Identity and its Importance in Argentina’s History

By Bernardina Natalia Meza

“Identity and its Importance in Argentina’s History”. A Pedagogical Sequence to  Foster Reflection upon the Importance of our Identity as a Human Right at the  Tertiary Level. 

From March until November 2021, I worked as an assistant teacher for the subject  “Discursive Practices for Written Communication I” at the English Teacher Training  College N° 41, a state-run institution in the suburbs of Buenos Aires, Argentina. This year  in Argentina, tertiary level lessons were delivered virtually via Zoom due to the pandemic.  As a consequence, every teaching sequence was thought to be developed online and the  use of apps as well as multimodal material was fundamental. As an assistant teacher, I  was in charge of creating a special unit for the beginning of the course. The first thing I  thought of was the concept of “Identity” and how important this concept is for us  Argentinians. Lessons began in March, and as a coincidence, March is a particular month  for us Argentinians, especially the 24th of March as it is “The Day of Remembrance for  Truth and Justice”. Every year, on that special day, we devoted a moment to raise our  students’ awareness of the importance of our identity and the value of our “Abuelas de  plaza de Mayo” and their peaceful fight. “Identity and its importance in Argentina’s History” was the name chosen for this unit.  

You will find the pedagogical sequence developed below: 

Warm up 

1- Follow this link to “Mentimeter” app and write the first two words that come to your  mind when you listen to/ read the word “IDENTITY”. All the words appeared automatically on the screen so that everyone can see them. 

2- Find the definition of “Identity” in a dictionary.  

3- Introduce yourself in three sentences. (The idea behind this activity was to create a  chain of introductions to recognize our similarities and differences.) 

4- IDENTITY: HOW IS THIS CONCEPT RELATED TO ARGENTINA’S HISTORY? You are going to provide an answer to this question but first, go to twitter,  instagram or any social networks you use and search #identidad #abuelasdifusión, what have you found there?  

Reading 

1- Read the following article and highlight its main points.

Article: “I’m a child of Argentina’s ‘disappeared’” by Tone Sutterud, The Guardian – 2014 

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/dec/27/child argentinas-disappeared-new-family-identity 

After reading 

1- After reading the article, watch this Youtube video. Write down any new piece of  information.  

Video: Institucional Abuelas 2016 – English subtitles 

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPUO6IvZ5mk&t=463s 

2- Create a mind map, sketch or visual text which includes the main points in both  article and video. Upload it on the padlet. 

Final steps 

1- We are going on a virtual art gallery tour. This virtual exhibition is called  “Nietos/as”. “Nietos/as” was created by the photographer Alejandro Reynoso and  the journalist Maria Eugenia Ludueña. You can find it in the Palacio Sarmiento, first  floor “Pasaje de la identidad”. Click the following link and go on a virtual tour. https://www.argentina.gob.ar/educacion/pinacoteca/experiencias/muestra-virtual nietos-as 

In the third slide, you will find 42 portraits of 42 “Nietos/as”. You will select just one  of them, imagine… What would he/she tell us about his/her story? What can you  see in him/her?  

2- Describe them considering the following: 

What is this person like? What are his/ her qualities? 

What do I like about this person? 

What do I feel towards this person? 

Why did I choose this person? 

3- Paste the selected photograph in your portfolios and include the description. Go to  your classmate’s portfolios and write in comments, what would you add to their  descriptions? 

4- Visit the art exhibition “Ausencias” form Gustavo Germano 

Source: https://www.gustavogermano.com/portfolio/ausencias-argentina-2006/ 5-

Select a photograph and narrate the story behind it.  

6- Paste the selected photograph and its story in our virtual museum. 

Bio

Bernardina Meza is an Argentinian teacher of English as a foreign language. She holds a  postgraduate degree in “Cultural Mediation in Secondary Level” (Facultad  Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales). She has been teaching for six years both in  Primary and Secondary levels of education. She is also a graduate teacher helper in the  subject “Discursive Practices in Written Communication” at an English language teacher  training college in Buenos Aires.