Activities
The following is an activity breakdown for a lesson in a community college freshman English composition course. The goals of the activities are to have students meet the objectives listed below. Using William Horton's absorb-do-connect structure, I have chunked the material so as to provide the most natural and beneficial learning environment for students. As Horton explains in his "E-Learning by Design" (2015), People learn by considering, researching, analyzing, organizing, synthesizing, discussing, testing, deciding, and applying ideas" (p. 51).
Objectives:
1. Students should be able to define, explain, and apply the concept of the bystander effect, focusing on silence versus speaking up.
2. After reading about scholarly research, students should be able to conduct research and select an appropriate essay/article to share with the class.
1. Students should be able to define, explain, and apply the concept of the bystander effect, focusing on silence versus speaking up.
2. After reading about scholarly research, students should be able to conduct research and select an appropriate essay/article to share with the class.
Activity 1—Background information (absorb activity). Although absorb activities may seem passive, they actually require students to be very "mentally active" (Horton, 2015, p. 51). This absorb activity provides students with the needed background knowledge to make educated conclusions about the bystander effect and the danger of remaining silent when others need help.
As we begin a new set of readings, I’d like you to start thinking about silence, and how our silence in various situations can be quite dangerous. Please watch Clint Smith's TED Talk, "The Danger of Silence," to start thinking more critically about this topic.
As we begin a new set of readings, I’d like you to start thinking about silence, and how our silence in various situations can be quite dangerous. Please watch Clint Smith's TED Talk, "The Danger of Silence," to start thinking more critically about this topic.
(Smith, C. (2014, July). The Danger of Silence [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.ted.com/talks/clint_smith_the_danger_of_silence?language=en)
After watching Smith’s TED Talk, please read
Activity 2 — Discussion (do activity). Do activities give students the opportunity to apply the knowledge they gained in the absorb activity. In this example, we can see that students "apply skills, knowledge, and attitudes, and receive feedback on their efforts" (Horton, 2015, p. 53). As they reflect on the materials they have read, students formulate their own ideas in response to one of the questions below. They post their responses on the class discussion board and engage with other students who have responded as well.
Now that you have watched and read a bit about silence, as well as some of the reasons and outcomes associated with it, choose one of the following questions to discuss in your small groups. Remember to refer to the “Discussion Rubric” as you post and respond to your classmates.
After watching Smith’s TED Talk, please read
- (From Writing Commons), "Using Databases: Periodical Indexes and Abstracts
- Martin Gansberg's "Thirty-eight Who Saw Murder Didn't Call Police”
- Stanley Milgram's and Paul Hollander's "Paralyzed Witnesses: The Murder They Heard." (Taken from Milgram, Stanley and Paul Hollander. “Paralyzed Witnesses: The Murder They Heard.” Mercury Reader: Mindful Reading and Writing. New York: Pearson, 2010. 170-77. Print.)
- John M. Darley and Bibb Latané's “Group Inhibition of Bystander Intervention in Emergencies”
Activity 2 — Discussion (do activity). Do activities give students the opportunity to apply the knowledge they gained in the absorb activity. In this example, we can see that students "apply skills, knowledge, and attitudes, and receive feedback on their efforts" (Horton, 2015, p. 53). As they reflect on the materials they have read, students formulate their own ideas in response to one of the questions below. They post their responses on the class discussion board and engage with other students who have responded as well.
Now that you have watched and read a bit about silence, as well as some of the reasons and outcomes associated with it, choose one of the following questions to discuss in your small groups. Remember to refer to the “Discussion Rubric” as you post and respond to your classmates.
- In his TED Talk, Clint Smith confesses, “I figured the most valuable thing I could sacrifice was my own voice.” Explain what Smith means by this statement as you reference at least one of the readings you’ve done in this module; if you would like to include a time when you had a similar experience, that would be great too.
- Recall the Kitty Genovese murder discussed in Gansberg’s article. Explain how Latané and Darley's study clarifies possible explanations for why Genovese’s neighbors stood by and did not help her. What are the similarities and differences you find between Darley and Latané's experimental situation and Genovese’s real-life event?
- Consider how you felt after reading about Genovese's murder--were you upset at her neighbors? Did you judge them as selfish? Did your feelings change after reading Milgram and Hollander's and/or Latané and Darley's essays? Explain.
- Examine the visual below and discuss how Latané and Darley's findings can help us to understand why people might ignore the drowning victim. Milligram and Hollander's findings could be very interesting here as well.
(27 Funny But Thought-Provoking Images Of How Smartphones Have Taken Over Our Lives. (n.d.). Retrieved February 08, 2016, from http://digitalsynopsis.com/buzz/smartphone-addiction-funny-sad-images/)
Activity 3 — Response Paper (connect activity). The purpose of connect activities is "to lead learners to link what they are learning to prior learning and to situations in which they will apply the current learning . . ." (Horton, 2015, p. 53). Having students apply the reading on silence, as well as on database research, they will find and share an article that exemplifies silence/bystander effect in action. This activity provides them with the opportunity to apply what they have learned to a real-world situation.
This week's discussion revolves a lot around the idea of staying quiet versus speaking up. I would like you to write a one-page response paper this week that will help you to prepare for your next essay. Find an article/essay from the library (using the online databases) that illustrates silence/bystander effect. I am leaving this topic fairly open so that you can really run with it and make it your own. If you find yourself struggling, remember to ask questions of your fellow students and myself on the Q&A Discussion Forum.
I’ll also be asking you to share an MLA citation and brief summary of the article with the rest of the class (Post to the “Sharing Articles” Discussion Board. Just imagine how much research is being shared through this activity!
Refer to the Response Paper rubric when working on this assignment
Horton, W. (2015) E-Learning by Design. In Instructional Design for E-Learning. Retrieved from e-LAD.
This week's discussion revolves a lot around the idea of staying quiet versus speaking up. I would like you to write a one-page response paper this week that will help you to prepare for your next essay. Find an article/essay from the library (using the online databases) that illustrates silence/bystander effect. I am leaving this topic fairly open so that you can really run with it and make it your own. If you find yourself struggling, remember to ask questions of your fellow students and myself on the Q&A Discussion Forum.
I’ll also be asking you to share an MLA citation and brief summary of the article with the rest of the class (Post to the “Sharing Articles” Discussion Board. Just imagine how much research is being shared through this activity!
Refer to the Response Paper rubric when working on this assignment
Horton, W. (2015) E-Learning by Design. In Instructional Design for E-Learning. Retrieved from e-LAD.