The planning phase focused on bridging the gap between the required content standards and creating a unique learning experience for my students. Matt and I met on several occasions to plan a worthwhile learning opportunity that emphasized a socio-cultural comparison and contrast of early British industrialization and modern-day. Initially, I confronted challenges with creating a unique experience that the students would walk away feeling amazed or invested. I did not want the lesson to be merely a replica of a dry history lesson on English industrialization with someone else lecturing. Instead, much of my conversation with Matt was about including personal stories and cultural differences/similarities between England and America. 

Ultimately, we decided on breaking the lesson into multiple parts, which included a theatrical reenactment of the "life of a factory worker", a question-and-answer session, and summative reflection. This approach was chosen because of the connection between the unit’s historical period and the capability to tie in the contemporary era. Also, the decision of a factory worker skit personalizes the lesson and creates meaning within the people and places we study (i.e. England). The skit performed by our British guest speaker personifies the average working-class man during that time period, which deeply engages student interests. This humanized lesson decision leads to an enriching Q&A discussion because students have some starting point to begin the conversation. 

The Q&A session offered students a chance to interact with our guest speaker by asking questions either about the historical changes or contemporary cultural differences. This portion was chosen because of the wide breadth to incorporate student questions and let them guide the flow of the conversation. I wanted this experience to reflect their interests and curiosity, rather than a structured lesson that limits their ideas. In case student's felt shy or unsure of what to ask, I spent earlier lessons using collaborative boards to encourage student questioning and curiosity. This build-up helped students think about potential differences and build momentum for the big day. The two student samples below highlight our Nearpod discussion boards prior to the guest speaker event. Many students asked about British accents, food, shoes, history, and much more. I sent all of the questions to Matt which helped him plan conversational topics around each question. These questions inspired further curiosity, but also helped direct the student experience for the guest speaker event.

Students engaged in the experience in a few different ways including an opening reflection on the value of learning about other cultures, the google chat feature, and verbal responses during the Q&A session. The student's directed the lesson based on their curiosity and interests which made the experience that much more valued. The lesson gave students majority control and they responded with personalized questions relating to their own perspective. 

The video on the bottom left highlights student engagement by asking questions or drawing connections from their own experiences. Students used a combination of the chat feature and audio to supplement the Q&A section.  Also, Matt and I prearranged questions based on the earlier student discussion board samples to promise a fruitful learning experience in case of student shyness.

The student reflections demonstrate how the guest speaker opportunity exposed students to a new cultural experience. The Google Meet chats above show multiple comments relating to student investment in the experience. For example, many students responded with comments such as "Im finna move to England", "I wonder can  a travel nurses, work in England for a while?", and "I know where I'm going after college...spending a summer in the UK". These Google Meet student comments highlight the level of impact the guest speaker opportunity has on shaping my students’ perspective. This is evident by the future travel plans and newfound interest in traveling to England. Moreover, the Nearpod reflections, shown on the bottom right image, highlight additional inspiration and motivation gained from the guest speaker experience. Students stated how "it motivated me alot, i will love to go there n see all the things he was talking about", "the things the guest speaker said making me really want to go to England", "this motivates me because in England you can learn about different people and do different things that you can't do in Mississippi". These post-speaker reflections further emphasize the impact the guest speaker experience had on shaping my students’ perspectives about the world. 

Later that day, I received an email from a parent thanking me for "creating a wonderful learning experience" for their student. The parent attached a screenshot of a text message from their student highlighting how they "just had the coolest experience". The student walked away exposed to a unique experience that broadened their view of the world. This trickled down to further family engagement through the students’ reflection on the experience.

The guest speaker opportunity opened doors to new student learning experiences. I am thankful for having the connections to make this possible for my students. The impact of these lessons only motivates me further to consider how the World History course can incorporate emotional connections to the places we study. Even in the midst of a pandemic, my students are able to be exposed to different cultures which transform their perspective on the world.