Promising Practices Avoiding the “It’s a Small World” Effect A Lesson Plan to Explore Diversity Jason L. Endacott & Freddie A. Bowles Introduction 42% of younger students living in house- move beyond the Contributions Approach holds where someone is fluent in more than by adding perspectives and concepts to the If you have ever visited Disney World one language (Abbot & Brown, 2006). curriculum (Additive Approach), chang- in Florida you might have had the op- As a result, classroom instruction ing the curriculum so that students can portunity to take a journey on the “It’s a about other cultures all too often resem- view CLD groups from the target group’s Small World” ride in the Fantasyland area bles the Disney version of “It’s a Small perspective (Transformation Approach), of the park. The journey is a slow-moving World” with Fantasyland-like cultural and ultimately involve students in making boat ride through a world that represents stereotypes, ceremonial activities, and decisions and taking action on important over 100 nations featuring hundreds of traditional dress that can lead to serious social issues (Social Action Approach). robotic children dressed in ceremonial misunderstandings about the depth and Such a transformation cannot occur in costumes, many of whom are also partak- complexity of global societies. a single lesson. However, it is our hope that ing in the stereotypical customs identified educators who see value in the lesson we with their nations. The Perfect Venue present here might consider this learning The Disney World message proclaims experience as a jump-start towards the that while we are all different, we are also Social studies instruction presents the ultimate goals Banks describes. all the same. The individuals who created perfect venue for guiding young learners The lesson that follows helps students the ride in the 1960s hoped to “dissolve on their own journeys toward cultural move beyond the Contributions Approach boundaries” and did so with the best of competence in learning to understand and through the use of cultural universals, which intentions as they sought to engender a accept themselves, other people, and all of Brophy and Alleman (2006) define as: sense of global harmony, shared experi- society (Gallavan, 2011). Students’ abilities ence, and human universality. Most likely to view the world from the perspective of …domains of human experience that have the ride was never intended to be a serious self and others aligns with the National existed in all cultures, past and present. They include activities related to meeting tool for learning about other cultures. Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) basic needs for food, clothing, and shelter, Alas, the Disney version of “It’s a Small Curriculum Standards for Culture (1.1), as well as family structures, government, World” stands as an ironic reminder that which directs teachers to “include experi- communication, transportation, money or our understanding of other cultures often ences that provide for the study of culture other forms of economic exchange, reli- lacks authentic detail since “educators who and cultural diversity” (www.socialstuides. gion, occupations, recreation, and perhaps have only superficial knowledge of cultural, org/standards/strands, 2012). other factors as well. (p. 5) racial, and ethnic differences cannot ad- Young learners need to be given oppor- Cultural universals can be extremely dress them sufficiently in instructional tunities to discover “culturally-based like- useful in helping students understand the programs and policies” (Gay, 2005, p. xvi). nesses and differences” and to “explore and lives of others through a shared sense of At the same time, elementary school ask questions about the nature of various human experience because they represent social studies teachers are hampered not cultures, and the development of cultures common concerns that most people relate only by the daunting task of acquiring across time and place” (www.socialstuides. to, regardless of their cultures or places sufficient cultural knowledge but also by org/standards/strands, 2012). Providing in the world. We all need food, clothing, dwindling instructional time for social these experiences at the intermediate el- and shelter, but we satisfy these needs in studies in the elementary school, even ementary school level is developmentally many different ways that depend upon our though their students represent an increas- ideal since students in grades three through cultural values. Through a more authentic ingly diverse population with as much as five are most open to people different from sense of similarity we can explore our dif- themselves (Curtain & Dahlberg, 2012). ferences more responsibly. To accomplish these weighty tasks, Jason L. Endacott is an assistant professor Banks (2008) advocates for a four-step The Lesson: of social studies education curriculum transformation model. The and Freddie A. Bowles is an associate professor first step, known as the Contributions Ap- “A Smaller World of foreign language education, proach, is similar to the “small world” ef- of Cultural Universals” both with the College of Education fect. At this level, content about culturally This lesson asks students to consider and Health Professions and linguistically diverse (CLD) groups cultural universals and cultural values as at the University of Arkansas, are simplistic and limited to holidays and depicted in authentic images of families Fayetteville, Arkansas. heroes. The educator’s goal should be to WINTER 2013 43 © Caddo Gap Press 2013 Promising Practices from around the world. Upon completion everybody to be aligned in their thinking u What are some things that all people of the learning experience, the students in regard to the concepts of culture and from around the world have in common, should understand that while it is pos- cultural universals. For the purposes of no matter where they live? sible to make valid cultural contrasts instruction, this lesson adopts the NCSS u What do we need? and comparisons through those aspects definition of culture as listed in the per- of culture that are universal, the cultural formance expectations: “Culture” refers to u What do we use? values that partially guide our lives are the behaviors, beliefs, values, traditions, u What do we do? far more complex. Anytime we study other institutions, and ways of living together societies from a distance, we are limited by of a group of people. Help guide the students towards seeing “representations” of that culture, whether Group the students in cooperative patterns in their responses. Eventually, the the representations are authentic or not. learning groups or quads according to your list should contain categories such as food, The lesson takes place in a fourth- preferred manner of selection. Each group clothing, and shelter, family, government, grade classroom over two or three days and should have a scribe, a reporter, a time- communication, transportation, religion, consists of three parts: (a) introducing and keeper, and a spell-checker. Draw a large jobs, and so forth. defining culture and cultural universals, two-column T-chart on the board and label (b) inquiring about cultural values across one column as “Culture” and the other as Part Two: cultures, and (c) exploring cultural uni- “Universal.” Give each group a large sheet Cultural Value Inquiry versals. Specific NCSS Theme 1: Culture of poster paper and ask them to replicate across Cultural Universals performance expectations include: the chart on their papers. Now the list of cultural universals is Using their charts, have the students used to begin the second phase of the les- Knowledge—Learners will under- brainstorm their impressions when they son, which asks the students to discuss, stand: hear the word “culture” and write their an- identify, and describe the cultural beliefs u “Culture” refers to the behaviors, beliefs, swers in the appropriate columns. Students and values that are reflected in their lists values, traditions, institutions, and ways from previous classes have described cul- of cultural universals. There are some of living together of a group of people ture as “the foods they eat,” “the languages cultural values that many members of a u Concepts such as: similarities, differences, they speak,” or “the clothes they wear.” particular culture might identify with or beliefs, values, cohesion, and diversity These entries are relatively rudimen- share (e.g., “American work ethic”), but it Processes—Learners will be able to: tary answers because it is widely accepted is also important to remember that there among social scientists that the “values, are many subcultures and microcultures u Explore and describe similarities and symbols, interpretations, and perspec- differences in the ways various cultural within that larger culture with very dif- groups meet similar needs and concerns tives are what distinguish one people from ferent values. another in modernized societies, not arti- Part Two is based on a modified ver- Products—Learners demonstrate facts, material objects, and other tangible sion of the initial steps of the value inquiry understanding by: aspects of human societies” (Banks, 2008, model (Banks & Banks, 1999), which was u Selecting a social group, investigating the p. 56.) Even though these responses reflect designed to assist students in identifying commonly-held beliefs, values, behaviors, a simplified understanding of culture, they value conflicts, examining