Nicole

="Activities for Developing and Intercultural Orientation Classroom, School, and Community" =



Many students who find themselves in a new culture experience difficulty in understanding the values and unspoken communication styles to thrive. Not only will the student need help in adapting, but the family may also. This is done through promoting and developing educational programs within a classroom, school, or in the community. The settings can be small and intimate or on a large community wide level. The idea is to educate the student to help them define cultural differences and be able to clear up any misconceptions they may have about their new environment. Listed below are five activities that promote intercultural orientation. __Activity 1__ When students of diverse cultures or backgrounds go to college, it can be unsettling. To ease this anxiety, a college can invite international students, students of color, and those who would like to learn more about diversity within the college to come one day prior to first year orientation for a Intercultural Experience Program. This social program invites those who may seem uneasy to attend a social event and create a community of peers that are experiencing the same transitional period. This may be the first experience that some will be considered a minority. Peer mentors are also assigned to this group to help ease the stress of adjusting to college life. __Activity 2__

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This activity can be done in a school or a large campus. The students will participate in a scavenger hunt around the school. They will directed either by a map or clues to various important parts of the school such as the library, principals office, counselors office, lunch room, gym, and computer lab. Any location outside the classroom can be added that a student will need to know where and how to get there. It is also informative to have a member of the staff to explain why they may need this room in the school. They will then answer a question that is asked of that location. Sample questions may be: ======
 * ======What kind of computers does the lab have? How do I get a username and password? ======
 * ======Where is the list located of what the lunchroom will serve for the month? ======
 * ======How many books can I check out at the library? How long can I use them? ======

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Some additional locations can be added for a college campus. They can include: The student union, snack bar, university library, the Center for Academic Development, public safety, recreation center, intercultural center, health services, and computer lab. These are some sample questions that they may may need to answer: ======
 * ======There is a statue in the library. What is the name of the person on the statue? ======
 * ======Mark on your map two places where there are emergency call phones are located. ======
 * ======What is your favorite meal at the snack bar and how much does it cost? ======
 * ======What amenities does the recreation center have? What am I most interested in trying? ======
 * ======What are the days and hours that the computer lab is open? ======

__Activity 3__ <span style="display: block; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; text-align: left;">Within the classroom are many different cultures and ethnic backgrounds. The students can learn about various cultures by having them do a family history report. Each student will prepare a report showing their heritage, customs, food, and how they or their ancestors came to America and present it to the class. Teachers could encourage parents and family members to attend or be involved in the presentation some way. After the presentation, students can place pins of a may to see all of the difference countries represented.



<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">__Activity 4__ Arrange for your students to video chat with students from another country. Let students ask questions of each other about language and culture and how each other learned English. This gives students whose first language is English a chance to interact with ESL students and learn about what they find easy to master or difficult to understand. The ESL student will have an opportunity to use their English skills. They could also have pen pals which gives both students a chance to write in English. Two sites that teachers can use to either video chat are: ** ePals Classroom Exchange ** [] This is a site that K-12 students can use to connect to over 1 million pen pals worldwide in 108 different countries. ** KIDLINK **[] <span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; text-align: left;">This site is for students age 10-15. There are over 23,000 member in 60 different countries. It is free, but a membership is required. Languages such as French, Japanese, Spanish, English, and Hebrew are some of the few represented. <span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; text-align: left;">An example of a video chat is a group of teachers conversing with a Muslim woman regarding her culture. Click the play button to view. media type="youtube" key="VnPvkQ16KKM?version=3" height="360" width="640"

<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">__Activity 5__ <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Many colleges have a Multicultural center for students. The centers offer a place for multicultural students to study and use computers, a place to interact with others and watch TV. A multicultural center can help students with financial aid, academic advisement, scholarships, and counseling. They also participate in cultural weeks, forums, and promote diverse clubs at the college. Individual and group tutoring is also available in the center. A multicultural center can also help students with decision making and helping with personal problems.



<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Tahoma','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px; text-align: center;"> "All of us in the academy and in the culture as a whole are called to renew our minds if we are to transform educational institutions--and society--so that the way we live, teach, and work can reflect our joy in cultural diversity, our passion for justice, and our love of freedom. <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Tahoma','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px; text-align: center;"> -bell hooks

<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">__References:__
Centers, N. (n.d.). //Intercultural activity toolkit: Eli orientation activity – scavenger hunt//. Retrieved from []

Hooks, B. (1994). //Teaching to transgress: Education as the practice of freedom//. (pp. 23-34). New York City: Routledge. Retrieved from []<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10.6667px;">.

Pearson. (2000-2012). //Your family tree//. Retrieved from []

Stolfi, L. (Designer). (2012). //Multicultural night//. [Print Graphic]. Retrieved from []

Unknown. (Designer). (2012). //Line of kids//. [Web Drawing]. Retrieved from []

Unknown. (Photographer). (2012). //Leading with diversity//. [Web Photo]. Retrieved from []

Unknown. (2010, May 10). //Multicultural support center//. Retrieved from []

Unknown. (n.d.). //Intercultural orientation//. Retrieved from []

Unknown. (2012). //Intercultural experience program//. Retrieved from []

Unknown. (Performer) (2011, May 10). Bridge - intercultural understanding in the classroom. [Video podcast]. Retrieved from []

Unknown. (1990-2012). //How to structure a kidlink project//. Retrieved from []

Unknown. (2010). Retrieved from http://www.epals.com/