Materials:: Define Paradigm Explain What A Paradigm Shift Is

At the end of this lesson students will be able to:
● Define Paradigm
● Explain what a paradigm shift is
Materials:
See below
Sample Power Point
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1OIV5JschOndi6R75pWITpJmoYb1CKxIbNNkTofZiaqA/
edit?usp=sharing
Bell Work:
"We see things as they are not as we are." What does it mean, do you agree or disagree?
Explain.
(Discuss)
Agenda/Process:
Start the lesson by choosing three common words most students would have some experience
with (Ex. School, Technology, Sports, your State, your town/city, etc.): Have students draw a
picture they associate with the three words.
This can be cone on a piece of paper or it can be done using instructional programs like
Nearpod if you are on a one to one program. This allows for students draw on ipads/computers
and you display different students’ drawings on all devices. It also works with good fashion hard
copy paper and pencils.
Starting with one word at a time, ask students to volunteer to show and explain their picture and
why they associate it with this word. Try to have approximately three students share per word.
At after the last students discuss:
You: Did every student in here draw the exact same picture for each of the words. (Answer will
be no.)
You: “Why not?”
(Desired response: Because all the students don’t see things the same way, Students have
different experiences with the different words, etc.)
Print off pictures of old/young lady. Make sure half your class has pictures that are shaded more
to see the old lady and half your class has the picture shaded to favor the young lady. Hand
them out face down and give the following instructions:
You will be receiving a paper face down. When I say “go,” you will flip that paper over and you
will be given 30 seconds to study the image on your paper before you have to flip it over. It
would be wise of you to utilize all thirty seconds and focus that time on the photo that’s on your
paper.
Once the students have been given thirty seconds have them turn their papers back over. Now,
either in hard copy form or using a powerpoint/prezi/nearpod presentation show the third picture
of the woman. Ask students what they see.
Possible answers: I see a younger a woman, I see an older woman. I see two ladies, a young
and old. (It might be wise to define youner and older because some students will say, “I see an
old woman in her 30’s.” That’s a young a woman!)
Once you have had a handful of students volunteer what they see. Ask how everyone could
possibly be looking up at the same xact picture and yet not see the same thing. Have students
then share with people sitting around them the pictures they were given. Then explain:
Many times in life, the way we see something is dependant on how the information we have
about the whole picture is shaded. Sometimes it doesn’t matter, but many times it has a major
effect on how we see something. In this activity, some of you were given pictures that were
shaded to help you see the young lady while others were given pictures to help see the older
lady. For many of you the initial picture you received impacted how you saw the image, for
others it did not.
At this time, take some time to help students see the whole picture which is a young and an old
lady. This may take a little time and you can have some of the studetns that see both ladies,
help.
Define “paradigm” for the students. You can do this on a power point/prezi/nearpod presentation
or on a board. Then pose the question, “Are our paradigms always correct?” (Obvious answer is
no, but probe and get students to discuss the why’s and why nots of our paradigms being
correct or not.)
After defining paradigm read the Subway story (below). Read the first half that is not highlighted,
and then Stop and ask the students to Students to write their honest first impression of how they
would feel and what they would be thinking if they were in this situation. It doesn’t have to be
what they would do, but how they would be feeling and thinking. Give students a couple of
minutes to do this. When students are finished writing, read the highlighted portion of the story.
When students find out the rest of the information you will likely see some expressions, some of
guilt, some of, “Oh…..” Ask:
“Now that you know the rest of the story, does it change how you feel about the situation?” (99%
of students will say yes it does. It raises their empathy and compassion levels which will in turn
raise their patience and understanding for what the family is dealing with. Every once in a while
you’ll have a student try to argue that it doesn’t matter. Just understand they don’t really believe
it doesn’t matter.
For students who are arguing maybe, try to put them in a more personal situation like the death
of a parent or gaurdian, where a teacher gave them a zero on an assignment that they didn’t
turn in right when they came back to school. The assignment was given the day the death
happened. The teacher was covered under the school policy and by the letter of the law was
justified in giving that student a zero. Most teachers didn’t follow the letter of the law in this
instance given the situation. How would that student feel about taking a zero. This may help
them realize that they would expect peopel to shift their perspective if it were them in the
situation. It may not either.”
Define paradigm shift for the students. Explain that most of them just experienced a paradigm
shift through this story.
Review:
Paradigm
Why paradigms are different
Whether or not paradigms are all correct.
Paradigm Shift.
From the book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, by Stephen
Covey
I was riding a subway on Sunday morning in New York. People were

sitting quietly, reading papers, or resting with eyes closed. It was a
peaceful scene. Then a man and his children entered the subway car.
The man sat next to me and closed his eyes, apparently oblivious to
his children, who were yelling, throwing things, even grabbing people’s
papers.
I couldn’t believe he could be so insensitive. Eventually, with what I felt

was unusual patience, I turned and said, “Sir, your children are
disturbing people. I wonder if you couldn’t control them a little more?”
The man lifted his gaze as if he saw the situation for the first time.
“Oh, you’re right,” he said softly, “I guess I should do something about
it. We just came from the hospital where their mother died about an
hour ago. I don’t know what to think, and I guess they don’t know how
to handle it either.”

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At the end of this lesson students will be able to:

You: “Why not?”

I was riding a subway on Sunday morning in New York. People were

I couldn’t believe he could be so insensitive. Eventually, with what I felt

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