Journal and Discussion: Connections, Feedback and Next Steps

I looked at A Toolbox for Preventing Genocide and it looks very interesting not only for the teacher to use, but also for the students to learn about such a big and important issue as genocide. I like the idea of the ‘barometer’ because it gets the students moving, which is something they like doing in my experience. It also develops students’ critical thinking skills, which is always important in such activities. I also found the resource called Amandla! Which I have seen and it is such a wonderful resource because of the power of music. I think the themes in this documentary can be made relevant to today’s critical (hip-hop) pedagogy, which many students relate to. I would love to use this resource in my classroom to show how vital music can be to any type of movements and struggles people have been through and continue to go through; it helps students to understand how powerful the written word is, even in a song. I also liked Not in Our Town resource because it can be the start of a class or school project related to the themes this resource discusses in detail. I would assign my students to find an issue they want to resolve in the school or in the community and get them to achieve justice for those who need support.