1. Diversity and Discrimination In-Class Activity
Steven M. Walters, M.Ed.

2. semi-controlled environment of a classroom?
How can first-year college students develop a greater empathy and understanding of what diversity and discrimination really looks and feels like in the
semi-controlled environment of a classroom?

3. If students are just told what Diversity is…what happens?
Students will be able to define what diversity is. They will learn what some of the components are and they may actually be able to understand what Diversity is by developing examples. But will they understand what how to embrace and participate in a diverse environment without resistance, judgment and discrimination?

4. Pictures and images of Diversity can be helpful.
Students will be able to define what diversity is. They will learn what some of the components are and they may actually be able to understand what Diversity is by developing examples. But will they understand what how to embrace and participate in a diverse environment without resistance, judgment and discrimination?

5. Will it have any real impact?
Pictures and images of Diversity can be helpful.
Will it have any real impact?
Is it enough?
Students will be able to define what diversity is. They will learn what some of the components are and they may actually be able to understand what Diversity is by developing examples. But will they understand what how to embrace and participate in a diverse environment without resistance, judgment and discrimination?

6. If students are just told what Discrimination is…what happens?
Students will be able to define what discrimination is and give examples told or shown to them and even list out ways to avoid it. But will they truly have empathy for what discrimination really looks like and feels like?

7. Pictures and images of Discrimination can be helpful

8. If we just show students videos…what happens?
This Is Not Acceptable!
imgbuddy.com

9. Something that will leave a lasting impression has to be done
in the classroom for students
to develop a greater empathy and understanding
of what diversity and discrimination
really looks and feels like.

10. The idea
An appropriate activity needed to be created to begin teaching first year college students on what it feels like to:
Reject others
Be rejected by others
Be accepted by others
Accept others
An appropriate activity needed to be created to begin teaching first year college students on what it feels like to accept others, be accepted by others, reject others and be rejected by others.
The activity had to be respectful of peoples backgrounds, feelings, beliefs, be repeatable and follow a defined set of rules.
The activity also had to provide students a way to escape the stress and confusion so 100% participation occurs without judgment, ill-will towards participating in a learning activity or personal penalty/injury.
The activity also has to be based on student learning theory and involve mental and physical barriers that students have to overcome.

11. The idea The activity has to: Fit into one class meeting.
Contain as much interaction as possible.
Use student learning theory.
Provide positive and negative reinforcement.
Follow a defined set of rules.
Remove bias on visual perception of identity.
Allow students a safe way to avoid high levels of anxiety.
Have a positive and lasting impact on each participant.
Have 100% class participation.
Be repeatable.

12. inspirations Lev Vygotsky Constructivism
Learning is an active, contextualized process
of constructing knowledge
rather than acquiring it.
Knowledge is constructed based on personal experiences
and
hypotheses of the environment.
It can be difficult for one group of people to understand another people’s culture without a common language.
When attempting to be accepted into another culture or group, outsiders are not always aware of how to blend in or how to approach others to ask to become members of the group.
This in-classroom activity was created to begin teaching new college students on what it feels like to accept others, reject others, be rejected by others and be accepted by others, based on predefined rules of engagement in a semi-controlled environment.
Learning-Theory.com

13. inspirations David Kolb’s Four Stage Experiential Learning Cycle
A Concrete Experience – Having an experience
Reflective Observation – Reviewing the experience
Abstract Conceptualization – Learning from the experience
Active Experimentation – Trying out what was learned

14. realizations
It can be difficult for one group of people to understand another people’s culture without a common language or similar background.
When attempting to be accepted into another culture or group, outsiders are not always aware of how to blend in or how to approach others to ask to become members of that group.

15. Goal
For students to be able to construct meaningful and long lasting knowledge through a multi-stage experiential learning process that will begin a lifetime of empathy and further exploration and learning about Diversity and Discrimination.

16. Class Structure An intimate and personal experience.
A guided review about what occurred during the experience.
An open conversation to deepen the impact of the activity.
A lecture on Diversity and Discrimination with specific examples and situations to add depth to the learning experience.
A self-reflection writing assignment on the experience.

17. Activity structure Teacher & Observer Training Video on YouTube
Review procedures with class.
Divide class into four groups.
Instructor meets briefly with each group to finalize instructions.
Activity begins.
The instructor must carefully observe, intervene and cue for:
Inappropriate activity.
Lack of activity.
Motivate activity.
Activity ends when all students are in Group 5 or ten minutes.

18. Criteria of students needed for this activity
Activity structure
Criteria of students needed for this activity
Minimum - 11
Ideal
11 Students
Group 1 3+
Group 2 3
Group 3
Group 4 2
Group 5
15+ Students
Group 1 4+
Group 2 4
Group 3
Group 4 3
Group 5

19. Group #1

20. Group #1 - Directions: NO TALKING!
Stand comfortably close together with your group.
Hold your group sheet in front of you about chest height.
Stay where you are! You are the best group and you own your space!
Only let in two (2) members from Group 2 and one (1) member from group 3.
No members are allowed from Group 4!
If another newly accepted group member(s) allows another group member into your group reject them all from your group.
Do not push or shove!
To Accept or Decline others into your group:
Only use body language to communicate!
Use smiles and head nods for yes, we accept you!
Use frowns and shaking of the head for no, we do not accept you!
If you are not happy or dissatisfied with how your group is working…
Go to the center of the room and open one of the Red Group #5 papers and follow the directions without letting anyone else see your personal and unique directions inside.

21. Group 1 – Directions
Stay where you are! 1 1 1
Only let in two (2) from
Group 2! 2 2 1 1 1 2 2 1 1
If another newly accepted group member(s) allows another group member into your group
REJECT THEM ALL!
No members are allowed
from Group 4!
Only let in one (1) from
Group 3 3 3 4 4 4 3 3

22. Group

23. Group #2 – Directions: NO TALKING!
Do not push or shove!
Hold your card up for the whole group to see.
Try to get your entire Group into group 1 and or group 3.
Ignore anyone from Group 4!
Until…
Once in Group #1 you will then be able to accept only one (1) Group #4 member
To Accept or Decline others into your group:
Only use body language to communicate!
Use hand motions to have people join your group or to tell them to stop and go away.
If you are not happy or dissatisfied with how your group is working…
Go to the center of the room and open one of the Red Group #5 papers and follow the directions without letting anyone else see your personal and unique directions inside.

24. Group 2 – Directions 1 1 1 2 2 1 1 1 2 2
Once in Group 1 you will accept only one (1) Group 4 member 1 1
Ignore Group 4 members
Try to get your entire Group into group 3 and or group 1 3 3 4 4 4 3 3

25. Group

26. Group #3 – Directions: NO TALKING!
Do not push or shove!
Hold your card up for the whole group to see.
Try to gain entry into Group #1.
Reject all Group #2 members.
Accept only one (1) member from Group #4 into your group.
Once in Group #1 - reject all Group #4 members.
To Accept or Decline others into your group:
Only use body language to communicate!
Start by facing each member of your group.
To accept others into your group; turn towards them.
To reject them from joining your group; turn away from them and show them your back.
If you are not happy or dissatisfied with how your group is working…
Go to the center of the room and open one of the Red Group #5 papers and follow the directions without letting anyone else see your personal and unique directions inside.

27. Group 3 – Directions 1 1 1 2 2 1 1 1 2 2 1 1
Try to gain entry into Group 1
Once in Group 1
REJECT the Group 4 member
Reject
Group 2 members 3 3
Accept only
one (1) member
from Group 4 4 4 4 3 3

28. Group

29. Group #4 – Directions: NO TALKING!
Do not push or shove!
Hold your card up for the whole group to see.
Try to get into Group #1 by only approaching Group #2 and #3 members who are in Group #1.
To Accept or Decline others into your group:
Only use body language to communicate!
Use whatever silent method you want to signal yes or no for someone to join your group.
If you are accepted into another group you must use their methods without asking what they are.
If you are not happy or dissatisfied with how your group is working…
Go to the center of the room and open one of the Red Group #5 papers and follow the directions without letting anyone else see your personal and unique directions inside.

30. Group 4 - Directions 1 1 1 2 2 1 1 1 2 2 1 1
Try to get into Group 1 by only approaching Group 2 members
and or
Group 3 members who are already
in Group 1 4 4 3 3 4 3 3

31. Group

32. Be patient and observe what is going on with the other groups.
Group #5 –
Directions: NO TALKING!
Everyone is accepted into this group!
Hold your hand out like the image.
Fold this back up and set it down - Do not hold up the group paper.
Your special directions are to give every new member who comes over a
High Five!
Be patient and observe what is going on with the other groups.

33. 1 1 1 2 2 1 1 5 1 2 2 5 1 1 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 3 4 3 4 5 5 5 3 3 4

34. Questionnaire What is Diversity? Please provide an example.
   
What is Discrimination? Please provide an example.
Was the Group activity about diversity or discrimination? Please explain why you think that.   
What group were you in at the start? __________
What group were you in at the end of the exercise? __________
Did you change groups? __________. If so; what group accepted you? __________
How did they accept you?
How did you feel upon being accepted?
If you were rejected from entering a group; how were you rejected?
How did that make you feel?
Did you leave your new group? __________. If so; why did you leave the group?
Did you go to another group? __________.
If you went to Group 5 what was your motivation to do so?
Were you surprised at Group 5’s response to you joining them? __________.
How did you feel after becoming part of Group 5?

35. Writing Assignment
How did this Diversity and Discrimination activity make you feel?
Was it fun to reject or accept others?
At any point in the exercise did you want to give up trying to get into a group?
What frustrated you the most? Why?
What confused you? Why?
Did you think about how the people in your group were reacting to newcomers? How?
Did you think about how the person trying to gain entry into your group felt on being accepted or rejected?
Discuss what you observed after joining Group 5.
Any of your own thoughts, feelings, and or interpretations of the activity or the topic of Diversity and Discrimination.

36. RESULTS
25 Class sections of DKS-US10097 between Fall 2013 and Fall 2017 at the Kent State University Regional Academic Center
439 Participants
Comments made in the student’s written assignments included:
Feelings of being left out
Relief
Feeling awkward
More understanding
Confusion
Higher level of empathy
Frustration
More aware
Dumbfounded
Accepting of others
Rejected
Productive
Individual student results were based on their role in the activity,
the student’s perception of what occurred, their background
and life experiences.

37. Conclusion
First year college students need to be exposed to activities that develop deeper comprehension and appreciation about Diversity and Discrimination.
Students should do more than just sit and be lectured at.
Students need to feel, see and reflect on an experience.
Students need to participate in situations that model the real world in safe environment.
Students need to have positive educational experiences that last a lifetime and promote equal treatment of all people they encounter no matter who they are.

39. References
Learning-Theory.com (2013). Constructivism. Retrieved from
McLeod, S. (2013). Kolb- Learning Styles. Retrieved from
Picture Avoid discrimination. Retrieved from
Picture Bored students. Retrieved from
Picture Discrimination Definition. Retrieved from
Picture Discrimination Words. Retrieved from blog.lib.umn.edu
Picture Diversity. Retrieved from
Picture Diversity Definition. Retrieved from
Picture Diversity Words. Retrieved from
Picture Coloring Pencils. Retrieved from
Picture Stop Green Fish. Retrieved from