Many students were over the line. It was also the genesis of a secret that I and two hundred students would sadly share for the rest of our lives. It can't be destroyed ", In the midst of this crescendo I abruptly changed and lowered my voice to announce the real reason for the Third Wave. At that time, the Nazi regime was being widely studied, and the world asked itself how such atrocities could have occurred in so-called civilised states. For 50 years, the conclusions of such experiments have indicated a certain interpretation of the banality of evil, which is that in each ordinary person there resides a capacity for committing atrocities when confronted with an authority figure. Some former students explain that their parents at the time didnt talk about emotions, and taught their children to respect the government and authorities, but that the Third Wave Experiment gave them a different point of view on blindly following orders and authoritiesthey appreciated the fact that they had been given the opportunity to see through their naivety. Don't talk to anyone about this. I then said the words "Strength Through Discipline" followed by a repetitive chorus. Now the students do their homework to be able to answer Ben Ross questions. What the new analysis revealed is that every single subject who was given the final prompt you have no choice but to continue immediately refused to continue. I whispered to him to watch closely and pay attention to the next few minutes. To be number one. Was The Wave Experiment by Ben Ross Succesful. 'Lesson Plan' is a documentary featuring interviews of the original students and teacher of the 1967 Third Wave experiment. It was fun. Pulled the locks shut. Students were cutting class to participate and the school counselors were beginning to question every student in the class. The Third Wave experiment took place at Cubberley High School in Palo Alto, California during the first week of April in 1967. [9] Jones then assigned each of his students an individual assignment, such as designing a Third Wave banner, stopping non-members from entering the class, or recruiting their friends to join the movement. Robert was crying. The project was adapted into an American film, The Wave, in 1981, and a critically acclaimed German film, Die Welle, in 2008. Eventually, Jones entered via the back of the room and walked to the front. The world misinterpreted her idea of the banality of evil; many believed that the phrase meant that within each of us there is evil and that the Nazi criminals were ordinary people simply following orders. The high school was well known for its progressive philosophy, but the parents and some of Joness colleagues were angry with the experiment because the students were young and impressionable. Over the course of five days (or nine, according to student Sherry Toulsey), Jones, a member of the SDS,[6] Cubberley United Student Movement sponsor[7] and Black Panthers supporter[8] conducted a series of exercises in his classroom emphasizing discipline and community, intended to model certain characteristics of the Nazi movement. Our principal came into an afternoon faculty meeting and gave me the Third Wave salute. Based on his account, he did not question his students' experiences and reflections by careful listening to them and providing them with sensitive guidance. The balance between role playing and directed behavior became indistinguishable. He will explain all the things that he was able to manipulate the kids into doing which seems like would've taken weeks or months and claim it only took one day. Jones was clear, history can repeat itself, but sometimes it does under controlled conditions. Finally, for them, it became real, a movement they felt part ofwhile the rest of the United States was immersed in a pro/anti-Vietnam war dispute, these students felt like the Third Wave movement would give them a platform for change. As the class period was ending and without forethought I created a class salute. The only light in the room was coming from the television and it played against the faces in the room. The Third Wave disaster. The students had become more and more involved in the project. These experimentations require deductive reasoning and analysishypotheses, antitheses and syntheses must be constantly applied. For years I kept a strange secret. By strange coincidence I think it was Steve who started the Third Ways with a question. The photographers were circling the ritual snapping pictures but by now they were ignored. The Third Wave. You are a selected group of young people chosen to help in this cause. Both options were unworkable. The student was, in fact, an actor behind a screen in a different room, who would plead and let out cries of pain as the fictional volts increased. Oh I was benevolent. It went like this. It affected everyone. First I would have two students stand and call back our motto. In this the third day of activity there were forty-three students in the class. On Tuesday, the second day of the exercise, I entered the classroom to find everyone sitting in silence at the attention position. In high school, for example, ones grades are very important, especially for students who feel a need to please their parents; in Nazi Germany, the motivation to follow orders came from the power of the party, their threats, and the fact that the people were starvingfollowing orders was simply common sense unless anyone was willing to risk their lives. Two comrades had met long after the war. They, in fact, believed in change but were easily indoctrinatedif only for those five daysby what they believed was a superior cause. [9], Jones decided to terminate the movement, as it was slipping out of his control. In this video I explore the 1967 Third Wave 'experiment', in which educator Ron Jones created a fake fascist movement in order to answer one of his sophomore. The Third Wave had ended. . Human beings circling and holding each other. During the days of the experiment I was curious how they would respond to the equalitarian and physical reshaping of the class. The air in the room seemed to be drying up. I began to talk. In the confusion of the moment I moved slowly toward the television. Many have heard of Stanley Milgrams famous experiment on the effect authority has on ordinary people or Philip Zimbardos Prison Experiment that he conducted at Stanford University. Jones named the movement "The Third Wave" as a symbol of strength, referring to the mythical belief that the third in a series of waves is the strongest. It was a full page color advertisement in the current issue of Time for some lumber products. While Jones taught his students about Nazi Germany during his senior level Contemporary World History class, Jones found it difficult to explain how the German people could have accepted the actions of the Nazis. In staccato words he pleaded that I understand and help him get home. On Monday, I introduced my sophomore history students to one of the experiences that characterized Nazi Germany. I found myself sliding into the role even when it wasn't necessary. While the class sat at attention I gave each person a card. Ron is making a living out of lying about what happened at Cubberley. It was easy. Jones announced to the class that this movement was a part of a nationwide movement and that on the next day a presidential candidate of the Third Wave would announce its existence to the public. Emotionally and psychologically they had exposed themselves. With Ron Jones, Philip Zimbardo, Scott Thomson, Sherry Tousley. Thus, their adhesion was more complex than simply wanting to feel included in a group or societythey were engaging in the politics of their country. Be meaningful. Who is this young man hugging me? To allow students the experience of direct action I gave each individual a specific verbal assignment. In my view and pedagogical experience, a good pedagogical simulation should involve a sense of ambivalence between real and artificial that promotes an inquiry and reflection among the students. 1981 Norman Lear ABC-TV Movie "The Wave". We practiced this new attention position over and over. The pleasure of doing something right and being rewarded. Students showed increased academic skill and motivation. Lesson Plan: Directed by David Jeffery, Philip Carr Neel. The roar of the Nuremberg Rally blasted into vision. Pledge allegiance to that society. In the still darkened room I began the explanation. The only reason I came to know Robert at all is that I found him eating lunch in my classroom. I marked three of the cards with a red X and informed the recipients that they had a special assignment to report any students not complying to class rules. Scratch the surface and it appears. I confided that they were the students selected to represent their area. Ron Jones was a teacher at Cuubberly High School. I took the film from the three cameras in the room and pulled the celluloid into the exposing light. Mr. Jones used his own students to test out his theory, that the desire for order and discipline was the key to manipulating a body of people to act a certain way. He was polite and condescending. Ron's problem is he let it get out of control and that is why he was fired. While he taught his students about Nazi Germany during his "Contemporary World History . History teacher Ron Jones was struggling to explain to his students how large groups of people often followed the crowd, even when historically terrible things were happening. Jones instructed the students on how to initiate new members. Oh he tried harder than anyone I know to be successful. Evil becomes banal when ordinary people dont want to admit that they are implicated. I said chocolate chip of course. There was not a murmur of resistance. What's his name? Sort by: best. In 3 days the movement had grown to 200 students. I explained how at noon on Friday a national candidate for president would announce the formation of a Third Wave Youth Program. Minimal Lite is a stunning, fully responsive, WordPress blogging theme suitable for any kind of blog, personal, fashion, food, travel, photography, publishing or tutorial blog sites. It was one of the most interesting classes I have ever had. Some couldnt even move from the shock. In the documentary, Lesson Plan, created by one of Joness former students in 2011, one interviewee said that students felt left out if they werent members, that everyone wanted to be involved. Manipulated. "Can we bring friends?" Someone stood up and shouted. In the split second of my race back in time Steve sensed my questioning and backed up. Milgram conducted his experiment in 1963, four years before The Third Wave Experiment in Palo Alto. He calls me Mr. Jones. How can a people be a part of something and then claim at the demise that they were not really involved' What causes people to blank out their own history? The room stayed dark as the final footage of film flapped against the projector. Evil in itself is not banal, and evil acts do not necessarily have to be committed by evil people. By the end of the day the movement had over 200 participants. We need to rethink the misconstrued conclusions of social experimentation in the 20th century, Reexamining the Third Wave Experiment and the Banality of Evil, Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window), Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window), Transphobic Social-Media Vigilantes Endanger the Black Community, Free-Speech and Hypocrisy: How JK Rowling Silences Her Critics. 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