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CULTURE |
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Exercise 1 These guidelines, often referred to as "ground rules," should provide the class a frame to ensure open, respectful dialogue, and maximum participation. CLICK HERE for this exercise. |
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Exercise 2 The Depth and Breadth of "Multicultural" is designed to engage students in a process of defining "culture" and examining its complexity. Often, especially in a class about multiculturalism or diversity, "culture" becomes synonymous with "race" or "ethnicity." This activity reveals the limitations of such a conceptualization and challenges the assumptions that are often made by educators about what students identify as the important strands of the "cultural" in "multicultural." CLICK HERE for this exercise. |
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Exercise 3 The Circles activity engages participants in a process of identifying what they consider to be the most important dimensions of their own identity. Stereotypes are examined as participants share stories about when they were proud to be part of a particular group and when it was especially hurtful to be associated with a particular group. CLICK HERE for this exercise. |
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Exercise 4 Participants share their own experiences as students, exploring different ways people are made to feel "included" in the learning process. The existence of different learning needs and the necessity for a wide range of teaching styles emerges. CLICK HERE for this exercise. |
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Exercise 5 Fishbowl activities force participants to actively listen to the experiences and perspectives of a specific group of people. A student fishbowl gives pre-service and in-service educators an opportunity to hear the experiences, ideas, and critiques of current students while giving the students an opportunity to be active in the dialogue on multicultural education and education transformation. CLICK HERE for this exercise. |
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Exercise 6 Connecting with School Prejudice and Discrimination is an activity designed to facilitate active listening and the development of a humanistic understanding of how different forms of oppression in schools affect individuals in deep, and often life-changing ways. Several important lessons can emerge from this activity. CLICK HERE for this exercise. |
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Exercise 7 The Multicultural Awareness Quiz illustrates how our perceptions of reality, and the "facts" we are taught through the media, the education system, and other sources of information, are often limited in depth or simply wrong. Students take a multiple choice quiz with questions relating to race, gender, and socioeconomic class, then discuss the correct answers and their own misperceptions. CLICK HERE for this exercise. |
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Exercise 8 Teachers are often hesitant to introduce topics like racism, sexism, classism, and heterosexism in the classroom because their training has not prepared them to handle the issues and exchanges that may result. This activity provides participants an opportunity to share stories about when discussions about these topics took an unexpected turn they were unprepared to handle, then to share ideas about how to address these circumstances in the future. CLICK HERE for this exercise. |
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Exercise 9 The purpose of this activity is to engage teachers in a process of collaborative problem-solving around multicultural issues through the use of case studies. Participants will develop an understanding and appreciation for the necessity to include a variety of voices and perspectives to successfully address issues that arise around race, gender, culture, sexual orientation, or any other identity dimension. They will also begin to better understand the collaborative process and how they tend to participate in it. This activity can also be a useful springboard into conversations about specific issues drawn from the cases or case studies. CLICK HERE for this exercise. |
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Exercise 10 Following are five perspective-consciousness activities that have been used by many teachers at all levels to provide practice in questioning, generalizing, and conceptualizing, differing only in the sophistication of questions and answers. They can be used with individuals, small groups, or entire classes (Small groups generally are preferable, but, if slides are used, can require a substantial mobilization of resources). CLICK HERE for this exercise. |
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Exercise 11 In this lesson, students explore instances of segregated education around the world, supporting and refuting the idea through debate and persuasive essay. CLICK HERE for this exercise. |
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