1.1.1 Follow an inquiry-based process in seeking knowledge in curricular subjects, and make the real-world connection for using this process in own life.
My original goal was to make a real-world connection, i.e. understanding my brother's wedding ceremony. Through working on this project, I have seen how easily information inquiry can be adapted to any real-world situation, as well as curricular subjects (here, primarily history, sociology, and geography).
1.1.2 Use prior and background knowledge as context for new learning.
I had a limited amount of background knowledge on Hindu weddings before starting this project. Several years ago, I attended an Indian wedding (reworked to take out most of the religious implications) between my friends Matt and Anita. I also had a limited amount of knowledge about this upcoming ceremony from talking to my brother Brian and his fiance Lakshmi.
1.1.3 Develop and refine a range of questions to frame the search for new understanding.
I developed many initial questions during my "Wondering" phase, then added to them as my inquiry process continued.
1.1.4 Find, evaluate, and select appropriate sources to answer questions.
Evaluating has definitely been interesting. I can find very little information in the books available in nearby libraries, but online sources abound. However, many of the online sources have very few credentials, so I'm dubious as to their accuracy.
1.1.5 Evaluate information found in selected sources on the basis of accuracy, validity, appropriateness for needs, importance, and social and cultural context.
As I said above, I've evaluated many sites for accuracy. I'm also focusing especially on "appropriateness for needs." While I can find many sources with information about Indian culture or the Hindu religion, there are far fewer that focus on just the marriage ceremony. Also, Brian and Lakshmi have decided to shorten the traditional ceremony and take many parts out, so as I evaluate information, I've had to discard much of what I've found, limiting my investigation on just the parts that they have chosen to use.
1.1.8 Demonstrate mastery of technology tools for accessing information and pursuing inquiry.
As per the requirements of our project, I have used online search tools, a concept map created at bubbl.us, and notetaking tools. I look forward to exploring other technological tools to finish up my project.
1.2.6 Display emotional resilience by persisting in information searching despite challenges.
As I mentioned in my last post, I'm feeling some serious frustration with sorting through which pieces of information actually apply to the ceremony that I will be witnessing.
1.2.7 Display persistence by continuing to pursue information to gain a broad perspective.
I'm really excited to report that I'll be traveling to Chicago this weekend to talk with my brother and Lakshmi face-to-face. They're flying in from Los Angeles for the weekend to introduce their parents, so I'm driving up to join them and (hopefully) get a chance to ask both Lakshmi and her parents some helpful questions and corroborate what I've learned from other sources.
1.4.1 Monitor own information-seeking processes for effectiveness and progress, and adapt as necessary.
I felt like I was just "spinning my wheels" a lot at the beginning of my investigation, but the further that I get into my inquiry, the better I understand specifically what information to search for.
2.1.2 Organize knowledge so that it is useful.
I really enjoyed using bubbl.us to organize my original questions. Since then, I've been sorting my "answers" into sub-topics by the rituals or symbols they relate to.
2.1.3 Use strategies to draw conclusions from information and apply knowledge to curricular areas, real-world situations, and further investigations.
I'm definitely going to be applying all my new information to a "real-world situation" when I attend Brian and Lakshmi's wedding in October. I also think that learning all of this will help me to better understand Lakshmi, her parents, and their culture when I meet them this weekend. Learning about Hindu weddings has also opened me up to the possibility of further investigations in the future--like understanding how Lakshmi's family celebrates holidays, or later, understanding potential parenting choices that Lakshmi might make (assuming that they have kids).
2.1.4 Use technology and other information tools to analyze and organize information.
Again, I used bubbl.us to organize my original questions. I'm also exploring various online notetaking tools.
2.1.6 Use the writing process, media and visual literacy, and technology skills to create products that express new understandings.
I haven't entirely decided what my "final product" is going to look like, but per the guidelines for our project, I know that it will involve all of these skills. Again, I kind of wish that I could create my final product AFTER the wedding, because I'd love to combine a video of the event with an explanation of what is happening in each step. Since that won't work timing-wise, I'll have to explore other options for a final product.
2.3.1 Connect understanding to the real world.
This whole inquiry definitely relates to my "real world" and makes me even more excited about my brother's upcoming wedding!
3.1.1 Conclude an inquiry-based research process by sharing new understandings and reflecting on the learning.
I will be using my "final product" to inform the rest of my family (my husband, parents, and sisters) about the traditions and symbolism included in my brother's upcoming wedding. I hope to then reflect on the information and be able to better understand the significance of the event, not just to the bride and groom, but to myself as a participant.
3.1.4 Use technology and other information tools to organize and display knowledge and understanding in ways that others can view, use, and assess.
Again, this standard ties back to my use of bubbl.us and online notetaking tools.
3.3.4 Create products that apply to authentic, real-world contexts.
I'm not sure what my final product will look like, but it will definitely be used by me and the rest of my family to understand the ceremony.
4.1.5 Connect ideas to own interests and previous knowledge and experience.
My interest is understanding my brother's wedding. To do this, I have called upon my previous knowledge from attending my friends' Matt and Anita's Indian wedding several years ago.
4.1.6 Organize personal knowledge in a way that can be called upon easily.
I've written down as much as I can remember about Matt and Anita's ceremony, then developed some of my inquiries from those notes.
4.2.1. Display curiosity by pursuing interests through multiple resources.
I've used both print and online resources, as well as interviews with my brother and Lakshmi. I've also interviewed some other "human resources": my friends Matt and Anita, my friend Pam (who lived in India for six months), and my co-worker Meg (who traveled to India to participate in her father's wedding to an Indian woman).
4.4.1 Identify own areas of interest.
My primary areas of interest are in 1) understanding the significance of the various parts of the wedding and 2) coming to understand my (future) sister-in-law's culture.
4.4.2 Recognize the limits of own personal knowledge.
Attending one Indian wedding several years ago gave me a basis of understanding, but it certainly didn't make me an expert.
4.4.5 Develop personal criteria for gauging how effectively own ideas are expressed.
My personal criteria will be tested at the wedding itself, when I can gauge how well I understand the ceremony (which will show how effective my research was) and how well my family understands the ceremony (which will show how effectively I communicated my information to them).
In addition to the standards for information inquiry developed by the AASL, my investigation has also hit upon many of Indiana's academic standards. Below, I have described the standards that I feel are most in line with my inquiry:
World History
WH.3.2 Examine, interpret and compare the main ideas of Hinduism and Buddhism and explain their influence on civilization in India.
While my inquiry does not focus on Buddhism, I have run across references to it in many of my sources. My investigation focuses on Hinduism and its influence on the wedding rituals in India, then how those rituals have been adapted to fit my brother's ceremony.
WH.9.1 Identify patterns of historical change and duration and construct a representation that illustrates continuity and change.
It's fascinating to see how religious ceremonies, particularly weddings, have changed as Indian society has changed. Continuity is shown through the ceremonies and rituals that are still practiced today, whereas change is shown in the elements that have been removed from ceremonies in modern times.
WH.9.2 Locate and analyze primary sources and secondary sources related to an event or issue of the past.
While my brother's wedding is very much an event of the present, the development of the rituals that make it up is based in the past. I have used my brother, his fiance, and various others with first-hand experience of these rituals as primary sources (and I hope to add Lakshmi's parents to this list this upcoming weekend). I have used various books and online documents as secondary sources.
WH.9.5 Use technology in the process of conducting historical research and in the presentation of the products of historical research and current events.
I've done online research, using both Google and academic search engines, as well as taking notes and mapping ideas using online tools.
Sociology
S.1.8 Identify, evaluate and use appropriate reference materials and technology to interpret information about cultural life in the United States and other world cultures, both in the past and today.
This standard is perfect for what I'm researching! I am using various reference sources to understand Lakshmi's Indian heritage and her family's adaptions to American culture.
S.2.1 Define the key components of a culture, such as language and communication, customs, values, norms, and physical objects.
I'm particularly interested in the customs and physical objects associated with Hindu weddings, as well as the values and norms that they represent.
S.2.3 Recognize the influences of genetic inheritance and culture on human behavior.
Lakshmi's desire for a Hindu wedding ceremony (in spite of having been raised almost completely in the United States) is clearly indicative of her identification with her genetic inheritance (coming from a fully Indian family) and her family's culture.
S.2.4 Give examples of subcultures and what makes them unique.
An unexpected part of my study has emerged from examining Lakshmi's family's subcultures: as American immigrants, as natives of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, and as members of the Reddy caste.
S.2.7 Explain how various practices of the culture create differences within group behavior.
Obviously, Lakshmi's family's culture is different from our family culture, thus causing different reactions to and understandings of the details of the wedding. It's especially interesting to see how everyone interacts in a group!
Geography and History of the World
GHW.2.2 Differentiate among selected countries in terms of how their identities, cultural and physical environments, and functions and forms of government are affected by world religions.
This wedding provides a meeting of Indian and American cultures. Every step of the planning has taken Lakshmi's family's culture into consideration, and they selected their venue based on its physical environment and its ties to her culture. All of this has been heavily impacted by her parents' Hindu religion.
High School Composition
CMP.1.8 Review, evaluate, and revise by writing for meaning, clarity, achievement of purpose, and mechanics.
I have already engaged in these steps, through every blog post I have written. I will continue these standards as I work to put together my final product.
CMP.1.12 Use technology for all aspects of creating, revising, editing, and publishing.
Writing on a blog is a great way to address this standard!
CMP.1.13 Develop presentations using clear research questions and creative and critical research strategies, such as conducting field studies, interviews, and experiments; researching oral histories; and using Internet sources.
My final product will address this standard. I have established clear research questions. My research consists primarily of interviews, Internet sources, and print sources.
CMP.3.1 Demonstrate control of grammar, diction, paragraph and sentence structure, as well as an understanding of English usage.
Hopefully this standard is evident in my writing on this blog!
CMP.3.2 Produce writing that shows accurate spelling and correct punctuation and capitalization.
Again, hopefully this standard is evident in what I have produced so far and will continue to be evident in my final product.
American Association of School Librarians. "Standards for the 21st Century Learner." 2007. http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/aasl/guidelinesandstandards/learningstandards/AASL_Learning_Standards_2007.pdf
Indiana Department of Education. "English/Language Arts: High School Composition." Indiana Standards and Resources. http://dc.doe.in.gov/Standards/AcademicStandards/PrintLibrary/docs-english/2006-06-ela-hs-comp.pdf
Indiana Department of Education. "Social Studies: Geography and History of the World." Indiana Standards and Resources. http://dc.doe.in.gov/Standards/AcademicStandards/PrintLibrary/docs-socialstudies/2007-ss-geoghist.pdf
Indiana Department of Education. "Social Studies: Sociology." Indiana Standards and Resources. http://dc.doe.in.gov/Standards/AcademicStandards/PrintLibrary/docs-socialstudies/2007-ss-sociology.pdf
Indiana Department of Education. "Social Studies: World History and Civilization." Indiana Standards and Resources. http://dc.doe.in.gov/Standards/AcademicStandards/PrintLibrary/docs-socialstudies/2007-ss-worldhistcivilization.pdf
Lamb, Annette. "Project 1: Personal Inquiry." Information Age Inquiry. https://oncourse.iu.edu/portal/site/FA11-IN-SLIS-S574-16409/page/e14389df-1344-4d0e-9fdc-30137f34b763
WOAH! You really covered all the bases on those standards! I felt similar with my project in that a multitude of standards can be applied in some shape or form.
ReplyDeleteHoly standards batman! Although I have to agree with you and Tyler too. It seemed as though there was some element of the project that could be connected in some way.
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