2.guide Curricula Examples

LETHE LEarning Through Emotions 129937 - CP - 1 - 2006 - 1 – IT – COMENIUS – C 21

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HOW TO COMPILE ONE’S OWN CURRICULUM IN LETHE: A PRACTICAL EXAMPLE

Macro-Area: History Topic: The Boundaries of History Sub-topic (operational) chosen by the teacher: The Roads of the Merchant and the Soldier in the Middle Ages Subject: Castle building and the Feudal System under Charlemagne and his successors (history programme common to all streams – II and III year)

STEP 1 Presentation, through the Lethe platform, of the video “The Boundaries of History” used as an emotional switch. The video, prepared and structured by the teacher according to the “model” version, will be shown in a classroom equipped with all the instruments needed. It should trigger an emotional reaction in each student who will then express and describe it (what kind of emotion did this video arouse?) through the

“comment” action and the Emotional Map available in the text editor in the specific section of the project’s platform (Revelation of the emotion: its expression and first rationalisation)

Example: “I felt fear when looking at armed men and war scenes” “I felt a sense of pride and elation looking at the images of knights and their deeds of bravery” “I felt revulsion and a sense of refusal looking at scenes describing dictatorial systems and centred on individual power” “I felt a sense of safety watching images of high walls and well defended castles” The comments will be recorded on the platform and both teachers and students can read them again and keep them in mind in future (memorisation/trace of the emotion is functional to the following step)

STEP 2 Understanding/justifying the emotion (student) and its first link to the theme and the chosen subject (teacher). After the individual emotions have been expressed and rationalised on a shared level (Emotional Map), the teacher should require a justification of the emotions felt by the student through the research/production and sharing of selected material which •

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has been categorised • is related to the subject has been chosen and justified by the student

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expressive/organisational aspect of the material. The setting of the material will be discussed in the class and shared (In which direction will our research go? What form shall we give to our material? Do we direct our research to material referring to the setting proposed and indicated in the platform?)

2) contents/curricula: 1. we should find video/photographic/written material justifying the emotions felt and regarding the subject we dealt with few lessons ago? – Castle building and the Feudal System or, if the subject has not yet been treated 2. look for material … justifying the emotions previously felt which answers to your idea of the Middle Ages, castles and knights… ........ See examples

The platform acts as a presentation support and as an orderly research file: Examples a student can justify his/her emotion by showing:  an mp3e file of “Epic Rock” music to explain the sense of pride;  a video file with part of a film, eg. The Name of the Rose, to explain the feelings of fear and uncertainty;  a text file with a passage from Hamlet referring to the fight against arbitrary power and anarchy to explain the feelings of revulsion and refusal;  a file with other images (different from those on the Switch video) of Medieval castles and fortresses to explain the feeling of insecurity;

3) the material should not only be presented but also be accompanied by a description/text on: why did you choose it? (conclusion of emotional justification). Also in this case the material will be recorded on the platform and both teacher and student can consult it again to keep it in mind for the future (Memorisation/trace of the emotion is functional to the following step)

STEP 3 Referral of the emotional justification to the student’s personal experience level. The teacher, after having examined the material recorded and its description, asks the student to “tell” about an experience already had or to enact and recount one which is significant from the following viewpoints: 1) an emotion felt in the past and “rationalised” in steps 1 & 2 2) “Context” and “justification” expressed in step 2 Also in this phase the expressive/organisational aspect of the material expressing a personal experience is fundamental (categorisation/setting action). How do we express our personal experience? Which reference points do we have to define and use? For now onwards the student will begin to organise and develop the material representing his/her experience.

........ See examples

Examples: 

To represent his/her personal experience a student could show photographs of a trip to the Loire Valley describing the castles which, at that moment, gave him/her a feeling of quiet and tranquillity (safety), or an amateur video of the city walls of his/her home town could be produced with a map marking the wall perimeter which in turn gives him/her a sense of protection and detachment from the chaotic modern/contemporary life.

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A student could present a flyer of the “Epic Rock” concert and a file of amateur shots taken during the event recalling ideals of chivalry and a “fantastic” view of the Middle Ages which will give a sense of elation and pride; or he/she could describe his/her experience (example) at the Stibbert Museum in Florence where, while admiring the suits of armour on show, he/she felt a feeling of fascination, pride and of identification with the men who wore them in ancient times.

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A student could describe his/her first visit to an exhibition of techniques and instruments of torture and imprisonment in the Middle Ages expressing his/her sense of revulsion and refusal towards arbitrary justice and power and the disrespect for human dignity in those Dark Ages.

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a student could describe an experience (oral tradition) narrated by his/her grandparents regarding their stay in an ancient residence/castle and its mysterious inhabitants (ghosts); a story told by an elderly relative, from direct or indirect experience (folk tales) generates fear; to make the case stranger, the student could produce files/documents on the history of the palace or the mysterious “presence” (eg. If it were the case of the Castello di Sorci and the “condottiere” Baldaccio Bruno the student could produce as a testimony documents describing events of Baldaccio’s life and of his properties, mixing exerts excerpts from a television production (You Tube) on the appearances of his ghost in the castle.

STEP 4 Re-organisation of the material collected into a form coherent with and regarding the subject (teacher). In this phase the teacher should make an effort to re-organise the material presented by the students and use it to explain the whole subject or part of it. Examples: The experience of the student who felt elation and pride could be used to introduce and explain the idea of Middle Ages and Feudalism (eg. The idea of Feudalism – Invented Middle Ages – The Middle Ages of Historians and that of popular culture – Giuseppe Sergi “The Idea of Middle Ages” Manuale Donzelli Publishers) ........ See more examples

 The experience of the student who felt security and tranquillity could be used to describe Europe after the Barbarian invasions, the decadence of the cities (Roman institutions), the de-urbanisation and the need to build fortified boroughs and new centres of power thus providing an opening for new social dynamics beginning from the VIII century AD (Signori, Castles, Fiefs – Signorie – Castle Building – From Signorie to Earldoms – Sandro Carocci, Manuale Donzelli Publishers)

 The experience of the student who felt refusal

and revulsion could be used for an in-depth view of the contents of the previous paragraph: eg. The Feudal social/political system under Charlemagne and its new structure under his successors; the rise of local powers (earls, marquis, territorial signori, ecclesiastic signori …) (Charlemagne: the unification and expansion of the kingdom – Clientship, vassals, benefits - Paola Guglielmotti, “Manuale Donzelli Publishers)”; The Signoria – The Late Carolingian and Post-Carolingian crisis – dynamics and military aspects. The origin of the Signoria – some points of view, Sandro Carocci “Manuale Donzelli Publishers)”

 The experience of the student who felt fear could be used to reinforce the specific issues used to explain the Idea of Middle Ages and Feudalism (Invented Middle Ages – the Middle Ages of the historians and that of popular culture), or to open a window on the evolution of the figure of the Knight and the Man of Arms in the Middle Ages.

Students can present the material using the platform as a basis of the curricular explanation which can be structured as an oral or written presentation by the teacher supplemented by foot notes and in-depth study (through links, attachments, bibliography). The synthesis can be seen on the platform under the specific step area.