See a Different Perspective
Multimedia sources are so crucial to learning in any subject but especially in Social Studies. It is necessary for students to be able to look at different sources and see the topic through a different lens other than their own. This is extremely evident in history classes, as well as geography and government classes. In every historical event there is always at least two sides to every story. It is unfortunate that in most curricula about these different events only one side is portrayed or the other side is skewed negatively.
The article “Asking Students to Compare the Value of Information in Different Sources About the Same Event” by Waring, shows how it is important to see different perspectives for a single event. One way that was shown was to read letters from different important or political people from that time period. It is also more beneficial for students if they are able to read about people from different political sides or different countries. The different perspectives give a more holistic view of any historical event.
One example in a history class, is the Black Panther Movement. In the article called “What We Don’t Learn About the Black Panther Movement But Should” by Sanchez & Hagopian, it is evident that the Black Panther Movement is not always portrayed in way that accurately sums up their intentions. In geography class, when learning about different areas of the world, it is important to take into account the different races, cultures, and ethnicities that make our world such a beautiful place. Government classes is where politics come into play and being able to understand where other people are coming from. In every decision, there is going to be some dissonance that will have to be discussed to inquire about the other side’s perspective.
Multimedia sources are really great ways to see and analyze the different perspectives of historical events or people’s personal stories. This is where different forms of media come into play. It is beneficial for students to read from different perspectives, look at pictures, and watch videos on different events in history.
For the topic of Educational Policy, including the ideas of race and poverty it is crucial to look at what the different historical events stemmed from. It is important to look at both sides of the different cases and protests that had a huge impact on the education policies. Although the outcomes are the most important part of these events; however, students should understand the backstories and the reasons behind each event. This allows the students to learn how to analyze the different sources and sides of the different people, cases, and protests that still have an influence on today’s educational policies.
The different perspectives give students the ability to have a deeper understanding about how ideas and thoughts are formulated in which they can take into their other classes. The ability to think critically is not any east task to learn so the more the students are exposed to it the more they are able to practice. In this way, students can use the skills that they learn in other aspects of their life and beyond. It is clear that looking a different perspectives allow students to be critical thinkers.