O u r Wo r l d v i e w s
Chapter 10
CHAPTER 10
How Can Understanding
Worldviews Improve Our Lives?
Europe: 1st Century Through the 16th Century
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
900
1000
1100
1200
1300
1400
1500
1–4 centuries Roman Empire; 4–15 centuries Byzantine Empire; 4–14 centuries Middle Ages; 14–16 centuries Renaissance
Recent Periods in Japanese History
1500
1600
340
1800
1900
2000
1500
Japan was divided among more than 250 warring feudal lords.
1603
Edo Period: Isolation
Japan entered a long period of relative peace and development and
tried to isolate itself from the rest of the world.
1868
Meiji Period: Adaptation and Modernization
Japan rapidly modernized using ideas collected from around the world.
1912
Modern Period
Japan modernized.
2000
Present-day Japan
Japan is an influential world leader.
Aztec History
1000
1700
1100
1200
1300
1400
1100
Leave homeland, Aztlan
1200
Arrive in Valley of Mexico
1250
Settle near Lake Texcoco
1300
Build first temple at Tenochtitlan
1376
Acamapichtli becomes leader
1428
Itzcoatl becomes leader
Triple Alliance is formed
1440
Moctezuma I becomes emperor
Alliance controls all of the Valley
of Mexico except Tlaxcala
1502
Moctezuma II becomes emperor
1519
Moctezuma II meets Cortés
in Tenochtitlan
Cortés takes Moctezuma hostage
1500
1600
1520
Spanish massacre Aztec during
religious festival
Noche Triste — Aztec kill
700 Spaniards and
2000–3000 Tlaxcalans
Moctezuma II killed
Cuitlahuac becomes ruler
Thousands of Aztec die
from smallpox
Cuitlahuac dies
Cuahtemoc becomes ruler
1521
Spanish defeat Aztec
Aztec Empire collapses
1522
Cortés takes control
Aztec society destroyed
H o w C a n U n d e r s t a n d i n g Wo r l d v i e w s I m p r o v e O u r L i v e s ?
W h a t H a v e Yo u L e a r n e d A b o u t Wo r l d v i e w ?
In this text, you have studied the worldviews of five societies in
different times and places:
• Renaissance Europe (1350 to 1600): How did
the exchange of ideas and knowledge during
the Renaissance shape the worldview of the
Western world?
• Edo Japan and Meiji Japan (1600 to 1900):
How did beliefs, values, and knowledge shape
the worldview of Japan between 1600 and 1900?
• Spanish and Aztec (700 to 1500):
How did conflicting worldviews lead
to the Spanish Conquest of the Aztec
civilization?
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O u r Wo r l d v i e w s
Chapter 10
You have explored ideas showing that
• understanding the worldview of your society helps explain
the choices and decisions you make in your life
• understanding the worldview of your society helps you
understand yourself
• worldview is a complex idea that undergoes change based
on the experiences of that society
• other groups have different worldviews
• other groups with different worldviews make different
choices and decisions
The case studies presented several different ways of looking at
the world. Each of the three case studies in this text presented an
overview of each society’s worldview. Only general details were given
about the most common elements of each worldview, the commonly
shared values and beliefs about culture, social systems, and political
and economic systems. A generalized worldview does not mean that
all people in that society agreed with all the same values. Other
groups in that society may have had different worldviews.
I wonder ... what is the
Canadian worldview?
What do most of us
value and believe about
social systems, political
and economic systems,
and culture?
Elements of Society
That Reflect Worldview
There are many ways
to describe worldview.
This organizer shows a few
of the ways worldview has
been described in this text.
gender roles
personal identity
social mobility
Social
systems
social
classes
education
citizenship
customs and traditions
daily life
Worldview:
Values and
Beliefs
government
Political
and
economic
systems
Culture
spirituality
business
organized
religion
knowledge
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trade
arts
economy
H o w C a n U n d e r s t a n d i n g Wo r l d v i e w s I m p r o v e O u r L i v e s ?
To determine the values and beliefs, or worldviews, of the
Renaissance, Edo Japan, Meiji Japan, the Spanish, and the Aztec
societies, you examined the way they lived — their social systems,
their political and economic systems, and their culture. You
discovered that these three elements are interconnected and that
many of the terms used to describe one element can also be used
to describe another element. You explored how your own way
of life is affected by the values and beliefs, or worldview, of
your own society.
Geography
Worldview:
Values and
Beliefs
Ideas and
knowledge
F a c t o r s A f f e c t i n g Wo r l d v i e w
Contact
with other
groups
In all three case studies, you explored the three factors that shape
worldview: geography, ideas and knowledge, and contact with other
groups. You examined their impact on the worldview of the casestudy societies. For all five societies, you studied these questions:
• How did geography impact the worldview of that society?
• How did the existing ideas and knowledge, as well as the
discovery of new ideas and knowledge, affect the worldview
of that society?
• How did contact with other groups affect the worldview of
that society?
Two of the societies in this text believed that inquiry, or a way
of thinking that involves questioning, researching, building
new understandings or solutions, and taking social action, was
important. Which two societies believed in inquiry? Why did
these two societies think that inquiry was important? How do
you know they thought it was important?
REFLECT
AND
RESPOND
1. You have already studied and analyzed the three factors (geography,
ideas and knowledge, contact with other groups) that helped shape the
worldviews of Renaissance Europe, Edo Japan, Meiji Japan, the Spanish,
and the Aztec. You have also learned how the worldview of each of these
societies was reflected through their culture, social systems, and political
and economic systems. Now, as a class, identify common themes about
the worldviews of these societies.
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O u r Wo r l d v i e w s
Chapter 10
FOCUS ON INQUIRY
Planning
Creating Reflecting Retrieving
and
and
Sharing Evaluating
Processing
How Does Knowing About Worldview
Help You Understand Current Events
in the World Today?
This concluding Focus on Inquiry is an opportunity for you to experience
a full inquiry project. It is a chance to learn new skills and to practise the
skills you have learned by working in a new case study.
In either an individual or group project, apply what you have learned
to a new case study about a society of your choice. Using your new
understanding of the worldview of this society, you will create a
presentation that answers this focus question:
How does knowing about the worldview of (the society you
chose) help you understand its position in current events in
the world today?
To answer this broad question about the society you chose, you need
to explore the answers to more specific questions such as the following:
• What is the worldview of this society?
• What current event(s) is it involved in?
• What is its role in the current event(s)?
• How does the worldview of this society help you understand its
position in the current event(s)?
Planning Phase
Step 1 — Find a case study
• As a class, discuss some of the societies, groups, or countries that
are currently in the news.
• Select the one society that is of the most interest to you.
• List reasons why you find this group interesting.
Step 2 — Find the questions
SKILLS CENTRE
• Use a graphic organizer to list the factors that shape worldview.
Turn to How to Carry Out
an Inquiry in the Skills
Centre to review how to
write good questions.
• Use a graphic organizer to list the elements of worldview.
344
• Decide on the questions you want to examine for each of the factors
and the elements. Use stickies or some other method to organize your
questions about each factor and each element.
H o w C a n U n d e r s t a n d i n g Wo r l d v i e w s I m p r o v e O u r L i v e s ?
H o w t o Wr i t e a R e s e a rc h P l a n
SKILLS CENTRE
The Planning phase of an inquiry takes the most time in any inquiry.
If you plan your inquiry or research carefully, then you will be successful.
In this phase, you need to identify
Turn to How to Carry Out
an Inquiry in the Skills
Centre to review how to
write a research plan.
• a topic and develop a plan, including timelines for your project
• possible places and ways (e.g., a list of key words and main ideas)
to find reliable, accurate information
• how you want to present your information (e.g., report, newspaper
article, graphic representation, multimedia presentation)
• who it will be shared with (e.g., classmates, teacher, school’s webpage,
other classes)
• how you will know if you were successful
• how your process and product will be evaluated (e.g., by using a rubric)
W h a t ’s l e f t t o d o i n t h e P l a n n i n g p h a s e ?
• List some of the information
sources you will use (e.g., online
encyclopedias, reference books,
videos).
•
•
•
•
ning
Sample Plan
Checklist
n has
My inquiry pla
arch
authentic rese
Set up a timeline with goals
questions
and deliverables.
ossible
a variety of p
Complete a planning checklist,
resources
such as the sample here.
dience
a proposed au
Provide your teacher with
and product
progress reports. These could be
iteria
in graphic, written, or oral formats.
assessment cr
meline
Record in your journal new skills
a proposed ti
you learned and how you feel
about your inquiry at this stage.
ress Report
Sample Prog
rn?
What did I lea
I achieve my
How well did
y?
goals for toda
did I have to
What changes
my goals?
make to meet
vise my
Do I have to re
y?
schedule? Wh
Nearly 200 years ago, Yoshida and Sakuma, two famous samurai,
taught their students to take information from many sources before
reaching a decision. It is much easier to find information from a variety
of viewpoints nowadays than it was in Edo Japan. In fact, sometimes the
problem is that there is too much information and people do not know
how to make sense of it all. In this phase of the inquiry, researchers find
any and all information that might relate to the question(s) or topic.
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O u r Wo r l d v i e w s
Chapter 10
Retrieving Phase
Step 3 — Find appropriate resources
SKILLS CENTRE
Turn to How to Find
Good Sources of
Information in the Skills
Centre to review how to
find information in the
library, on the Internet,
and in various media.
• Use the lists of resources, key words, and terms you developed in
the Planning phase to make an information pathfinder (a list of all
the types of sources and the key words you will use to find your
information). As you search, change and add new resources to
your pathfinder. Many print and online resources look excellent at
first glance, but use skimming and scanning skills to see if the
information will help you with your question. Find new key words
in the material to add to your list.
urce Record
Sample Reso
al sources
d geographic
an
s
se
tla
A
5.
graphic Atlas
• National Geo
p, or country:
Society, grou
of the World
ces
• Internet sour
t:
6. Books
Current even
•
•
ces
:
7. News sour
ject headings
Geographic
l
na
io
at
N
Key words/sub
•
ines
• newsmagaz
–
–
s
• newspaper
–
s
–
ry
na
1. Dictionarie
tio
s sources
n Oxford Dic
• online new
• The Canadia
s
rie
na
io
–
• cultural dict
jects
–
8. Cultural ob
ces
gs
tin
• Internet sour
• pain
–
–
cyclopedias
• literature
2. General en
–
• World Book
r’s
lie
music
ro
•
• G
ces
ur
so
et
rn
–
te
In
•
ces
–
9. Other sour
ndbooks
ha
d audiovisual
d
an
an
os
s
ac
de
• vi
3. Alman
materials
• Infoplease
ok
bo
ct
Fa
–
IA
• C
s
ces
ur
so
et
rn
Internet source
te
•
In
•
–
–
d sound
s
ia
ed
op
interviews an
cl
•
cy
en
4. Subject
oples
recordings
• Lands and Pe
s
ce
–
• Internet sour
urces
Pr
–
10. imary so
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H o w C a n U n d e r s t a n d i n g Wo r l d v i e w s I m p r o v e O u r L i v e s ?
• Once you have collected your resources, check the validity of each
source. Then compare the information you are finding with the
questions you asked about each factor and each element.
– Does the information help you answer your questions from the
Planning phase?
– Is there any information in one source that contradicts
information in other sources?
SKILLS CENTRE
Turn to How to Find
Good Sources of
Information in the Skills
Centre to review how to
analyze the impact of the
media on current affairs.
Inquiry Tips
Expert inquirers usually start with general reference books such as
encyclopedias, atlases, and dictionaries. They start with general reference
books, either online or in hard copy, because they know they will find a
general overview about their question or topic, as well as further key
words to use in searching other resources.
Inquiry Tips
• Revising questions and changing topics are normal parts of inquiry,
especially during the Retrieving phase.
• Do not start taking notes yet. The purpose of the Retrieving phase is to find
a wide range of resources that will help you understand your inquiry better.
• Only jot down the location or bibliographic information about those
resources that provide clear and reliable information about your question.
At this stage, most researchers write only enough information about the
resource to be able to find it again. They leave recording the full
bibliographic information until the Processing phase, after they have
determined if the resource is as useful as it appeared when they first found it.
• Write the title of a website beside its URL since it will remind you about the
content of an address. URLs are easily copied and pasted into your list.
W h a t ’s l e f t t o d o i n t h e R e t r i e v i n g p h a s e ?
• Make sure you can find your resources for
the next class period.
• Provide your teacher with progress reports.
These could be in graphic, written, or oral formats.
• Record in your journal new skills you learned and
how you feel about your inquiry at this stage.
lf
Memo to Se
sy to
sy. It is not ea
Inquiry is mes
es
tim
ere will be
do inquiry. Th
d
an
t
confiden
when you feel
you have
t
ha
proud of w
be
and there will
accomplished,
and
d
le
zz
pu
el
u fe
times when yo
.
t your inquiry
confused abou
ey
are normal; th
These feelings
rs
ire
qu
gs that all in
are the feelin
go through!
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O u r Wo r l d v i e w s
Chapter 10
Processing Phase
How do I know
this is good
information?
What is good
information?
How do I know
what the main
point is?
Who wrote this
information?
Where do I
begin to read
this chart?
What are other
questions you
might ask?
SKILLS CENTRE
Turn to How to Organize
Information in the
Skills Centre to review
how to use charts, graphic
organizers, and technology.
Step 4 — Organize your information
• Use cards, a chart, or a computer to record key ideas and
information in point form — not in sentences.
• Use a different card or page to record the new questions that you
think of as you take notes.
• On your notes, write the element(s) or factor(s) they relate to.
This will help you sort the information when you put it into your
graphic organizers.
• It is also common for researchers like yourself to find connections,
or similar ideas, in different resources. Record any connections you
discover among the different sources of information.
Inquiry Tips
As you read the information in the resources and take notes, you will soon
decide which resources to use and which resources to ignore. As soon as you
find a good resource, use a bibliographic template to jot down the required
information for that type of resource. Sometimes, researchers copy especially
good sentences to use as a quote. Surround quoted material with quotation
marks and note the page number. On each set of notes, be sure to write or
track which resource they came from.
Inquiry Tips
Read the images and graphic representations in your resources. Often the
information found in pictures provides details not found elsewhere. Ask
yourself what the viewpoint is of the author/artist/architect. Your classmates
may look at that same image and interpret it differently than you do. Why do
you think that experienced researchers often ask others what they think an
image (e.g., picture, chart, map) is saying?
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W h a t ’s l e f t t o d o i n t h e P r o c e s s i n g p h a s e ?
• Discuss your findings with other students to develop new
questions and ideas.
• Check that you know what the information you recorded means.
• Check for missing information.
• Revise your questions and ideas.
• Provide your teacher with progress reports. These could be in
graphic, written, or oral formats.
• Record in your journal new skills, such as new ways to take notes
or new ways to organize your information, that you learned.
Record how you feel about your inquiry at this stage.
• Think about which resources were the easiest for you to use and
which were more difficult.
Creating and Sharing Phase
Step 5 — Put your information together
• Sort your information into your graphic organizers based on the
worldview models that were introduced on pages 9 and 10:
Worldviews Are Shaped by These Factors and Worldview Affects
the Way a Society Operates.
• Review your notes to see if you have enough information to
describe the worldview of the society you chose and to answer
your questions.
• Decide what information you still need to find and include it.
• Decide the best order for your ideas so that you can present
your findings in a way that makes sense to your audience.
Many students find
using a mind map
or sorting their
cards or notes by
overall themes or
ideas helps them
identify the main
ideas that came
out of their notes.
They can also easily
see if they have the
information they
need to complete
each part of their
inquiry.
• Write your draft and share it (e.g., storyboard, rough
copy) with others to find out what might be
missing, or to find out different ways of looking at
information.
• Create your product.
• Celebrate your inquiry by sharing
your project.
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O u r Wo r l d v i e w s
Chapter 10
Inquiry Tips
There is no one way of creating a final project. Each of us is creative in our
own way.
• Some researchers find that they follow the order of ideas they decided
on earlier.
• Others find that the order of ideas changes as they write and work
with words and images.
• Other creators figure out their message when they work
with the words or images.
Checklist
Final Product
My product
e society’s
summarizes th
worldview
t
e current even
summarizes th
part of
the society is
the
erspective of
explains the p
en
current ev t
society to that
as
that society h
explains why
ve
that perspecti
ut
knowing abo
describes why
and
ps to underst
el
h
ew
vi
d
rl
o
w
current events
information
communicates
clearly
sting to my
will be intere
audience
liography
includes a bib
• Some researchers do the introduction to their project last.
• Some researchers know immediately how they want their
project to begin.
• Some researchers even write or create the ending to their
project first and then go back to create the reasons for
their ending.
W h a t ’s l e f t t o d o i n t h e C r e a t i n g a n d
Sharing phase?
• Have others provide feedback, proofread, or edit
your final copy.
• Check your bibliography to be sure all references
are included.
• Use a final checklist to make sure you have
included all the requirements in your final product.
Your checklist may vary from the sample shown
here. You might have additional or different points
depending on where your inquiry took you.
• Provide your teacher with progress reports. These
could be in graphic, written, or oral formats.
topic
Inquiry Tips
sharing
questions
product
sources of
information
processing
information
350
notes
Many researchers
post a map of
where they want
to go and how
they are going to
get there in an
easily visible spot.
• Record in your journal
new skills you learned
and how you feel about
your inquiry at this stage.
H o w C a n U n d e r s t a n d i n g Wo r l d v i e w s I m p r o v e O u r L i v e s ?
Step 6 — Show what you know
• If you are giving an oral presentation, find tips on speaking to
an audience.
• If you are giving a multimedia presentation, make sure the
equipment is set up and working ahead of time.
SKILLS CENTRE
Turn to How to
Communicate Ideas and
Information in the Skills
Centre to review how to
make an oral presentation.
By now, you are the person who knows the most about your topic. Although
you might be nervous and anxious about how well you will do in your
presentation, you are ready to share it with your audience. Your audience
may be your teacher if it is a written product. Your audience may be your
classmates, your school, a community group, or a group of younger/older
students if you are giving an oral or graphic presentation. Your audience
could be the community if your presentation is posted on the school’s
website or in the school.
W h a t ’s l e f t t o d o i n t h e C r e a t i n g a n d S h a r i n g p h a s e ?
• Provide your teacher with progress reports. These could be in graphic,
written, or oral formats.
• Record in your journal new skills you learned and how you feel about
your inquiry at this stage.
• Record those strategies you are most proud of and those strategies
that you would like to learn for the next inquiry you share.
• Think about things you would do differently the next time you present
a project.
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Chapter 10
Reflecting and Evaluating Phase
Step 7 — Think about it
Describe the following:
• what you have learned about inquiry
• the parts of the inquiry project that were most useful to you
• the sources of information that were easiest for you to use
• the best part of inquiry for you
• any changes you would make the next time you do an inquiry
• what would stay the same the next time you do an inquiry
• what surprised you about inquiry
Although you, your class, and the teacher have evaluated the inquiry project
throughout each of the different phases, the Reflecting and Evaluating phase
of inquiry is the opportunity to look back over all you have learned and to
think about those parts of inquiry that you found most interesting and those
parts you know that you have to learn more about. Reread your journal and
notice how your feelings changed throughout the project and how much
you have learned, not just about your project, but about inquiry.
W h a t ’s l e f t t o d o i n t h e R e f l e c t i n g a n d E v a l u a t i n g p h a s e ?
• List how this inquiry helped you better understand worldviews.
• Record in your journal new skills you learned and how you feel
about your inquiry at this stage.
• Record those strategies you are most proud of and those strategies
that you would like to learn for the next inquiry.
• Think about evaluation and what it means to you.
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H o w C a n U n d e r s t a n d i n g Wo r l d v i e w s I m p r o v e O u r L i v e s ?
How Can Worldview
Help Us to Understand
Ourselves and Others?
Every book, or any other form of media, no matter what it is about
or where it is developed, is created from a certain perspective. The
authors, film directors, newspaper editors, and other creators always
choose to use some information and to exclude other information.
Most use information from many resources, including books, articles,
multimedia, interviews, original documents, maps, and charts, before
deciding which information to use in developing the resource.
This resource presents one way to look at worldviews. Although it
is mainly about the worldviews during the time of the Renaissance,
Edo Japan, Meiji Japan, and the Aztec–Spanish contact, other
worldviews or elements of other worldviews are also presented.
What other worldviews are presented in this resource? (Hint: Review
the special features found in each chapter, especially the Same Time,
Different Place feature, for clues about some of these other societies.)
Parts of the worldviews of many other groups were presented in
this resource. Some of these societies might have worldviews that are
similar to the worldviews of the society around you. Other values and
beliefs might be quite different. You learned about the wide variety
of worldviews in these societies. What did you learn about the points
of views of others in your classroom? How did understanding
worldview help you and your classmates to reach common decisions?
Modern-day Japan, with
traditional temple in
foreground and modern
city in background
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Chapter 10
W h o A r e Yo u ?
Consider the different worldviews shown on the images on
these pages.
• How might their worldviews differ from your society’s? Why?
What are some of the causes of different worldviews?
• What are your attitudes towards people with different cultures
and worldviews?
• How can you become more tolerant and understanding of
other worldviews?
• How can you show leadership and service in your community?
• How can you make better choices and decisions?
• What kind of person do you want to be?
Most Canadians share many of the same beliefs and values about culture, social
systems, and political and economic systems, but there are many groups and
individuals in Canada with differing worldviews.
• What are some of the parts of a Canadian worldview that you think many
Canadians share?
• What are some parts that some Canadians disagree with?
• Why do you think there are differences in Canadian worldviews?
• Do you think there is a common Canadian worldview?
• Do you think it is important that the Canadian worldview continues to
change? If so, why is it important? If not, why?
• When future historians look back on Canadians in the early 21st century,
how do you think they will describe our worldview? How do you suppose
they will find information to support how they think we see the world?
Modern-day Mexico
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Think about your own view of life that developed from your
personal heritage.
• What are your most important values and beliefs?
• How do they fit with the worldview of your society?
• What other values and beliefs do you want to know about?
• How will you find out more about other values and beliefs?
These questions are similar to the ones you thought about at the
beginning of this text. Throughout your life, you will continue to
ask questions like these and will continue to search for answers.
You know that worldview can be described by the way a society lives:
what it values and believes about culture, social systems, and political
and economic systems. You know that worldviews are constantly
changing as people come into contact with new ideas and other
groups. You also know that geography plays a key role in shaping the
worldview of a society. Worldview, the values and beliefs about your
way of life, continues to develop throughout the lifetime of a society.
You have seen that changing the worldview of a society is often
not easy to do. Each of us has a responsibility in the world today —
to contribute to the worldview of our own country so that our
society is more understanding of different points of view.
In today’s world of instant communication — through the Internet
or other technologies — we are in contact with new ideas and other
cultures almost every day. If contact with other ideas and cultures
changed the way the peoples in the three case studies viewed the
world, then how is our constant contact with other cultures changing
the way we view the world?
355