Social Science Research
Grade 12 - Mr. Baske
Semester 2 Update
Our Seniors are creating films documenting research on the nature of change as illustrated through personal narrative. Topics include changing experiences, views and policies on Late 20th century immigration and the impact of the AIDS Crisis on LGBT+ acceptance. Students have completed research, story-boarding and are currently filming scenes in class. The focus is about finding and sharing individual stories and oral histories that bring broader research to life through compelling scenes, imagery, dialogue and story arcs.
Speaking Truth to power
Wow, what a great beginning to such a strange and challenging year. Our class quickly agreed that the course question, “How can we learn the truth?” It certainly resonates this year even more than usual.
After deciding that our working definition of learning would be “The gaining and communicating of understanding that changes behavior,” we dove right into of 1st quarter project on Race in America. Click here to read more about this project as well as the creative ways our students have "searched for truth" during such a contentious time.
I am proud of their persistent intellectual curiosity, seeking of feedback, and growing understanding of research and how to present it. There is always room for individual and collaborative growth and we will be focusing on building stronger narratives to improve communication of our research.
Quentin Compare clearly summed up the powerful collaborative and growth mindset of InLab that I see everyday: When working with others, I have found that being able to bounce ideas off each other and provide support to each other helps to boost the quality of work..the final product will be better!"
Looking forward to growing together throughout the year!
- Mr. Baske (Fall 2020)
Divergent Thinking
As a creative, reflective lesson, InLab students applied divergent thinking to find an image that reflects their research struggles. The prompt? “Searching for truth is like ___________________.”
As Veronica Paez-Deggeller’s example proves, this chasing of the truth can be stated and illustrated in profound and entertaining ways:
The idea of "the truth" can vary depending on the circumstances. The truth may be close to you, or in a completely different realm of understanding. More importantly, there could be one singular truth, or more likely, multiple sides. If you continue chasing after a singular truth without letting yourself observe your environment or other sides, you'll never truly find, or catch, what you are looking for, and may end up tangled in a unique situation.
