Colleen's Global Understanding Exercise One

Global understanding has become a more prominent competency within my learning as my college years have progressed. The need for students to become more competent in their awareness of world wide issues/events correlates with the ever-growing presence of information technology. As technology advances people have become more connected around the world, as we are able to communicate and interact within seconds with someone thousands of miles away. Due to these advancements it is in our best interest to make intelligent efforts of expanding our perspectives on other cultures.

Global Understanding is critical to my development in the concentration of Secondary Education Language Arts. As a future English teacher, there are a variety of ways in which I can apply global understanding to my learning. First as a student of the literary arts I have been able to read a variety of novels, short stories and poems written by various authors around the world. During English 202 I read a collection of short stories titled Interpreter of Maladies. Each of the author, Jhumpa Lahiri's, characters undergo a challenging experience trying to adapt to the differences of new cultures. Majority of the characters are of Indian descent adjusting to the "Western world" whether in the United States or Great Britain. They have trouble understanding the people they meet and visa- versa, often leading to feelings of isolation and disconnection from their new communities. These stories have influenced my appreciation of global understanding in relation to my concentration on multiple levels. First of all it has enhanced my personal appreciation of different works of literature around the world. Through this text, and many others, I have become more aware of the challenges of trying to understand other cultures and interact with different people when they are completely different from you and your culture. I have also learned more about the social and political factors of different cultures during different time periods. Clearly, the author has experienced her own obstacles of adapting to "western culture" while trying to maintain her identity that connects her back to India.

These different forms of literature that have enhanced my appreciation of global perspective are beneficial to the other Education part of my concentration as they have given me personal account of various cultures and have increased my awareness of those cultures. Another way my global understanding has grown has been through growing up in Fairfax County and then attending George Mason University. These two factors have made me more aware of diversity and how it has influenced my learning. I have been fortunate enough to attend classes filled with people of different backgrounds. I have been able to learn more about different religions, cultures, ideologies, etc. just from getting to know the people around me. These valuable experiences are why I would like to teach for Fairfax County Public Schools. F.C.P.S. is an extremely diverse school district therefore global perspective is an important competency to my career.

As a teacher, I will have the opportunity to meet students of different backgrounds, therefore I must be more aware of the circumstances and influences that affect their every day lives. Global understanding is critical to the future of our world if we want to be able to best utilize the technological advancements of our time. People need to appreciate the beliefs, interests, traditions, and overall lifestyles of others in order to best work together. As a teacher it is my responsiblity to model these ideas by understanding how each student comes from a different background and that ethnicity and belief systems help make up their identities. ALso, as an English teacher I want to show students how literature can connect them to people of different time periods and different places which relates to how global understanding is the notion that we are all connected in some way. Yet in order to understand the connection between all of us we need to be willing to become more knowledgable about other nations and more accepting of those cultures. For example, today I was substituting at an elementary school where I met a young girl who is Muslim. She is currently observing Ramadan therefore asked to spend her lunch period in the library instead of watching her classmates eat. I noticed how understanding her teacher was in offering to spend her own lunch period with the student reading in the library. This type of global understanding showed the other students that we should try to understand others better, especially those who are different from us and respect the differences between one another.

The interest in global understanding extends beyond the classrooms. Teacher try to educate future leaders of the world. In NCLC 395 Leadership of the 21st Century, I read an article where the author stresses the importance of global understanding in the connection to future leaders and growing technology, as he refers to a concepts called "diversity management. According to R. Roosevelt Thomas Jr., "diversity management has enormous potential as a global craft for making quality decisions across national boundaries in the midst of differences, similarities, and tensions." (Diversity Management an Essential Craft for Leaders) Basically, in order for teachers to motivate students to become future leaders, we need to overcome the idea that differences create boundaries, and instead embrace the distinct qualities of people.

Global Understanding is more than acknowledging that no two people are the same, and that location, culture, religion, politics, etc. all influence the identity of a person. Instead global understanding is when someone embraces those differences, learns more about them and tries to connect to and learn from the different cultures around the world. Global understanding will enhance our technological advancements and as a future educator it is a responsibility of mine to make sure I model the way in constantly improving my global understanding.

Linda's Aesthetic Awareness: Part One

When I think about my experiences in my classes here at George Mason, I feel as thought I have broaden my aesthetic awareness in my non New Century classes. During my freshman year, I took a history course which required us to go to the Holocaust Museum because we were studying that period in time. As a class, we went on a Saturday afternoon, and walked through it together. I have been to the museum once before, and I think I was too young to feel the complete effect. Part of aesthetic awareness is being able to connect to a concept of art beyond the museum, but I feel as though my trip there made me more able to connect with that point in time of history. I was able to look at the pictures, and walk through the exhibits, and feel for these people, and understand how the works of art portrayed that era. I had a better sense of what it was like to be a person from then. I also took another general ed class that was required on classical music. Personally, I am not a big fan, but since I was required to go and watch some performances on campus, I was able to hear things we learned in class in person, which helped me understand the roots of classical music.

Written: I found this article, which can be found at this URL: http://www.pervasive2006.org/ap/pervasive2006_adjunct_3A.pdf, which talks about aesthetic awareness, and how different forms of art help express different meanings. Some of the basic points of this article can be found in the section of the conclusion and findings. It talks about how there is a cultural, aesthetic appeal, and comprehension and continuity that takes place relating to architecture components. Culturally, art allows us to visually relate and have an understanding of a person’s life. Going back to the Holocaust Museum, I had an understanding of the lives of the people then. The aesthetic appeal had to be the emotions is brought out in me, and the way the entire display was set up made it easier to relate to and was more appealing for the people who walked through the exhibit. If it was set up any differently, it might have not had the same affect.

Non Written: I think an example of aesthetic awareness might be the music we listen to everyday. Some song lyrics in today’s popular music selection among our society reflect our period in time. I have noticed that a few country singers have written songs about September 11th, and our soldiers representing us that are fighting in our war. By listening to these songs, I am reminded of what our country is going through, because sometimes I get too wrapped up in my every day life.

Matt – Aesthetic Awareness: Part 2

The primary objective for identifying aesthetic awareness (and presumably to designate it as a competency) is to enhance ones perceptiveness for their surroundings. A conservationist, who I forget his name, once said in reference to driving through national parks: “You can see more in a minute of walking than an hour of driving…” The teaching objective should be to instill this mentality – that one must embrace their surroundings.

As nearly everyone noted, the best means to refine aesthetic awareness is to assign field opportunities that enable the student to analytically observe a subject. A practical exercise for this skill would employ analytic and creative writing skills. I would ask the students to critically examine an individually selected aesthetic subject – a painting, if the writer is ambitious or perhaps, a park – with the aim of prompting the student to informally identify all of the aesthetic qualities. With the completion of this, I would ask the students to visit a location (think big – probably a public forum, where one can observe those who pass by) and free-write for a full half-hour. It might be wise to interchangeably assign these exercises over a period of time, with the culmination of a short essay. The students would be required to write a short-essay on one of their previous subjects, with the aim of precisely describing their surroundings. I suppose the practical explanation is: the writer should be able to read the essay aloud while the audience listens with their eyes closed but can envision the scenario with great clarity.

Matt - Aesthetic Awareness: Part 1

Aesthetic awareness necessitates a fundamental appreciation for the contextual and symbolic values of art. Although the rationale for what constitutes art is subjective and sometimes controversial, the most basic criteria are:

• Cultural Value
• Sociopolitical Context
• Originality

The significance of this value-oriented-rubric is to identify the contextual value of what humans determine as art – or more broadly, “visual appeal.” This analysis is not intended to serve as a guide for entirely determining “artistic value” but rather, as a general acknowledgement of the implicit criteria that is commonly used to establish this value structure.

Cultural Value: For one to truly appreciate aesthetic value it is necessary to study and embrace the cultural context. Understanding the various cultural components that influence the artists enables one to “see through the eyes of the creator” or at the very least, comprehend the circumstances that influenced the art. The influence of art and society are often interchangeable as each reflects the other. For instance, the Gherkin in London captures contemporary architecture and has become an integral piece of the landscape – just as St Paul’s Cathedral is. The former embodies ingenuity and the UK’s robust economy, while the later is a beacon faith and tradition. Each of these architectural feats captures the cultural values during their construction. For one to truly appreciate these international landmarks, it is necessary to examine the cultural significance. For example, an incentive behind the Gherkin’s peculiar design is energy efficiency as it conserves far more than traditional office buildings, which has greater cultural significance in an age where environmental issues are at the forefront political discourse. Likewise, the design is a source of pride and it reasserts Great Britain’s financial and political eminence in the world. Such intangible qualities are fundamental to the city and are subtly evident in British culture.

Sociopolitical Context: Often the social and political climate subconsciously influences our actions. This is particularly true among those who create aesthetics, as these varying means – ranging from photography to interior design – often embody the sociopolitical circumstances from which the creator has experienced.

Famed sculptor and painter Pablo Picasso redefined conventional art by introducing dozens of new painting techniques. While the subject-matter of Picasso’s work is generally abstract, he maintained that it had purpose and occasionally, a sociopolitical context. Indeed, a novice art critic might dismiss the significance of such works as Picasso’s Guernica for its abstractness. Yet, when one appreciates the context – the painting depicts people from the city of Guernica suffering from a bomb raid during the crippling Spanish Civil War – it establishes a unique significance for the piece. Although the sociopolitical context may not necessarily change one’s opinion of a particular piece of art, it provides additional context and a broader understanding of the artist’s perspective.

Originality: A common criteria that is used to evaluate artwork is to gauge its uniqueness. Artists that transcend conventional standards are a catalyst for provoking innovation among the larger body. As is common with many pioneers, their work is sometimes rejected by the public because it defies conformity; however, it is often within the sociopolitical, cultural, and economic context. This is significant because the viewer or assessor of the particular artwork is conditioned by their surroundings and may render a value judgment based on its originality. For instance, new works of impressionism may be aesthetically pleasing but they are inherently insignificant relative to those produced by the pioneers because it is not quite unique. Likewise, it is mistaken to claim that artists such as Monet or Van Gogh are redundant because they provoked the impressionist movement. Thus, it is important for the viewer to appreciate the uniqueness of the works and use this as a means for establishing context.

Colleen's Part Two-Exercise for Aesthetic Awareness

Considering aesthetic awareness is so multi-faceted I think this competency would allow a student an excellent opportunity to incorporate experiential learning in order to increase his/her awareness of aesthetic awareness. It would be quite interesting to send a student on a "aesthetic awareness scavenger hunt." As a preliminary introduction to this experience, I would not tell the student that the hunt is designed to increase his/her aesthetic awareness, rather I would say it is a "competency development activity."

I would give directions to a variety of places/prompts around the Washington, D.C. area for a student to visit within one day. Each place/prompt will relate to the competency of aesthetic awareness. I would expect the student to complete three places/promopts in order to get the real effect. For example, I would first send the student to a library, or bookstore and give the student a title to a poetry and/or literature anthology. Tell the student to read one passage or poem and reflect on what the particular piece means to him/her. Next I would ask the student to listen to his/her favorite song on their way to the next destination and see how the music connects to the written form of poetry. I would select a museum but not necessarily an art museum, maybe the Anacostia Community Museum or the National Museum of the American Indian. I would ask the student to pick a display that speaks to him/her and describe why including how it stirs sensory emotions such as vision, smell, etc. Finally, I would give a list of movies that are directed toward a variety of ethnic dances whether it be Irish Dancing, Salsa Dancing, Ballet, etc. and tell the student to choose one and reflect on how the dancing relates to the culture of the particular group, focusing on how it reflects the society's values, social structure, ideologies, etc. At the end I would ask the student to explain which competency they focused their day around (by now it should be clear to the student that it is aesthetic awareness) and write a short reflection paper on how their awareness of the aesthetics has enhanced their awareness of other competencies.

Although it seems quite involved I feel that aesthetic awareness must be experienced, and that in order to truly enhance one's awareness of what art is, a person must have examples and indulge oneself into the world of art. Also, I believe this would be an excellent opportunity for a student to not only enhance his/her aesethetic awareness but also see how this particular competency can improve one's understanding of the other competencies of New Century College.