Friday, February 29, 2008


Hello folks,


Here is my completed Mini Project #1. It involves the showing of Pan's Labyrinth to enhance Cultural Awareness. I look forward to reading your comments, reactions, suggestions, or any other little nuggets of joy you may leave for me to read. Enjoy!





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1 comment:

Ashley said...

Hi!

I read your mini-project and I think it's a great idea! I too am focusing on the cultural aspect of a FL class. I really like that you are first having the students look up and research information before watching the movie. I think this will give them a good base of understanding! I also like how you are primarily focusing on culture and not grammar for this activity because I think in order to really grasp the culture and points you are trying to make, they should be able to voice their opinions without the stress of getting points off for grammar which I think would limit their responses.

Great job!
Ashley (USC)

March 2, 2008 at 1:49 PM

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CUBA

This may seem a bit out of place, but it's something I thought I'd like to share on my blog. This is a video I always show to my classes on culture days. It always amazes me at first to hear how many students do not even know where Cuba is or why they can't go...most of the time when I ask what they know about Cuba, they say that they know Cuban cigars and rum, and Fidel Castro. Oh, Fidel...once again, he has succeeded in catching the world's eye by supposedly resigning from power this week...which means absolutely nothing as long as he's still breathing. Most of my students are intrigued when we talk about Cuba, because I usually bring in personal items, such as plane tickets and magazines and photographs, all faded with time, much like the country itself. I also take this opportunity to remind them of how lucky they all are, as am I, to have been born in this country, and that we should never take for granted the fact that we are Americans. I talk about this topic fully aware of the fact that politics is usually a subject that most people like to keep out of the classroom, and I think that a lot of our society's problems would be solved if people weren't so afraid to air their opinions once in a while. Almost all of my students have thanked me, not only for showing these videos on Cuba, but also for making them aware of the fact that being American is a privilege, and not a right. It was very satisfying for me both as a teacher and an American of Cuban descent to see that my words made my students appreciate their country. A lot of them are also surprised by the fact that teachers are arrested for teaching democratic ideas and for reading certain books to their students. Most of the things that happen in Cuba are not even fathomable to people who don't see past the beaches and palm trees. It just goes to show you that things are not what they seem, and that until things are exposed, the world will see Cuba the way Fidel sees fit, and unfortunately, so much time has gone by, that most of the people who were primarily affected by his ideals are now dead, in addition to the indifference many people have in regards to Cuba and its situation. I would like to be wrong, but the more time goes by and the more I see the way Castro skillfully plans his exit, and the more the world buys it, the more I believe what he said during the early days of the revolution, "History will absolve me."