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What was different?

Contributed by: Stephen M. Ryan

Activity overview:

Students list experiences of difference and the teacher helps them to classify them. The categories that emerge from the classification of differences in human experience are used later in building models of culture.


General objectives:

  • to build categories of difference in human experience that are often encountered in discussions of culture

Activity language:

L2 level:

Not applicable

Estimated number of sessions:

(multiple possible)
1

Estimated duration:

(multiple ranges possible)

1 - 1.5 hours

The options above suggestions. Teachers should adjust based on their own context.

Click on the 'magnifying glass' or download the pdf to learn more.

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Similar Needs, Different Means

Contributed by: Stephen M. Ryan

Activity overview:

In this activity, students look at pictures of houses and their contents from around the world, in order to identify similarities in human needs (such as shelter, comfort, food, drink) and differences in the ways by which these needs are fulfilled.


General objectives:

  • To begin to understand that all human beings have the same basic needs, which we may fulfill in different ways depending on the local environment.

Activity language:

L2 level:

Not applicable

Estimated number of sessions:

(multiple possible)
1

Estimated duration:

(multiple ranges possible)

30-45 minutes

Download full activity:

The options above suggestions. Teachers should adjust based on their own context.

Click on the 'magnifying glass' or download the pdf to learn more.

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What's Japanese about Japan?

Contributed by: Stephen M. Ryan

Activity overview:

The way people perceive foreign cultures influences their ability to communicate with people from said culture. Thus, developing observation skills is key for Intercultural Communication. This activity encourages students to look for patterns in the culture they are observing, to triangulate, test hypotheses, and keep their minds open to other possible explanations for what they observe. In short, it is designed to help students “to see ourselves as others see us”.


General objectives:

  • To develop discernment for identifying patterns in a "foreign" culture


Activity language:

L2 level:

Estimated number of sessions:

(multiple possible)
1

Estimated duration:

(multiple ranges possible)

1 - 1.5 hours

The options above suggestions. Teachers should adjust based on their own context.

Click on the 'magnifying glass' or download the pdf to learn more.

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Seeing What You Expect to See

Contributed by: Stephen M. Ryan

Activity overview:

In order to engage with (intercultural) experience, we need to see it. This activity can be used to convince students that they do not perceive everything going on around them. In it, they are given an observation task that induces them NOT to see some totally unexpected things that are happening within their field of vision. This activity originated in a psychological experiment first reported in 2010 (https://doi.org/10.1068/i0386) which then led to a book (http://www.theinvisiblegorilla.com/) and a number of online videos.


General objectives:

  • To understand that observation is selective, but can be trained and focused

Activity language:

L2 level:

Estimated number of sessions:

(multiple possible)
1

Estimated duration:

(multiple ranges possible)

15-30 minutes

The options above suggestions. Teachers should adjust based on their own context.

Click on the 'magnifying glass' or download the pdf to learn more.

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Purple Eggs

Contributed by: Stephen M. Ryan

Activity overview:

This is an activity that encourages students to observe, speculate about, and gather information on salient differences in the (foreign) environment. It is mainly a discussion activity which begins with specific salient differences and encourages a specific approach/attitude to thinking about and investigating them


General objectives:

  • To provide an experiential understanding of the value of a specific approach to observing, thinking about, and investigating difference

Activity language:

L2 level:

Estimated number of sessions:

(multiple possible)
1

Estimated duration:

(multiple ranges possible)

15-30 minutes
30-45 minutes

Download full activity:

The options above suggestions. Teachers should adjust based on their own context.

Click on the 'magnifying glass' or download the pdf to learn more.

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