The Synthesizing Mind

Two activities that I utilize in my class where I believe the students synthesize information are journaling and interviewing involving our fictional and nonfictional characters.  Since “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” by Ambrose Bierce is set during the Civil War, I assign the students to write a journal entry from either a member of the Union army or a member of the Confederate army’s point of view as he or she observes the actions up to and including the hanging of the condemned man.  The students not only need to know the basic facts of the Civil War, but they need to tie together other content areas as well to develop an accurate account from whichever side they choose.  They would also have to comprehend the short story in order for their entry to make sense.  Journal entries are a wonderful and effective way for students to display their knowledge of content while at the same time showcase a deeper understanding that goes well beyond recall and memorization. 

Interviewing is also an effective way to showcase synthesis.  Again, students are required to make connections within the text in addition to making cross-curricular connections.  If a student is reading a first-hand account from a Titanic survivor or analyzing a photo from the Great Depression or Macbeth, he or she will need to knit together aspects of other disciplines to make sense of these primary sources.  If students are creating an interview for a particular character, fiction or nonfiction, they will have to develop relevant, meaningful, thought-out questions in order for the character to tell his or her story.  Also, whether students are creating both sides of the interview or interviewing another student (role play), accurate open-ended responses must be created.  Both the questions and responses would be great assessment tools for comprehension and synthesis.  Journaling and interviewing would also be useful tools to create relationships to real-life situations.  However, whatever the tool, students should be aware of the expectations of the teacher, and effective feedback should be given.

With the integration of technology, these journals and interviews can come alive.  Video journals and interviews can be created that would make use of video, audio, and images.  I had one student who created a video for her Titanic survivor journal.  She was dressed the part and delivered an emotional entry outlining that tragic night.  I also had a student create an interview between an interviewer and a character from a fictional story.  The student developed effective questions and answers, and she was able to convey the character’s story through this exchange.  Also, a student created a Glog that analyzed a photo from the Great Depression.  Not only did she analyze the photo, but she gave a brief background of this time period, accompanied by an appropriate song representing survival and better times.  As stated by Gardner, “Against the odds, individuals seek synthesis.”  We, as educators, need to give the students the opportunity to find and exhibit this synthesis.

Gardner, H.  (2007).  Five minds for the future.  Boston:  Harvard Business School Press.