Awareness Raising Activites on Diversity & Interculturalism

Posted on September 10, 2012 by arturo.romeropereda@afs.org

: “Hello” in Different Languages

As the newest member of the Intercultural Learning (ICL) team I take this opportunity to introduce myself. My name, Arturo, is a Spanish name, so you could guess that I speak Spanish. But not everyone calls me that, some people in my family call me “Artur”, with an emphasis on the ending “-tur”. My family speaks both Spanish and Catalan, and “Artur” is the Catalan version of my name. That is the story of my name. A few months ago, I explained this during a class activity on multiculturalism and conflict and one classmate said to me: “I had no idea that names could have stories, sometimes I think I am oblivious to the diversity around me.”

A compilation of activities that highlight diversity, including “The Story of My Name,” can be found in this list of Multicultural Awareness Activities. This compilation of resources has been created by Paul C. Gorski, a Social Justice activist on the site EdChange.org. The site offers an array of activities from icebreakers to group games to introspective individual activities. These activities revolve around issues of multiculturalism, but can also expand the focus of study to issues of community or race. A good example of that is the activity “The Depth and Breadth of ‘Multicultural’” in which the students engage and define culture and its complexities with their own words.

Instructions for the “Story of My Name” activity can also be found on this compilation by the Wilderdom Store, along with other activities. An activity in this list that can be used as an icebreaker is “Hello in Different Languages,” in which you may ask the members of a group in how many languages they can say hello or greet someone. Even if you think that your group is not very diverse, remember that people have often studied foreign languages or may have family members or friends who speak different languages and who have taught them or been very influential.

Sometimes it may be easy to ignore the multicultural diversity around us during a busy day, or the complex stories that shape the identity of those with whom we interact on a daily basis. As global citizens, how can we become more aware, or make those around us more aware of this diversity? Whether as icebreakers or full-fledged activities, the activities in these two compilations can help us acquire the knowledge and critical thinking necessary for a global society.

“Circles of my Multicultural Self” is an activity that has been used by some in AFS to differentiate between stereotypes and generalizations, and to address the many facets of identity that our cultures shape for us. In developing an increased awareness of how our identities and our names can be rooted in culture we can enhance our ability to recognize the diversity around us, and the richness and impact of our cultures.

Do you know your preferred learning style?

Posted on August 17, 2012 by laura.schaack

Over the last 50+ years, many theorists have explored the idea that people have different preferred learning styles and strengths. These theorists have also developed techniques and approaches to guide your learning experience so that it is most beneficial for your preferred learning style. The first step, however, is to pinpoint which type of learner you are!

Howard Gardner

Each learning style theory is different and there is no “best” theory. In this post, we are featuring several free on-line tools to determine your learning style based on Howard Gardner’s theory of Multiple Intelligences.

The first site, businessballs.com, offers a relatively detailed overview of Gardner’s theory as well as offline learning style surveys you can download (one even self-calculates your scores).

A second online resource is learning-styles-online.com, which gives you free information on which type of learning style suits you and and how to use that knowledge to your advantage. The 70-question test gives you clear, graphic results to best guide you to your most optimized learning experience! Or you can browse the types of learning styles and read about each one.

This visual (to the left) and the text provided on the website explain how the different learning styles interact and are related.

It’s very useful to be aware of the approaches that support your preferred way of learning, allowing you to maximize your learning potential. Also, if you identify the learning styles that you struggle with the most, you can use resources like those on the website, Brain Training Games, for example, to improve aspects of your learning.

As noted, Howard Gardner is just one of numerous theorists who have explored the concept of learning styles. His theory is not perfect, nor does it speak to everyone, but it is a very useful tool for analyzing and reflecting on our preferred ways of learning. There are several books available on Gardner’s theory, if you are interested in more information.

Happy learning!

The European Mobility Folktales Project – Educational Activities Available Online

Posted on April 30, 2012 by charlotte.steinke@afs.org

The European Mobility Folktales Project aims to support European teachers in helping their students to learn about intercultural topics. At the core of the project are the Mobility Folk Tales. Mobility Folk Tales are stories about travelling experiences, and about meeting people from different cultures. They can be listened to online or downloaded, and you can use them to conduct educational activities for building intercultural competence and awareness. There is a whole set of activities that can be downloaded from the Mobility Folktales Project webpage for free!

Europe

The activities are tailored to students from ages 8-14, but a number of them can also be adapted to audiences above this age. They address three categories: culture, difference, and language. For each category, activities are provided that can help you to facilitate intercultural learning. All of them include a folk tale from different parts of Europe: Portugal, Austria, Greece, Poland and Cyprus. The activities are in English. However, many of them are translated into Greek, German, Polish and Portuguese. You can also find an English presentation on how folk tales can be used to promote intercultural education.

The aim of these activities is to help build knowledge and positive attitudes towards differences. They can raise interest and excitement about other cultures and languages, and can help people find out more about the history and traditions of the cultures through their stories. In some of the activities, learners are also engaged in a process of self-reflection regarding their differences from and similarities with others, and develop the ability to “learn seeing the world through someone else’s eyes”. This is very important when intercultural relationships are built, and central for being able to resolve conflicts, especially intercultural ones, in a constructive way.

Some of the activities that fall under the category “language” also raise interest in other languages, and help participants to identify lesser known languages. The activities are designed to be fun for the participants, and to help them to see the power and fascination that lies in cultural and linguistic differences. We can use or adapt these activities when sharing our enthusiasm with fellow AFSers about the cultural richness of the world, and excite others about getting involved in our work.