Architecture of Thought Be curious about the world and the people in it. This is the story about three women who envisioned a sensory experience for children to learn about people from around the world. The curriculum and instruction project in a short time gained the attention of Prentice Hall book publishing and appeared in a college Sociology textbook as an example of teaching children cultural diversity. The Village Market is the theme, providing a passport for the imagination. It is designed as a cultural connection so children imagine they are people of another culture. A market is constructed, children play, perform and interact. The market is the central pulse for the majority of peoples in the world. They have come for thousands of years bearing heavy loads on their heads or in baskets astride an animal such as a donkey. They lay out their loads, set out their balance scales and are ready for business. They bring ropes made of sisal and reeds for thatching. The spice seller is noticed quickly for the aromatic pull to his stall. Listen to the music, try on clothes or taste some food. Stop by and visit the market museum and participate in weaving. Come, swing for awhile in the hammock as your senses soak in the market place. Developing a Global Person Opportunities to develop a global and multicultural consciousness can arise from cross-cultural encounters wherever one lives. The Village Project recreates a country's market scene where children are: Exploring traits, skills and attitudes that make for a truly transcultural person – humanity’s brightest light. Learning how to anticipate differences and mastering alternative reactions rather than withdrawing is at the heart of the cross-cultural experience. Learning words and their shades of meaning that captures and gives voice to the multiethnic temper of our times. Consider how the power of words can diffuse the negative perceptions about the word differences. By using noble words to describe the unique ways of people around the world such as intelligent, wise, creative or inventive we can change our perceptions. Be careful to present a people and culture as part of an ever advancing civilization. Many cultures are studied and presented in a primitive development stage. Freezing a culture in time can create a primitive, inferior image in one’s mind about another people or place. Activities are designed around multiple learning styles. Children, youth and adults warm up to new ideas and get involved at differing levels and pace. Involvement and acceptance builds capacity for sharing and new spaces emerge for purposeful conversation yielding to the compelling force of unity. African Village in a Meadow (Ohio Girl Scouts) African Village in Martin Luther King Center (Ohio) South America Market (Ohio Public Schools) Asian Market and Village Life (Ohio Public Schools) |