Students acquire basic information about the
country
Before students begin their CultureQuest projects,
they need to acquire some basic information about
the country they will be studying. In many cases
such information may be in textbooks provided
to students. The teacher may teach about the country
the way the teacher ordinarily teaches about the
country and then skip to Step 4 and begin to introduce
the study of culture.
Alternatively, teachers may choose to supplement
textbook information with web-based resources
on such topics as geography, climate, demographics,
resources, languages, an overview of the country's
history, and whatever else is ordinarily taught.
Perhaps with the exception of history, these factors
affect culture but are not themselves what we
typically consider culture. This information will
help provide some context for the students' understanding
of culture. One way to obtain this "profile"
information is to divide the areas up and have
groups of students looking at, and taking notes
on, web sites and books that have this information.
Students might also consult their online contact
persons (students in the country, knowledgeable
adult, and experts). A particularly good question
to ask experts might be how the history, climate,
geography, etc., of this country has impacted
upon the culture of the country. This information
would be shared, written up and it would be up
to the teacher whether a "country profile"
would or would not be incorporated into the final
CultureQuest web site. Even if not included in
the final web site, students would better understand
aspects of culture by knowing and referring to
these factors that affect culture.
Teachers discuss the research process with
students and introduce "Hotlists".
See The CultureQuest Teachers' Guide for links
to the application and tutorial.
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