Teaching Listening & Empathy Through Healthy Use of Digital Devices
Flip the Lens invites teachers and their students to be digital ambassadors for humanity! In an age of selfies and virtual reality, make a stand for authenticity, connection and empathy.
How? Students can film a three-question interview with the person of their choice about one of three universal themes: belonging, creativity
In today’s global world we are more connected than ever before…and yet, paradoxically, many of us often feel more alone, alienated, different, and less-than. Flip the Lens offers a way for kids to use their digital devices and the internet that creates a sense of purpose, enables them to feel a part of something meaningful, and fosters social-emotional learning.
The Flip the Lens Culture Correspondent course engages students in exploring humanity’s connectivity through interactive video creation, making it an ideal tool for Social Studies programs. This 7-module experience aligns with eight of the ten National Social Studies Curriculum standards, specifically:
- Culture;
- Time, continuity, and change;
- People, places, and environments;
- Individual development and identity;
- Individuals, groups, and institutions;
- Production, distribution, and consumption; science, technology, and society;
- Global connections.
Flip the Lens enables students to engage directly with various cultures, environments, and societal dynamics, fostering a deeper understanding of individual and collective identities.
Social Media’s Impact on the Mental Health of Students
SOURCE: EdWeek Research Center survey, January 2024
Making a Positive Impact with Digital Devices
Since its invention about 20 years ago, social media has fostered amazing individual self-expression and creativity. People love sharing where they’ve been, what they’ve done, and interesting content they’ve made or discovered. Our idea is to take that to the next level.
Don’t be an influencer. Be an advocate.
Use a camera as a window. Not a mirror.
Forget selfies. See others.
Collaborate. Connect cultures.
Channel someone’s story.
Change the world.
A Fun & Enriching Way For Students to Experience Our Shared Human Condition
Flip the Lens is a platform for creating powerful and meaningful content about our shared humanity. FTL is a digital social innovation initiative that offers teachers a forum for changing the world, one conversation at a time. FTL empowers teachers to differentiate their classroom by offering students a simple but powerful experience in standing in someone else’s shoes.
Learning these days cannot be restricted to just text books. FTL presents teachers with an inter-active, experiential and digital social-emotional learning tool that is fun and deeply instructive. With Flip the Lens, teachers have a curriculum template that is relevant to a wide range of subjects–and comes with a catalytic “Wow’ factor!
How Flip the Lens Empowers Teachers & Students
Differentiate your classroom learning modules with real-time, real life lessons on empathy, belonging, and the human condition.
Flip the Lens presents a simple yet hugely impactful way for students to explore universal aspects of being human. At the same time, participants in FTL witness first-hand the uniquely personal way each individual defines and experiences the phenomenons of belonging, creativity and culture.
Conducting short interviews on important topics empowers students to discover the world of ideas and storytelling; to start exciting conversations with interesting people; to use digital devices in a way that can have real impact; and to have a piece of content they create get published on YouTube and shared with subscribers who care about the wellbeing of humanity.
Three-Question Interviews on Three Themes
The focus of FTL is to share people’s definitions and experiences of three dimensions of being human: Belonging, Creativity and Culture.
The simplicity of the Flip the Lens’ three themes and three-questions means the assignment is easily understood by students of any age from 8-years old and upward. The elegance of FTL’s mission also means the interviews are relevant and meaningful to students at any stage of their academic career. Students in middle schools, high schools, under-graduate or graduate programs can all experience a profoundly inspiring and instructive experience by creating a Flip the Lens video interview.
Flip the Lens’ Belonging Project looks at everyday situations, circumstances, interactions, and emotions that affect our sense of belonging. We provide three thought-provoking questions for FTL filmmakers to pose to their interview subject.
Flip the Lens’ Creativity Project is an opportunity for identifying, appreciating and showcasing the umpteen ways people think creatively. Our three-question interview reveals to each FTL filmmaker and their audience how personal and universal creativity is!
Flip the Lens’ Culture Project presents how people perceive the role of their culture in their lives. FTL’s three interview questions shine a light on how culture can contribute to peace and understanding, and minimize misunderstanding and prejudice!
Who Should Students Interview?
FTL’s themes are Universal! They can easily be adapted to the comprehension level of the participating student and their interview subject. We are happy to work with you to design a custom curriculum for your students using Flip the Lens. Reach out to co-founder Meg at meg@flipthelens.com to arrange a conversation.
A Powerful Tool to Align your Lessons with the SDGs
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), also known as the Global Goals, were adopted by the United Nations in 2015 as a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure that by 2030 all people enjoy peace and prosperity. Flip the Lens offers an actionable way for children to understand the meaning and importance of the SDGs–and to play a role in their implementation.
By conducting Flip the Lens interviews on the topics of belonging, creativity and culture, students are putting into practice five of the SDGs. The video interviews conducted by FTL participants are concrete contributions to positive mental health; quality education; reduced inequalities; sustainable cities and communities; and world peace. The Flip the Lens interview process is a springboard to a broader curriculum teachers may wish to build around the experience.
Flip the Lens offers an opportunity to align your teaching with the SDGs. Teach SDGs to your students and enable them to be a part of changing the world. Reach out to FTL co-founder Meg Pier at meg@flipthelens.com on how to get involved! Meg is happy to present workshops on how to participate!
LearnTechnical and SEL SKills With Flip the Lens
Most children these days are fluent with technology and videography. Our reasonably-priced interview projects will help students hone these skills easily, while also developing their curiosity, listening, and empathy. These short lessons provide social-emotional learning and can help boost students’ individual skill sets and self esteem. You can find these on our TpT Store!
Empower Students With Confidence To Start Meaningful Conversations
With FTL’s way of learning, students will master their speaking skills, language skills, pronunciation, questioning/conversational skills,etc. It will help them to have authentic conversations on meaningful topics and improve their listening skills.
Give your students a chance to strengthen their people skills such as starting conversations, interacting, collaborating and help them reign a new perspective on human connection. Using simple digital techniques to film & present these short interviews will make them comfortable with one to one interactions with people.
Seed Concepts of Connection & Identification To Prevent Comparing & Bullying
Each student that conducts a Flip the Lens interview will experience for themselves the recognition that we are each unique–and we all share the human condition. And this lesson will be borne out as students watch the videos created by their classmates, and view the videos created by others all over the world.
By interviewing someone else about the universal themes of belonging, creativity and culture, students develop an awareness that these are all elements of being human. Understanding that we all share this common ground fosters acceptance of self and others, and reduces the stress of being “perfect”. By shifting the focus away from self and towards others, the pressure of constant comparisons that students often face is eased.
The way we feel about ourselves can be highly influenced by the way we perceive the world. One way to accept who you are is to discover that everyone around you is unique. FTL fosters an appreciation for individuality that can free students from the pressure of conformity and enhance overall mental wellbeing.
Submission Guidelines
Excited to get started? Then check out our submission guidelines, which spell out the step by step process for becoming a Flip the Lens filmmaker!