Page - 45 - in Reflective Cosmopolitanism - Educating towards inclusive communities through Philosophical Enquiry

ELLA (MANUAL) 45 Sign Symbol ? Symbol: A symbol is something that stands for, or represents, something else. For example, a white flag or a dove represents peace, the symbol of the Olympic rings represents the five dif- ferent areas of the world involved in the Olympic Games. Activity: Symbol In this activity kids can analyze symbols to consider their importance. When is some- thing a symbol? What kind of national symbols of different countries do they know? • Pick a symbol and make an artwork • Create a new symbol and tell what it stands for Exercise: Signs Take your students on a walk through the school building or neighborhood with clipboards, digital cameras, or small drawing notebooks. Students can draw or pho- tograph any signs they see. Back in the classroom, have the students share their drawings or photos and categorize them into different groups, such as signs that warn, signs that give directions, signs that tell people to stop, etc. Different countries use different signs. Have the students research signs from differ- ent countries on the Internet or at the library. Guidebooks for other countries usually include a list of signs as well as their meanings. They can copy or draw different signs and share what they have discovered. Maybe some of the students can cre- ate new signs to communicate information, maybe some of the students find places where signs are missing, for example in the school building. They can create signs using different colors, different shapes and different materials. Lead a discussion with the whole class about school signs and symbols. Leading Idea 4: Culture What is culture? There are lots of different perspectives on, and meanings of, culture. For example Matthew Lipman distinguishes between ‘culture’ as the exhibited ways in which people have learned to live together, a general meaning of ‘culture’ as a general category of the Arts; and ‘culture’ more specifically, as it refers to the so called Fine Arts. We may summarize culture as the characteristic way of a particular group of people living together, including their language, music, literature, religion, art, cuisine and social habits, as well as their various ways of life - their traditions, customs, and celebrations. If we look at several countries - for example, in Europe - the culture in one country is historically, ethnically and linguistically multicultural. Today we can often find many dif-