Social and Philosophical Foundations of Education
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Brown Eyes vs. Blue Eyes Activity?
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Author:  Katie Stover [ Tue Mar 31, 2009 4:11 pm ]
Post subject:  Brown Eyes vs. Blue Eyes Activity?
After the video today I didn't think that we had enough time to talk about whether or not we would use this activity in our own classrooms. I think that using this activity would be beneficial to many students, but that you need to know your class so you can have an idea of what length of time etc. would be best for them so that you wouldn't completely overwhelm anyone. I also think that I would only use this activity with students in 3rd grade or above. In some of my other education classes I have been told never to put the child in an uncomfortable position to teach a lesson like this; Has anyone else been told that? and would you use this activity in your classroom?
Author:  Katie Gray Nelli [ Wed Apr 01, 2009 8:27 am ]
Post subject: 
I feel that I would use this activity in my classroom but maybe not as long as this teacher did. I would not want my students to get upset because I was "discriminating" towards them and I feel that this would happen if I carried out this activity all say long and even into the second day. I think this would be a great activity to introduce a lesson on discrimination.
Author:  A. Kyle Whisenant [ Wed Apr 01, 2009 10:05 am ]
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I believe in a high school history class you could use this activity to simulate many situations throughout history. The obvious example is Nazi Germany, where each part of the classroom could slowly lose their freedom within the class period, to show the slow erosion of Jewish rights. There are also other racial and religious persecutions, so I think it would be a great way to simulate these situations.
Author:  Emily Towery [ Wed Apr 01, 2009 5:08 pm ]
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I feel like if I used this activity in my classroom that I would be hurting the kids. It is hard for me when I substitute to treat the kids differently. I don't know that I would be able to treat one group differently, even if it were only for a short period of time. If I did this activity then it would have to be a short time period.
Author:  Laura Davis [ Wed Apr 01, 2009 8:49 pm ]
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I agree with Katie Gray...I would probably use this activity for a shorter time period that the teacher did in the video. I think that some of the students might take it a little too serious and get upset about it. I would also definitely make sure the parents were well aware of what will be going on so that won't cause as many problems and concerns.
Author:  Karie Steelman [ Thu Apr 02, 2009 12:50 am ]
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I loved this activity and would definitely use it in my classroom to introduce discrimmination. I think I would see how the students were handling the situation to determine how long I would use it. If some students started crying and was not handling it well then I would end the lesson. I think this lesson is great because it showed that its purpose stayed with students their whole lives and that is my goal as a teacher. This acitivity really opened their eyes to how some people are treated and how it feels.
Author:  Ben Boyd [ Thu Apr 02, 2009 6:47 pm ]
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I feel that high school age students might take something like this too far, in a joking way mostly, but that it would still be a great activity to utilize. I would probably adapt this somewhat to a lesson on Jim Crow Laws and segregation or unionizing mill workers: anything that is a good representation of haves and havenots would be a valuable tool in teaching and getting kids to learn historical empathy.
Author:  Alicia Yewcic [ Sun Apr 05, 2009 12:04 pm ]
Post subject: 
This was the first time I have seen the video about this activity, but I have heard about it through a psychology class in high school. Just from seeing the video in class I can really see how effective the activity is. I would definitly use this in my classes if I feel the students would be able to handle it. Like Katie Gray said I would shorten the activity to one day and switch roles after lunch or sometime like that.
Author:  Justin Ausburn [ Mon Apr 06, 2009 3:43 pm ]
Post subject: 
I was part of a similar activity during an Outward Bound course in high school. The superior group got to make all the decisions and boss the lesser group around. The goal of this particular activity was to show how discrimination and the establishment of a superior class created an environment of corrupt leadership, abuse and a "working" class. It was very effective with the group and such an activity I feel would be very effective in middle and high schools. The blue eyes activity could be done in elementary school, but the more advanced class activity would be more appropriate later on.
Author:  Crystal Ritchie [ Mon Apr 06, 2009 4:15 pm ]
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I think that this activity was a great idea and probably one of the most effective ways to show discrimination. Learning by experience is much more meaningful than just going over something. This would be an excellent activity to do before a lesson on racism. That being said, I don't think I would do this exact thing with my class. Like several other people, I would like to make it shorter, just so they get a taste, and not so that things get out of hand (like fights). If I did choose to do this exercise, I would definitely get parental permission before hand. In an older classroom, I would like to show the video if I couldn't do the activity.
Author:  Samantha Neader [ Tue Apr 07, 2009 8:06 am ]
Post subject:  brown eye blue eye assignment
I agree with everyone. I would use this activity in my class just because the students are able to learn so much from it, but i would be careful and much more cautious when i use it. Now a days its so important to watch everything you do because one wrong move and many teachers and parents can become upset with you. Teachers are not allowed the freedom in their classrooms that they used to be. I do think this is a really great activity though and it had a great impact on the students. I couldn't believe they all remembered it so well many years later. Overall i think this is a really great activity that was very useful in the classroom setting.
Author:  Ashley Brooks [ Tue Apr 07, 2009 11:15 am ]
Post subject:  I'd use it
I would defenitely use this activity in my classroom. Their are so many stereotypes and differences between people that we need to take notice to. I will be teaching high school students and I want to make sure they don't grow up to be a judgemental generation that has no heart for people who look different from them. I know the impact may not be as drastic as it was for the little children but I hope to open their eyes to something they may not have thought about.
Author:  lesliesheppard [ Tue Apr 07, 2009 11:22 am ]
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I would definitely use this activity in my classroom! I think that it is a great activity and that students would really benefit from it. I would definitely be careful about how you plan for the activity and working with parents but I think it is a really great way to demonstrate discrimination and how ridiculous it is. How can you judge a person on the color of their eyes? It makes no sense, just like it makes no sense to judge a person on the color of the skin or their culture. Activities like this are making each generation more aware of diversity and accepting of it.
Author:  HeatherHeath [ Tue Apr 07, 2009 3:18 pm ]
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I think this would be a great exercise to use with my students. I believe that everyone needs to be exposed to what it feels like to be discriminated against and this is a good way to divide the classroom. I would send home the details about the exercise to the parents and make sure they all approved, and to inform them of what would be happening in my classroom. Depending on how well it went the first time I tried it would let me know if I would try it again later years.
Author:  Angela Sain [ Tue Apr 07, 2009 3:33 pm ]
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I also think this is a very good exercise and I would definitely use it in my classroom. This activity would be great to use when introducing a diversity topic or it would also be a great tool when dealing with bullying in your classroom. I agree with Heather that I would see how well it went the first time before I decided if I would use it again in later years.
Author:  Danielle Epley [ Thu Apr 09, 2009 11:54 am ]
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I have heard about this activity many times before and in middle school I had a teacher try this activity, but did not give enough detail into it so therefore made no real impact on the class. I had never seen this video before, but I have really wanted to. I really think that this is an effective activity for students and I would defiantly use this activity in my classroom in the future. I think that kids really learn a lesson on how to treat others that will leave a lasting impression on them rather than being told how to treat others and not really being effective.
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