learning.pillotproject.eu

Overview

What is it? Participants explore cultural differences by comparing and contrasting local art traditions (film, music, literature) with those from their home countries. Through guided discussion and reflection, learners develop a deeper appreciation for diverse cultural expressions.

Step-by-step description

Preparation: Select media clips, texts, or images from the host country that reflect cultural themes or values. Prepare discussion questions (e.g., What is the message? How does it relate to your experience?). Provide worksheets or sentence starters to scaffold reflection and discussion.
Warm-up: Begin with a casual discussion about learners’ favorite music or films to create a relaxed atmosphere. Introduce the selected local media (e.g., a film clip, song, or text) and briefly explain its cultural significance.
Visual analysis: Show learners a photograph, image, or reproduction related to the media. Guide them through a Virtual Thinking Strategy by asking: a. What do you see? b. What else do you see? c. Why do you see it? Learners discuss their observations in pairs or small groups and create a joint interpretation and summary of the image.
Viewing/Listening: Play the film clip, podcast, or read the text aloud. Encourage learners to take notes while focusing on the questions: a. Does this remind you of anything? b. Why?
Reflection: In small groups, learners discuss: Their personal connections to the media, whether they can find equivalents or associations in their own cultures. Facilitate comparisons and encourage learners to share examples from their cultural backgrounds. Each group presents their comparisons and insights to the class. Highlight common themes, differences, and personal reflections that emerged during the discussions.

Practical insights

What worked well:

The activity can be conducted directly in cultural spaces, such as museum exhibitions, enhancing immersion and engagement.
Multilingual approaches allow participants to express themselves in any shared language, fostering inclusivity.

Common challenges and solutions:

Language Barriers: Use visual aids, sentence starters, or multilingual resources to support learners with limited proficiency.
Time Management: Allocate additional time for discussion and provide scaffolding (e.g., simplified questions or structured prompts).
Complexity: For participants with higher education and language proficiency, the activity offers a meaningful platform to share personal stories and cultural insights.

Field reflections

In Florence, more complex activities, such as Cultural Comparison, were conducted with participants who had higher levels of education and Italian proficiency. They particularly appreciated the opportunity to share personal stories and experiences, expressing themselves in any shared language through a multilingual approach.

Learners in Luxembourg explored the French concepts of plaisir and bonheur through film (Le Fabuleux Destin d’Amélie Poulain), literature (an adapted excerpt from Zola’s Au Bonheur des Dames), and music (reconstructing the lyrics of Il est où le bonheur by Christophe Maé). While learners engaged well with multimedia elements and creatively expressed their interpretations of plaisir through drawings, language barriers limited their ability to verbally compare these concepts with their own cultures. However, visual aids like flashcards helped bridge communication gaps, enabling them to share their ideas effectively.

Cultural Comparison

Themes:

Objectives

Settings

Materials

Physical