Understanding perspectives

1.

1
Understanding
perspectives
LESSON OBJECTIVE: UNDERSTAND WHAT MAKES UP A ‘PERSPECTIVE’

2.

Starting Point
Discuss in pairs.
a) What does the cartoon
tell you about the idea of
different perspectives?
b) Can more than one
perspective be right?
2

3.

So, what is a perspective and how
is it constructed?
3
Perspective – a coherent world view which is a response to an issue.
A perspective is made up of argument, evidence, and assumptions and
may be influenced by a particular context.
What is an assumption? What is context?
Assumption – an unstated reason that is accepted
to be true without proof
Context – the things that influence an issue or event,
including geographical location and environment
(where), the people cultures and languages
involved (who), and timing (when)

4.

A perspective – an example
Rising sea levels
A rise in sea level could be beneficial for coral reefs.
Water temperature is one of the major stresses coral reefs face;
therefore, if rising water levels lead to cooler seas, then coral reefs
might be less threatened.
Professor Ryan Lowe is an expert whose research seeks to
understand and predict coastal processes. He states that a
modest rise in sea level could help lower the water temperature of
the reef and may also partially reduce reef heat extremes in the
world’s warming oceans.
Professor Ryan Lowe works at the University of Western Australia.
Australia’s coral reefs are currently suffering from bleaching
caused by the rising sea temperature.
This perspective responds to the issue of rising sea levels by
acknowledging the possible benefits higher water levels might
have for coral reefs.
4

5.

Quick activity
Do you think
students should
have schoolwork
to do at home?
Why (not)?
5

6.

Activity 1: Alternative perspectives
6
Take five minutes to complete an internet search on your Chromebooks
for ‘island communities affected by rising sea levels’.
a) Identify a different perspective on rising sea levels that is informed by
different elements to the ones on the previous slide, e.g., the islands of
Micronesia, large coastal cities like Los Angeles, etc.
b) Copy in your notebooks and complete the diagram below by adding
the perspective you researched.
Perspective 1:
Rising sea levels
benefit coral reefs.
Perspective 2:
Issue
Rising
sea
levels
Perspective 3:

7.

Workbook activity 1
Issue
Assumption Argument
Evidence
The following examples are elements of an expressed perspective. Read
each example and decide which aspect from the box applies to which
example. Write the aspect next to the numbers in your notebook.
Context
7
1.
Restricting schoolwork to school reduces stress in of high school
students.
ASSUMPTION
2.
An ‘always-on’ culture means that students can never escape the
school, meaning that the divisions between home and school are
blurred, which is damaging.
ARGUMENT
3.
Professor Alicia Lopez of…is a researcher who seeks to understand
school policies, rules, and practices. She states that a reduction of
schoolwork done at home may lead to less stressed students and thus
more productivity and focus in the long term.
4.
Stress at school.
5.
Lopez works for an independent think-tank, which conducted
research amongst students at the top 50 schools in the state of
California in the USA.
EVIDENCE
ISSUE
CONTEXT

8.

Activity 2: Another perspective on homework
8
This is a perspective on doing homework at home by a parent of a high school student. Read it
and answer the questions below. Share your thoughts in pairs.
I hear a lot of criticism of the ‘always-on’ culture by commentators outside the education
environment, yet few of these critics actually know how busy parents are or understand the
pressures on them to have the best and brightest children.
The argument that the stress induced by having homework done at home every day is
outweighed by the evidence I see in my own family and that of my close friends. When the
students in my child’s school were offered the opportunity to have their children stay for three
more periods in school every day and have no homework, we all accepted the offer with
open hands.
We, the parents, embraced the opportunity it gave us to have more free time for ourselves,
while our children also worked more to achieve better grades and create a better future for
themselves. This extra free time gives me more chance to reconnect with friends and do
activities I like more often, and also to work more on my career.
a)
In what way does this perspective challenge or contrast with the
one you expressed earlier?
b)
Identify at least one argument the parent makes to support their
perspective.

9.

Exit ticket &
reflection
Why is it important to explore a
range of perspectives?
Example answer: Looking back to
the example of coral reefs
benefiting from rising sea levels, you
can see that it was quite a limited
perspective. Although there will be
benefits for a few, the most
dominant response to rising sea
levels is one of concern for
communities and ecosystems.
As we move through the course, we
will engage with perspectives that
challenge the consensus view.
99