Gil Garcia

June 8, 2017

Google Scholar

1. http://search.proquest.com/openview/3b10d1f39d36ed84d2410ea025399ef6/1?pq-
origsite=gscholar&cbl=33246
a. Avoiding the "It's a Small World" Effect: A Lesson Plan to Explore Diversity
b. Jason L. Endacott and Freddie A. Bowles
c. 2013
2. http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/1547688X.2015.1113351
a. Using Video-Stimulated Recall to Enhance Preservice-Teacher Reflection
b. Jason L. Endacott
c. March 17, 2016
3. http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00933104.2013.826158
a. Negotiating the Process of Historical Empathy
b. Jason L. Endacott
c. February 28, 2014

Avoiding the "It's a Small World" Effect: A Lesson Plan to Explore Diversity

Jason Endacott introduces the article by citing the famous ride at Disney World called Its a Small World.
He uses it as an example of peoples understanding of other cultures lack real authenticity and depth
and we end up with only a stereotypical of each ethnicity and a superficial knowledge similar to that
which is taught in our countrys elementary schools. Endacott implores for the opportunity for a more
diversified and in depth teaching of social studies, especially in elementary schools, stating
intermediate elementary school level is developmentally ideal since students in grades three through
five are most open to people different from themselves. Jason then transitions the article to the action
he wants to see implemented, getting rid of the old education system for teaching about different
cultures and applying a new lesson called A Smaller World of Cultural Universals. The lesson wants to
help students understand the complexity of cultural values that guide peoples lives and not just the
representations of cultures. The article explains the lessons three step system as follows: introducing
and defining culture and cultural universals, inquiring about cultural values across cultures, and
exploring cultural universals.

Step one starts out by showing the class a video of the Its a Small World ride from Disney World and
asking the students to write down words that describe what they notice from the ride. After that, the
class is then asked to make a T chart, with cultural written on one side, and universal written on the
other, and told to write down what they think of when they hear each of the words, and then what they
think of when they hear both words together. Once step one is complete, step two is introduced by
explaining the concept of cultural values. Next, the students are asked to pick a cultural universal that
they previously wrote down from step one and explain their own cultural values when it comes to that
cultural universal. After step two is done, step three asks students to analyze each others responses to
the first two steps and reflect upon the similarities and differences of their own. The conclusion of the
lesson should open the eyes of the students to some of the similarities shared between people that
thought they had nothing in common, and the great differences between people that thought they were
exactly the same.