1. PSHE Exploring Discrimination

2. Exploring Discrimination:
Context 1. Status game 2. Discussion from the play

3. Exploring Discrimination
This PowerPoint consists of a warm up activity, followed by discussion points drawing on the Jumping on my Shadow script.
The suggestions offered allow the students to probe the themes of the play more deeply.
Teachers can select and adapt these ideas to meet the needs and interests of particular students.
If teachers are aware, or become aware, of students with deeper personal experiences such as situations of migration, it is advisable that other appropriate staff become involved in the work.

4. Exploring discrimination
“Intercultural education aims to develop understanding among pupils and teachers from different cultural and ethnic origins: it is not the assimilation into a uniform culture but a study of different cultures developing the ability of different groups to communicate with each other and gain insight into different cultures…it is the assumption that ethnic diversity can enrich society.”
(Green paper on the European Dimension of Education, e-commission of the European Communities- Intercultural Education in Europe, Brussels, 1994)

5. Exploring discrimination - 1 Status Game
A role play exercise to help students explore and experience feelings of discrimination and privilege. You will need a pack of playing cards labelled with numbers one to ten. (Use an Ace for a Number 1 card)
Each student receives a numbered card. They are not allowed to know the number they are given. Each student must put their card on either their forehead or their back, with the number or royal character facing outwards.
Explain that they are now in a hierarchical society and each student is treated according to the number they were given. People with lower numbers have lower status and treated with a greater degree of disrespect. The people with a higher numbered card or royal character are also treated with more respect, as they have higher status in the society
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6. Exploring discrimination - Status Game (cont)
Students are to interact with one another on the basis of where they think they fall in relation to each other, and where they think they fall in the number hierarchy.
They are not allowed to talk; all interaction must be non verbal. Nor should they disclose or indicate others’ ranking while interacting. Each student is to explore and find their place in the ‘society’.
After a few minutes, remove a couple of students with higher numbered cards. Take them aside and tell them they are suspended from the game and have them sit out without giving a reason for the suspension.
After a few more minutes of interaction, ask the students to line up in the order which they think they fall within the hierarchy.

7. Exploring discrimination - Status Game (cont)
Did students line up in the correct order?
How did each student know where they fell in the hierarchy?
How did those at the highest and lowest positions feel about their treatment?
How did they feel about the treatment of the other members of the society?
How do those with the lowest status feel about being given their status arbitrarily?
How did those in the lower numbers feel about the treatment of those even lower?

8. Exploring discrimination - Status Game (cont)
Who was suspended from the game and what was their status?
How did those that were suspended feel about the change in their status?
Did everyone play by the rules?
How does it feel to have to play by unfair rules?
Why do people play by rules that are unfair?
What does the game tell us about discrimination?

9. Exploring discrimination: 2 Discussion from the play
Discrimination could be described as behaving negatively towards other people on the basis that they are different to you (e.g. age, physical or mental ability, gender, race, faith, sexuality, etc)
Josip: Jim, Devern, Iqbal, we ‘ad such a larf, Mr Miah, right, this boy from Year 9, right, let off a stink bomb on the bus, right, and we was like throwin’ up and laughin’, right, and the bus driver come upstairs and say "what's goin' on then", and I say "Nuffink mate", and he looks at me and says "Where you come from then sunshine?"…and then Iqbal say "He's coming from the Bakery, No 15 on the left hand side, innit", and Devern he say "Dwan warry 'bout 'im man, he de buoy fram noweair", then we jump off the bus and we run, laughin’, laughin’, I fell over laughin’…
(p.68)

10. Exploring discrimination Discussion from the play (cont.)
Why do you think the bus driver discriminated against Josip and his friends?
How did Josip cope with this in the play?
Have you experienced, or heard about, discrimination because of
being young?
looking different?
sounding different?
coming from somewhere else?
Where could you go to for help? (School counsellor, Head teacher, Child line etc)
How could you help other people who experience this?