel: 612-624-4512; Web site: (available in alternative formats).
Publication Type: Guides - Classroom - Teacher
Education Level: N/A
Audience: Practitioners; Teachers
Language: English
Sponsor: Department of Education, Washington, DC.
Authoring Institution: Minnesota State Dept. of Children, Families, and Learning, St. Paul.; Minnesota Univ., Minneapolis. Inst. on Community Integration.
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A