1. A New Kind of Quest: CultureQuest
Dr. Sheila Offman Gersh City College of New York

2. CultureQuest projects are:
inquiry-based investigations of other peoples and cultures that are rooted in student questions and based upon student interests

3. CultureQuest Projects may:
Focus on foreign cultures
Focus on American culture and/or American subcultures
Focus on the diverse cultural heritages of the students
Compare and contrast any of the above.

4. WHAT APECTS OF CULTURE ARE EXAMINED? literature art music history
government
religion
language
everyday life
customs & traditions
Values, beliefs and behavior

5. One Way of Structuring a CultureQuest Project
Entire class find core information about the country (geography, history, demographics, etc). Students begin conversations with their peers in the country via and the class begins to explore areas of culture.
Students select specific areas of culture to focus on and work in small groups to obtain information in those areas.
Teacher and Students develop an “educational” Web site and present their work to the world.

6. How does a CultureQuest Project fit into the Curriculum?
It is linked to the geographic focus of the social studies curriculum (e.g., Asia, the Middle East, etc)
It is integrated with work students do in other subjects (e.g., reading, writing, speaking, history, art, etc)
It is linked to specific NYS Learning Standards (e.g., ELA, Social Studies, NETS)

7. ELA STANDARDS Learning Standards
Link to Standards PDF File Standard 1 - Language for Information and Understanding
Students will read, write, listen, and speak for information and understanding - As listeners and readers, students will collect data, facts, and ideas; discover relationships, concepts, and generalizations; and use knowledge generated from oral, written, and electronically produced texts. As speakers and writers, they will use oral and written language to acquire, interpret, apply, and transmit information. Standard 2 - Language for Literary Response and Expression
Students will read, write, listen, and speak for literary expression - Students will read and listen to oral, written, and electronically produced texts and performances, relate texts and performances to their own lives, and develop an understanding of the diverse social, historical, and cultural dimensions the texts and performances represent. As speakers and writers, students will use oral and written language for self-expression and artistic creation.

8. ELA STANDARDS
Standard 3 - Language for Critical Analysis and Evaluation
Students will read, write, listen, and speak for critical analysis and evaluation - As listeners and readers, students will analyze experiences, ideas, information, and issues presented by others using a variety of established criteria. As speakers and writers, they will present, in oral and written language and from a variety of perspectives, their opinions and judgments on experiences, ideas, information and issues. Standard 4 - Language for Social Interaction
Students will read, write, listen, and speak for social interaction - Students will use oral and written language for effective social communication with a wide variety of people. As readers and listeners, they will use the social communications of others to enrich their understanding of people and their views.

9. NETS STANDARDS Social, ethical, and human issues
Students understand the ethical, cultural, and societal issues related to technology.
Students develop positive attitudes toward technology uses that support lifelong learning, collaboration, personal pursuits, and productivity.
Technology productivity tools
Students use technology tools to enhance learning, increase productivity, and promote creativity.
Students use productivity tools to collaborate in constructing technology-enhanced models, prepare publications, and produce other creative works.

10. NETS STANDARDS Technology communications tools
Students use telecommunications to collaborate, publish, and interact with peers, experts, and other audiences.
Students use a variety of media and formats to communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences.
 Technology research tools
Students use technology to locate, evaluate, and collect information from a variety of sources.
Students use technology tools to process data and report results.
Students evaluate and select new information resources and technological innovations based on the appropriateness for specific tasks.
 Technology problem-solving and decision-making tools
Students use technology resources for solving problems and making informed decisions. Students employ technology in the development of strategies for solving problems in the real world.

11. CULTUREQUEST PROJECTS MAY RELATE TO OTHER DISCIPLINES
Social Studies
Music, Dance, Performing Arts
Art
Science
Math
Economics
Geography

12. Traditional Model of Education
T S

13. 21ST Century Model of Education
L L E L L
E L L L
E L P L L
L L E L

14. Support teachers may need in doing a CultureQuest project
Assistance in understanding what culture is and how to study culture & avoid key pitfalls.
Assistance in leading their class in developing more sophisticated and accomplished work.
Assistance with specific uses of technology ( , Internet, creating Web sites, etc.)
Assistance with the pedagogy that supports inquiry-based projects

15. Technology Skills Access Internet resources for the study of culture.
Promote communication with students and experts in the target country (ePals).
Internet Basics --searching, evaluating Web sites, use of proper citation, appropriate and ethical use policies, etc.
Teaching with the Internet
Inspiration for graphical mapping of project
Creation of an educational Web site.
Assist students in using multimedia to support projects (e.g., digital photography, video, graphics and other applications, desktop videoconferencing (NetMeeting).

16. Related CultureQuest Skills
Academic
Reading
Technology
Internet Use
Learning Styles
Problem
Solving
Culture
Appreciation of Diversity and Multi-culturalism
Writing
Computer Skills
Research
Skills
Acting as Cultural Informant
Music, Art, Literature
Web Site Design
Creativity
Knowledge of Another Culture
History, geography
Presentation & Graphics
Collaboration
Knowledge of American and own Culture

17. CultureQuest Pedagogy
Student-Centered
Constructivist
Project-Based
Authentic
Ownership
Interdisciplinary
Inquiry-Based
Collaborative
Teacher as Facilitator
Multicultural
Standards-Based
Real Audiences for Work
Multiple Intelligences
Humanistic and Caring
Students as Workers
Product/Action

18. The CultureQuest Process
Decide on target culture
Brainstorm what students know about the culture
Brainstorm what students want to know about the culture
Cover the core areas with whole class

19. The CultureQuest Process (cont’d)
Use ePals.com to find classrooms
Students communicate with counterparts using on ePals.com
Divide students into small groups by interest area
Students prepare and send “Welcome Packages”—videos, artifacts, postal cards, coins, etc.

20. In Gathering Information about the Culture:
Use books and library resources
Use Internet resources
Explore resources in own city/community
Museums
People (oral history)
Visit neighborhoods (shops, restaurants, etc.)
Cultural Centers
to students and/or adult experts

21. Teach Student Technology Skills
Graphic Organizers (Inspiration)
Internet Basics (searching, evaluation, citation)
Web Page creation
Web Editing
Uploading/managing website

22. Final Products
Class creates Web site with general information and links to group projects
Other multimedia products:
PowerPoint
HyperStudio
Digital stories with stills and videos