sur les cartes d’invitation à des soirées ou à des dîners formels formulées en français,
vous lirez parfois « à 20 heures ». Cela signifie que votre arrivée est attendue à
20 heures, heure à laquelle la soirée ou le dîner commence. Il serait alors impoli de ne
pas respecter ces horaires.
1.
Dans votre culture, quelle serait l’heure d’arrivée acceptable pour un dîner qui
est censé commencer à 20 heures, un rendez-vous d’affaires prévu pour
10 heures, un cours de langues fixé à 15 heures?
2.
Quelles sont les conséquences si un élève dans l’enseignement secondaire arrive
15 minutes en retard le matin? Des mesures disciplinaires sont-elles prévues?
3.
Dans votre culture, les transports publics respectent-ils scrupuleusement les
horaires? Les horaires indiquent-ils les heures de départ exactes ou seulement
les intervalles prévus des bus?
4.
Où situeriez-vous votre culture sur une échelle de « ponctualité »? Faut-il
arriver à l’heure précise? NE 1

Demandez à plusieurs personnes d’une culture différente combien de temps
elles passent à faire des activités. Inspirez-vous des questions ci-dessous:
▪
Combien de temps passez-vous à petit-déjeuner en semaine?
▪
Pour vous, quelle est la durée d’une « pause café », d’une « cigarette »?
▪
Combien de temps passez-vous à déjeuner?
▪
Combien de temps passez-vous tous les jours à étudier / travailler?
▪
Combien de temps réservez-vous à la famille / aux amis / à votre
compagnon / compagne?
▪
A quelle heure commence la « soirée » pour vous?
2.
Positionnez-vous sur une « échelle de ponctualité » entre 1-5 (1 = très ponctuel,
5 = très peu ponctuel). Ensuite, positionnez sur cette échelle la majorité des
personnes dans votre culture! Donnez des exemples
Après avoir lu la liste des termes dans le cadre ci-dessous, sélectionnez-en trois
que vous associez personnellement au temps. Expliquez brièvement votre choix
à l’aide d’un exemple concret.
organisation – relaxation – stress – argent – vacances – famille – cigarette –
travail – futur – motivation – compétition – alimentation – calendrier –
montre – mouvement – passé – obligation
4.
Pendant une ou plusieurs semaines, observez le comportement de personnes de
votre culture (ou d’une autre culture qui vous intéresse) quand ils attendent le
bus, le médecin, l’enseignant ou leur rendez-vous. Prenez des notes et, si
possible, demandez aux personnes si elles se fâcheraient en cas d’attente
prolongée? NE 1.3

Fermez les yeux et concentrez-vous sur l'image qui vous vient à l'esprit lorsque vous
entendez le mot « pain ». Dessinez-la maintenant et montrez-la à une autre personne
ou décrivez-la. Quelles sont les différences dans vos dessins et vos descriptions?
NE 2.1
Le pain, dans la plupart des cultures européennes, est un aliment « de base ». Il peut
être préparé avec de la farine de froment, mais également, très souvent, avec du seigle
et d'autres céréales. Son usage diffère énormément de pays en pays. Un Français
n'hésitera pas à acheter trois ou quatre fois par jour du pain frais, tandis qu'aux Pays-
Bas, les habitants achètent du pain complet une fois par semaine et le conservent au
congélateur. En Grande-Bretagne, le pain blanc fabriqué en usine, tranché et emballé,
qui a très peu de goût ou de texture, est encore consommé par une majorité de la
population, alors qu'il est possible de se procurer toutes sortes d'autres pains. Ces
derniers sont considérés comme spéciaux ou « étrangers ». Dans les villages d'Europe
de l'Est, les gens continuent à faire leur propre pain, au moins pour les occasions
spéciales. Dans un certain nombre de régions urbaines, les gens ont également
redécouvert l'art de faire leur pain, afin d'éviter les additifs et les agents de conservation
utilisés dans les sortes de pain fabriquées industriellement.
1.
Dans votre culture, combien de pain est-ce que les gens mangent? Est-ce que
vous en mangez à chaque repas? Dans votre pays, est-ce que la plupart des gens
achètent (ou font) du pain fréquemment? Où vous (et votre entourage) vous
procurez-vous votre pain: chez le boulanger local, dans un magasin, au
supermarché, etc.?
2.
Quel type de pain est-ce que vous mangez? Est-il fait de farine blanche, de
farine complète ou d'une autre sorte de farine? Quels sont les types de pain
particuliers qui sont mangés lors de repas particuliers ou à des occasions bien
déterminées? De quelle manière combinez-vous le pain avec d'autres aliments
(dans des sandwiches, etc.) ou comment le préparez-vous (toasté, pain perdu,
etc.)? NE 2.2
3.
A votre avis, est-ce que la plupart des gens de votre culture tendent à manger
pour vivre ou est-ce qu'ils accordent une grande importance à savourer de bons
plats à l'occasion de rencontres conviviales? Dans votre culture, les habitudes
alimentaires sont-elles liées à la couche sociale?

Activités et projets
1.
Voici une liste de mots. Demandez à cinq personnes d'autres cultures ce qu'elles
associent à ces expressions. NE 2.5
« petit-déjeuner » – « bière » – « mettre la table » – « acheter de la nourriture »
– « dîner » – « ustensiles »
2.
Allez dans un restaurant ethnique de votre voisinage avec un(e) ami(e) et prenez
des notes sur les différentes habitudes que vous pouvez observer en ce qui
concerne la manière de manger. Faites rapport de vos découvertes en classe.
NE 2.6
3.
Echangez des recettes de spécialités étrangères et organisez un projet de cuisine,
si possible. NE 2.7
4.
Ecrivez le script, puis présentez la conversation de cinq personnes qui, venant
de cinq cultures différentes, se retrouvent autour de la même table pour le dîner.
Ces personnes pourraient être les élèves d'un camp d'été international ou des
professeurs pendant une réception précédant un atelier. Voir NE 2.8 pour les
questions utiles et NE 2.9 pour une idée de jeu de rôles

Sujets de conversation
Regardez les sujets / idées suivant(e)s et décidez s’ils / si elles sont acceptables dans
votre culture pour engager la conversation avec une personne du même âge que vous
rencontrez pour la première fois à l’occasion d’une soirée plutôt informelle, une fête
par exemple. Vous pouvez rajouter toutes les conditions que vous estimez nécessaires.
NE 3.1
▪
Age: pourriez-vous demander à quelqu’un son âge?
▪
Relations de famille: pourriez-vous parler de problèmes et de conflits au sein de
votre famille? Pourriez-vous demander à quelqu’un s’il est marié?
▪
Relations: pourriez-vous parler de votre vie privée ?

santé: pourriez-vous parler de problèmes de santé?
▪
Politique au niveau national (partis): pourriez-vous critiquer la politique du
gouvernement, de l’opposition, certains hommes politiques ou au contraire en
faire l’éloge?
▪
Politique au niveau international: pourriez-vous parler des relations
internationales?
▪
Blagues: pourriez-vous raconter des blagues? Quels sujets sont tabous?
▪
Profession: pourriez-vous demander à quelqu’un sa profession? Pourriez-vous
parler de la vôtre?
▪
Argent: pourriez-vous demander à quelqu’un combien cela lui a coûté ou
combien il gagne?

se taire ou se parler
Il est des cultures où de bons amis, des membres de la famille – voire des partenaires
en affaires – peuvent rester silencieux juste en se réjouissant de la compagnie de
l’autre. Cette situation peut être très énervante pour une personne appartenant à une
« culture de conversation ». La prochaine fois que vous discuterez avec des amis ou des
collègues, essayez d’observer le rôle joué par le silence à partir des questions suivantes:
________________________________________
Page 43
41
▪
Quelle est la réaction face au silence?
▪
Est-il acceptable dans votre culture de se réunir sans se parler?
▪
Le silence est-il un élément naturel de la conversation ou est-il considéré
comme gênant et embarrassant?
▪
Combien de temps le silence peut-il durer?
▪
Qui interrompt le silence?
▪
Le silence sert-il d’arme en cas de désaccords?
▪
Existe-t-il des règles particulières dans votre langue pour déterminer « qui parle
quand »?
▪
L’âge, la position sociale ou le sexe, par exemple, sont-ils des facteurs
déterminants?


Examples of Widely Used Ground Rules
Ground rules should be developed and adapted for every unique context. Appropriate ground rules may depend partially on age, region, social class, and other contextual factors. The following list of common ground rules from multicultural education classes and workshops should serve only as a starting point for your process of creating a similar list suitable to your own situation:
1. Listen actively -- respect others when they are talking.
2. Speak from your own experience instead of generalizing ("I" instead of "they," "we," and "you").
3. Practice timely attendance.
4. Do not be afraid to respectfully challenge one another by asking questions, but refrain from personal attacks -- focus on ideas.
5. Participate to the fullest of your ability -- community growth depends on the inclusion of every individual voice.
6. Instead of invalidating somebody else's story with your own spin on their experience, share your own story and experience.
7. The goal is not to agree -- it is about hearing and exploring divergent perspectives.
8. Be conscious of body language and nonverbal responses -- they can be as disrespectful as words.
It is also important to set a ground rule for how participation will be managed. Do you prefer for participants to raise their hands and be called on, or for people to speak freely? Remember that some people -- especially those who tend to be introverted -- need more time to process thoughts and speak; so the latter option may exclude them from the discussion. Still, the formal process of raising hands to be recognized may detract from the collective atmosphere needed to discuss multicultural issues.
Strategies and Notes
1. It is very helpful to post the ground rules somewhere visible during the entire course of a class or workshop. Some teachers and facilitators who are with a certain group over an extended period of time will bring the list of ground rules (on news print or some other transportable medium) back to the group for every session or class period. They can then refer back to the list when they sense that participants are failing to sufficiently follow one or more of the items.
2. Challenge the participants on the ground rules early and often. If you do not set a tone of strict adherence to the items early in the process, it may become impossible to enforce them later.
3. If you are using more than two or three ground rules, try focusing on particular items during appropriate activities or discussions. For example, if you are facilitating a discussion in a large group, state before the discussion starts that you would like to focus on active listening. Challenge participants to refrain from any side discussions. The same can be done if you are facilitating an experiential activity, by introducing it as a "silent" activity.
4. You must MODEL these ground rules in your own participation. This is especially true for an item such as #2 (speak from your own experience). Be sure that your own language reflects ownership and responsibility by using as many "I" and "me" statements as possible.
5. If a particular ground rule is routinely broken, bounce it back to the participants. A fruitful discussion can often arise from a close examination of why the participants are not adhering to particular items.
6. Revisit the ground rules occasionally, and if time allows, ask whether the participants would like to add any new items.
Knowing the Community: Sharing Activity
We usually do this activity on the first day of a class or workshop right after the respect exercise described above. It begins to build the community through showing difference within groups and similarities among members of different groups. Diversity proves to be the one thing we all have in common.
Objectives:
(1) Participants will get to know the names of each person in the class, group, or community, as well as something about each person's background.
(2) Participants will have a greater understanding and appreciation for the diversity within the group, while realizing that they have things in common with some of the people they have felt most removed from.
Activity Description:
Participants should sit in a circle for this exercise if possible. Facilitator should hand out a list of questions for each participant to answer for the group. Possible questions could include name/nicknames, ethnic background, where they are from and where their parents were born, which generation they represent in America for their family, and one custom or tradition their family practices. Give participants time to write down some ideas for answering the questions.
Before you begin the exercise, instruct the participants to identify one or two people in the group whom they do not know, and to think about what answers they expect from those people. This part is not to be shared among group members, but can help people realize how they formulate ideas about people based on appearance.
Now you are ready to begin. It is important to tell the group that each person will be limited to about two minutes in order for everyone's voice to be heard. Once everyone has had an oppurtunity to share their information, ask the group to discuss what they have learned from the exercise.
Facilitator Notes:
(1) I would suggest for the facilitator to begin this exercise in order to model the kind of information that should be shared.
(2) This activity can be emotional for certain people. The participants who find this emotional are often those who don't know about their heritage and those who have been adopted. If someone seems to be getting emotional remind them that they only have to reveal what they feel comfortable revealing.
(3) Certain themes usually emerge:
• Even members of the same "groups" have very different backgrounds.
• Often members of different "groups" have more similar backgrounds than they realize.
• Cultural diversity transcends black/white.
• Many people find out information which allows them to connect somehow with someone else in the group. (Last year, a member of a group I facilitated revealed that her mother's maiden name was "Gorski" which is my last name. We're still exploring the possibility that we're related.)
Exchanging Stories--Names
Preparing and Assigning:
This activity works toward bringing the stories of individuals to the fore in the multicultural experience.
Ask participants to write short (1 - 2 pages) stories about their names. (You may have to assign this prior to the class in which you want to use it.) Leave the assignment open to individual interpretation as much as possible, but if asked for more specific instructions, suggest some or all of the following possibilities for inclusion in their stories:
• Who gave you your name? Why?
• What is the ethnic origin of your name?
• What are your nicknames, if any?
• What do you prefer to be called?
Ecourage students to be creative. In the past, some have written poetry, included humor, listed adjectives that described them, etc. Also, be sure to let them know that they will be sharing their stories with the rest of the class.
Facilitator Notes:
In order to ensure that everybody has an opportunity to share her or his story, break into diverse small groups of 8-10 if necessary. Give participants the option to either read their stories or to share their stories from memory. Ask for volunteers to share their stories.
Points to remember:
1. Because some individuals will include very personal information, some may be hesitant to read them, even in the small groups. It is sometimes effective in such situations for facilitators to share their stories first. If you make yourself vulnerable, others will be more comfortable doing the same.
2. Be sure to allow time for everyone to be able to speak, whether reading their stories or sharing them from memory.
3. When everyone has shared, ask participants how it felt to share their stories. Why is this activity important? What did you learn?
Sample--My Personal Name Story:
According to my mother, "Paul" means "small". When I say that to other folks, they tell me it doesn't mean "small," though no one seems to know what it means.
My parents wanted to name me "Cameron." "Paul" goes back three or four generations, I'm not sure which. My father and his father and his father are all named "Paul." But my mother liked "Cameron," so "Cameron" it was. But then I was born...five weeks prematurely. I was a tiny baby. I was the itsy-bitsiest baby in the new baby room at the hospital. According to my mother, that was a sign. Remember, "Paul" means "small".
So I am Paul Cameron Gorski. My father is Paul Peter Gorski. The exception, of course, is when someone calls my parents' home for one of us. At that point we become Big Paul and Little Paul, the father Paul and the son Paul, or the older one and the younger one (my Dad doesn't appreciate that one too much). Sometimes people call and I'm too exhausted to explain to them the whole idea that there are two Pauls living in one house, so I just pretend to be Paul Peter, and give my Dad the message later. He doesn't seem to mind that, especially when the caller is trying to sell us something. Still, I hope he doesn't do the same thing.
Paul lends itself well to rhyming nicknames. Bill, a good friend of mine, calls me "Tall Paul". He does so sarcastically, usually after blocking one of my shots in a basketball game. I often have to remind him that the whole irony of that nickname is that, according to my mother, "Paul" means "small," which is very nearly the opposite of "tall." In high school, I was often called "Paul Mall" in reference to a brand of cigarettes, because, as they said, my ball handling skills were smokin'. And again, the irony is that generally the small players have better ball handling skills.
The truth of the matter is that I really don't know whether or not "Paul" means "small". Perhaps it means "Jedi warrior" or "sunflower" or "career student". No matter. I've never looked it up, and never will. According to my Mom, "Paul" means "small." That sounds good to me.
ircles of My Multicultural Self
This activity highlights the multiple dimensions of our identities. It addresses the importance of individuals self-defining their identities and challenging stereotypes.
Place your name in the center circle of the structure below. Write an important aspect of your identity in each of the satellite circles -- an identifier or descriptor that you feel is important in defining you. This can include anything: Asian American, female, mother, athlete, educator, Taoist, scientist, or any descriptor with which you identify.

1. Share a story about a time you were especially proud to identify yourself with one of the descriptors you used above.
2. Share a story about a time it was especially painful to be identified with one of your identifiers or descriptors.
3. Name a stereotype associated with one of the groups with which you identify that is not consistent with who you are. Fill in the following sentence:
I am (a/an) _____________________ but I am NOT (a/an)_____________________.
(So if one of my identifiers was "Christian," and I thought a stereotype was that all Christians are radical right Republicans, my sentence would be:
I am a Christian, but I am NOT a radical right Republican.

Who I Am Poems
Preparing and Assigning:
This activity begins active introspective process while continuing to provide opportunities for individuals to make connections with each other. Participants write short poems, starting each line with "I am," encouraging them to describe in their own words who they are and what's salient to their identity.
Objectives:
In any attempt to increase awareness and encourage self-development, it is crucial to engage participants in activities which call for introspection and self-reflection. It is also important to provide opportunities for participants to make connections across, and even within, cultural lines. The "Who I Am" activity can provide a non-threatening starting point for encouraging self-reflective thought and introspection. It is a safe way for students to think about and share the influences that have shaped their identities. Also, it continues the connection-making process as participants find unexpected similarities and differences between themselves and others in the group.
This activity can also be an excellent LAST activity, allowing folks to re-connect at a self-defined and human level at the end of an experience in which they are discussing difficult issues.
Instructions:
Ask participants to take ten to fifteen minutes to write a poem called "Who I Am." Instruct them that the only rule for the piece is that each line must start with the phrase "I am..." Leave it open to their interpretation as much as possible, but suggest that they can, if they wish, include statements about where they're from regionally, ethnically, religiously, etc., memories from different points in their lives, interests and hobbies, mottos or credos, favorite phrases, family traditions and customs, and whatever else defines who they are. Be sure to let them know that they will be sharing their poems.
Facilitator Notes:
In order to ensure that everybody has an opportunity to share her or his story, you might consider breaking the group into diverse small groups of 8-10 if necessary. Give participants the option to either read their poems or to share parts of their poems from memory.
Points to remember:
1. Because some individuals will include very personal information, some may be hesitant to read their poems, even in small groups. It is sometimes effective in such situations for facilitators to share their poems first. Consider sharing your poem before asking students to write their own pieces. If you make yourself vulnerable, others will be more comfortable doing the same.
2. Be sure to allow time for everyone to be able to speak, whether reading their poems or sharing them from memory.
3. If you're using this as a final activity, not much processing is necessary. Encourage applause, and thank folks for sharing their poetry.
4. If you use this activity in the middle of a class or workshop, have some process questions ready. When everyone has shared, ask participants how it felt to share their poems.
5. Ask what, if any, connections people made with each other from this activity. What were some commonalities across poems? Did any of these surprise you?
6. You might also consider asking people to get up and talk to someone who you felt a connection with through the poetry.
Sample - My Personal "I Am From" Poem:
I am basketball on a snowy driveway.
I am fishsticks, crinkle-cut frozen french fries and frozen mixed vegatables.
I am primarily white, upper-middle class neighborhoods and raciall diverse schools.
I am Donkey Kong, Ms. Pac Man, Atari 2600 and sports video games.
I am football on Thanksgiving and New Year's Day.
I am "unity in diversity" and "speaking from your own experience."
I am triple-Wahoos, earning three degrees from the University of Virginia.
I am diversity, multicultural education, identity, introspection, self-reflection, and social action.
I am Daffy Duck, Mr. Magoo, Hong Kong Phooey, Foghorn Leghorn, and other cartoons.
I am Tae Kwon Do, basketball, the batting cages, a soccer family, and the gym.
I am a wonderful family, close and loving and incredibly supportive.
I am films based on true stories and documentaries
I am the History Channel, CNN, ESPN, BRAVO, and Home Team Sports.
I am a passion for educating and facilitating, personal development and making connections.