Cultural Sensitivity Training @ The Olympics

Do our athletes need to be able to do more than compete in their events in order for them to be successful in the Olympic Games? To answer this and other questions, students will assume the role of cultural trainers whose responsibility it is to prepare U.S. athletes for the Summer Games in Beijing.

Either individually or in groups, students will prepare short oral presentations that are intended to sensitize the athletes to the importance of recognizing and adapting to cultural differences.

This activity addresses the National Standard: Social Studies programs should include experiences that provide for the study of global connections and interdependence, so that the learner can describe instances in which language, art, music, belief systems, and other cultural elements can facilitate global understanding or cause misunderstanding.

Grade Level/Time:

Grades 6-8
Two periods

Students will use CultureGrams World Edition and do the following:

• Assign students, either individually or in groups, countries on which to prepare presentations. Making assignments will insure a greater variety of countries and cultures, and it will help avoid duplication or plagiarism.
  
  
• Each student or group of students should review the CultureGrams report for their assigned country. As they read the text, they should identify concepts that would be important for an athlete to know if they were to meet and associate with someone from that country. Students may make note of where a country is located, what the land and climate is like, what type of government the country has, etc. But most importantly, they should focus on matters of culture that might be important in everyday interactions.
  
  
• What information would be critical for a person to have in order to understand someone from the assigned country?
  
  
• Some fact-finding questions for students to answer:

  What ethnic groups are there?
  
  What languages do people speak?
  
  What are the most prominent religions? And how might someone's religious belief affect their daily behavior?
  
  What common attitudes and values are shared by people in the country?
  
  What do people in the country commonly wear?
  
  How do people greet each other?
  
  Are there gestures a person needs to know or should avoid using because they are potentially offensive?
  
  What foods are typically eaten in the country? What customs are there that accompany eating?
  
  What aspects of the lifestyle in the country are important to be aware of when you meet a person from the country?
  
  What games and sports are popular?

Essential Questions for Critical Thinking to integrate into the report:

• Would it be especially difficult for U.S. athletes to interact with people from particular countries? Why?
  
  
• Why is it important to recognize the cultural similarities and differences that exist among human beings?

After gathering information from the CultureGrams report, students should prepare a three-minute presentation in which they organize and highlight the most important points for an athlete from the United States to know when meeting a person from their assigned country. The presentation may also include an optional poster of critical "dos and don'ts" when encountering someone from their assigned country.




Discover eLibrary Science!
Exclusive Salem Press Content | Multimedia Interactives
Scholarly Journals | Current Events | Famous Scientists