Defining diversity activities
This resource contains activities that help boards, senior management, teachers, and parents deepen their understanding of cultural diversity and encourage the development of culturally appropriate responses.
About this resource
Deepen your understanding of cultural diversity in your school and encourage culturally appropriate responses using a selection of activities from the Ministry of Education publication Defining Diversity: A Facilitation Manual to use with New to New Zealand (2008).
Defining diversity activities
It is not intended that all activities be worked through in order, but that activities be selected that best meet the needs of the participants. Some of the activities can be adapted for use with students. The Defining Diversity activities concentrate on the key message, "Know your learner".
This can be achieved by:
- finding out about a learner’s language and schooling background
- finding out about a learner’s prior knowledge and experiences
- using activities that build on prior knowledge
- making connections with the wider community.
Self-reflection activities
These activities are designed to help you understand your culture so that you can understand the culture of others.
Purpose
To explore your life journey and share this information with colleagues.
Materials
A3 paper and pens.
Instructions
Visually depict your life from birth to today. Include as many significant moments as you can. You will be sharing this pathway with a partner. You can use any form of visual depiction, for example, a heartbeat monitor, a straight line, or a spiral. You have ten minutes to complete your life path. When you have completed your path, check to see that you have included most of the significant moments of your life. Now talk your partner through your path.
Discussion points
- Were there any surprises?
- Do you know more about your colleague now that you have completed this exercise?
- Have your assumptions been questioned?
Purpose
To share a snapshot of your cultural experiences with colleagues.
Materials
See Materials that come with this resource to download Defining diversity activity 2 worksheet - Feels familiar (.pdf).
Instructions
Individually fill in the sheet, then share the information with colleagues.
Discussion points
- How different and similar are your experiences?
- How have these experiences influenced your life?
Activity 3a - Key words articulate
Purpose
To explore seven diversity key words and generate initial unconscious responses.
Materials
See Materials that come with this resource to download Defining diversity activity 3 worksheet - Key words (.pdf).
Instructions
Photocopy the Activity 3 worksheet onto cards. Taking it in turns, teachers have 30 seconds each to explain each word. The skill is in explaining the word or concept clearly within the time allowed.
Discussion points
- What were my initial responses?
- How do they differ to other responses?
Activity 3b – Key words think/pair/share
Purpose
To encourage people to examine their own definitions of seven diversity key words and consider other definitions.
Materials
See Materials that come with this resource to download Defining diversity activity 3 worksheet - Key words (.pdf).
Instructions
Photocopy the activity 3 worksheet onto cards. Ask staff individually to think about what the key word means for them, share their definitions with their partner, and finally share with the wider group.
Discussion points
- How do your definitions differ from others?
- What does this tell you about your perceptions and assumptions?
Purpose
To record ideas about the visible and less visible aspects of culture using an iceberg graphic.
Materials
See Materials that come with this resource to download Defining diversity activity 4 worksheet - My cultural panorama (.pdf).
Instructions
Invite participants to record their cultural panorama on the worksheet. The visible culture, the tip of the iceberg, is what we see, hear, taste, touch, and smell. The invisible culture, the iceberg below the surface, is our attitudes, values, beliefs, and assumptions.
Discussion points
- Discuss the similarities and differences.
- How does this reflect who you are?
Activities to reflect on your school and class communities
These activities suggest ways to foster cultural diversity in schools and encourage staff to develop approaches specific to their communities.
Activity 5a - Defining diversity
Purpose
To explore ways of promoting recognition and awareness of cultural diversity in our school.
Materials
See Materials that come with this resource to download Defining diversity activity 5a - 5b worksheet - Post it notes (.pdf).
Instructions
Photocopy and cut out the post it notes from the activity 5 worksheet. Photocopy grid sheet 5a to A3 size. Place the post it notes onto the grid sheet 5a. Negotiate their position.
Discussion points
- What are you doing now to cater for cultural diversity?
- What more can you do?
- How can you involve your community?
Activity 5b – Post it notes
Purpose
To distinguish between the two types of responses to diversity – surface and deep.
Instructions
Photocopy and cut out the post it notes from the activity 5 worksheet. Photocopy Grid sheet 5b to A3 size. Place the post it notes onto the Grid sheet 5b. Negotiate their position.
Discussion points
- What are you doing now in response to cultural diversity?
- Is this surface or deep?
- What can you do to move beyond a surface response to a deeper, long-term response?
Purpose
To evaluate our own perceptions and assumptions of our students and to get to know them better.
Materials
See Materials that come with this resource to download Defining diversity activity 6 worksheet - Survey (.pdf).
Instructions
Photocopy the survey sheet: one copy for the teacher and one for the class. The teacher completes the survey using their own knowledge of the class. The second sheet circulates the class, and each student adds their details. The teacher then compares their information with the information provided by the students.
Discussion points
- What were my assumptions?
- How well did I know my students?
- What implications does this knowledge have for my teaching?
- What can I do with this information?
Purpose
To brainstorm what is working well in the school in promoting cultural diversity (plus), what we need to change (minus), and what other directions we might take (interesting).
Materials
Draw up a PMI (plus, minus, interesting) chart on an A3 piece of paper.
Instructions
Distribute PMI sheet to groups. Participants record comments onto the PMI sheet. Discuss in groups.
Discussion points
- What do you do well?
- What do you need to change?
Purpose
To gather information on catering for a culturally diverse school community, consider new approaches, and decide who and how they will be carried out.
Materials
See Materials that come with this resource to download Defining diversity activity 8 worksheet - Catering for cultural diversity in our school (.pdf).
Instructions
Photocopy the Activity 8 worksheet and distribute it to the groups. Participants record comments on the table. Discuss in groups.
Discussion points
- Who will carry out these responsibilities?
- How will they be carried out?
Activities to reflect on culture
These activities encourage discussions about culture and multicultural education.
Purpose
To initiate discussions about culture.
Materials
See Materials that come with this resource to download Defining diversity activity 9 worksheet - Flashcards (.pdf).
Instructions
Photocopy the Activity 9 worksheet. Discuss each of the statements in small groups.
Discussion points
- What does culture mean to you?
- What cultures are in your school?
- How does your school cater for different values and beliefs?
- How do you cater for different cultures in your classroom?
- What do you understand by New Zealand culture?
Purpose
To become familiar with common greetings.
Materials
See Materials that come with this resource to download Defining diversity activity 10 worksheet - Greetings (.pdf).
Instructions
Photocopy the Activity 10 worksheet. Participants match up the countries with the greetings. These can then be displayed as a poster.
Discussion points
- How many of the greetings did you know?
- How many are representative of the students in your class/school?
Purpose
To compare life/school in other countries to life/school in New Zealand.
Materials
See Materials that come with this resource to download Defining diversity activity 11 worksheet - Venn diagram (.pdf).
Instructions
Photocopy the Activity 11 worksheet. Invite participants to research information about their chosen country and record the details on the two Venn diagrams.
Discussion points
- What are the differences/similarities?
- What implication does this have for your class/school?
Purpose
To identify goals in achieving effective multicultural classrooms and to create an action plan for these goals.
Materials
See Materials that come with this resource to download Defining diversity activity 12 worksheet - Classroom grid (.pdf).
Instructions
Photocopy the Activity 12 guidelines sheet. Complete the table. Discuss and compare your own notes with a partner and/or group.
Discussion points
- Why is it important for us to implement these goals?
- Who is responsible for the implementation of these goals?
- When do we action these goals?