This lesson, “Seeing the World through Someone Else’s Eyes,” is original student work created for the teacher preparation core course CI 2300: Teaching and Learning in the Digital Age at Appalachian State University, and incorporates aspects of healthful living and the visual arts in order to help fourth grade students learn how to show respect and empathy for people with disabilities. Although the media used in this lesson focuses on autism, the discussion and student activity can be expanded to include a variety of disabilities and challenges. In order to develop empathy in students, teachers must utilize the most effective medium to reach their young audience. Film is an engaging medium that enables students to enter the world of a person with a disability in a far greater way than a book or audio recording can do. Film engages the senses of both sight and sound and impacts viewers on a more emotional level than the printed word. In this lesson, it helps students connect with the main character, Temple Grandin, and see the world through her eyes.
