Culture Role Play

Clear some space in your classroom for students to mingle. Explain to students that Divide the students into two groups and send them to opposite sides of the room. Explain that each group is from a different culture or society and that both groups are going to meet each other at an international students’ party. Hand out the role cards below to each group and give them time to read and understand everything. They should think about how they will act. Go between each group clarifying things. Make sure that neither group can hear the other get ready though. Once the students are ready, tell them that they are at an international students’ party and there are two different groups of students. Tell them to interact according to the rules of their cards. Give them a set time limit–20 minutes is usually enough.

Once students are done interacting, have them sit back down and debrief. Ask the Pandyas to guess what rules the Chispas follow and ask the Chispas what rules they think the Pandayas had to follow. Now ask them what they thought of each other. Did one culture find the other rude? Or polite? Or interesting? Or strange? Ask the students if they think these cultures are based on real cultures or not (Note: The Chispas are more of a Western, modern style culture and the Pandyas are more of a traditional culture but they are not directly copied from any one culture).

Now ask students if it would have helped them to know about the other culture before they began interacting. It might be interesting to also discuss how much students describe other cultures as weird or strange or bad or good, instead of using neutral terms.

Some Variations

Instead of just a party, you can give students some sort of task. For example tell students that you all work for the same company and you must decide what to do about a scandal in the company. Or imagine that the Chispas have come to the village of the Pandyas in order to build a hotel and now you are discussing this proposal. By giving students a concrete goal, they are less likely to just begin playing around. However there is also the danger that they will forget their cultural role.

You are a Pandya

1)You prefer to talk to people from your own culture instead of people from other cultures

2)You only speak when spoken to. You do not like to start conversations with outsiders

3)You are always very formal. You say ’sir’ or ‘madam’ and never use first names only. You always use ‘please’ ‘thank you’ ‘excuse me’ and so on.

4)Women have more status than men. Women should always accompany men

5)Men do not talk directly to women from another culture. They talk through the woman who is with them.

6)Men also do not make eye contact with women from other cultures and if a women touches a man, it is scary. Your woman companion should take you away quickly.

7)It is scary when a woman from another culture tries to talk to you.

8)Men do talk to other men.

9)Among your own people, you can speak to men and women freely.

10)You like to have very short conversations. You do not like to talk for a long time. If someone tries to talk to you for a long time, you will walk away.

You are a Chispa

1)You are an informal and friendly culture. You like to talk to new people.

2)You call everyone by their first name

3)You use a lot of slang and informal expressions.

4)Men and women are equal in your culture and there are no separate roles

5)You are very outgoing. You like making friends and talking to people from other cultures.

6)You like to talk for a very long time. If someone walks away, you follow them and keep talking.

7)You believe it is good for women to talk to men and men to talk to women, especially from outside cultures. That way everyone learns something.

8)You like to touch people, shake hands, touch the shoulder while you are talking to someone.

Дата добавления: 2015-10-30