Activity 1: Addressing Cultural Diversity
Activity 2: Sharing Cultural Diversity


Activity 1

Title: Addressing Cultural Diversity

Instructional Strategy: Critical Thinking and Collaborative Learning

Purpose:

This activity will help students understand that students from different ethnic or socioeconomic backgrounds may have different instructional needs.

Objectives:

• Develop an understanding of ethnic or socioeconomic differences.

Student Activity:

Form teams of three to four. Prepare a rough lesson plan for a K-12 setting. Discuss the lesson plan by considering possible modifications based on students from different ethnic backgrounds (i.e., Native American, Hispanic, African-American, Asian-American, and White) or different socioeconomic statuses.

Choose one or more representatives to present (1) the original lesson plan, (2) a modified lesson plan for a specific ethnic or socioeconomic group emphasizing the changes made and (3) justifications for the modifications.

Variation:

1. Go outside of the classroom and conduct interviews with two to three students of differing ethnic or cultural backgrounds. Find out if there are any cultural differences that they feel their teachers failed to address while they were growing up. Try to find examples of instances where teachers appropriately addressed any differences. Share the interview results with the class.
2. Go to the library for thirty minutes and conduct an electronic search for articles addressing cultural differences in schools. Print out three to four abstracts and bring them back to the classroom to share. As a whole class rank the top five to ten findings or select two or three articles to explore as a class.

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Activity 2

Title: Sharing Cultural Diversity

Instructional Strategy: Reverse Brainstorm

Purpose:

This activity is designed to help students understand the importance of cultural differences.

Objectives:

• Develop appreciation of cultural differences.

Student Activity:

The instructor will list the following categories on the board: Native American, Hispanic, African-American, Asian-American, and White. On a piece of paper, write down the effects of not paying attention to the cultural differences of the groups in your future classroom. Walk around the class and share lists with five other students. Add any new effects you find from their lists.