Similar Needs, Different Means

by

Stephen M. Ryan


1. Objectives and Overview

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 Learning 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.

Specific Learning Objectives (optional):

Keywords:

cultural differences, surface culture, intercultural awareness

2. Activity Context

Activity context description

This is part of a course about how to get along with people from different background for students who mainly think that people holding different passports from themselves are irredeemably different from them in every possible way. It is a large class and students expect to do little more than listen to the teacher throughout the lesson.

Students

Suggested range of students:
1
2
3
4
5
8
10
15
20
30
40
50
75
100
101+
Do students need to use a second language?
No (skip to Step 4)
What is the second language?
Level(s) in target language:
Not applicable
  • These levels are approximations 
Comments

3: Activity Duration

Estimated duration (multiple ranges possible):
30-45 minutes
How many sessions?
1
Any homework?
No