They say that “perception is reality” and luckily, the Internet provided the perfect example as a segue into today’s lesson on empathy. Is it wrong if others see things differently? Does the context in which we see things make a difference in our perceptions?
Of course context makes all the difference.
Apparently, if one changes the white balance of the photo, you can see that the dress is blue and black. For me, I saw it as white and gold until I looked at the context of the photo. Everything else in the background was brighter, fuzzier, and whiter than normal. The image was not true to life as the picture at the left is made to be (that image, by the way, is from the dress’ manufacturer Roman Originals.) When it comes down to it, our brains can play tricks on us.
After our discussion about #TheDress, we then moved into our empathy activity. Each student answered 3 questions from the “Walking in Someone Else’s Shoes” handout they received from ReadWriteThink onto a 3″x5″ notecard. They then placed that into their right shoe and put the shoe into the center of the room.
Each student then had to try to fill out the rest of the questions they had left on their handout based on the shoe and the three questions that had been answered. Needless to say, each student walked away (uh oh, it’s a pun) understanding more of what it means to empathize with others.
Homework:
- Read for 30 minutes:
- TKAM- through Chapter 10
- ROTHMC- through Chapter 5
PowerPoint:
More proof the dress is black and blue.