TASKs for democracy

Activity 14
Exploring concepts
through poems
DESCRIPTION
Original activity contributed by Olga Ferreira
Focus: this activity helps teachers explore, understand and clarify the concepts of culture, language, identity
and diversity. Most of the steps can be adapted to classroom use.
Target group: pre-/in-service teachers of age groups 6-10/10-14/14-18/adult learners/trainers
Expected learning outcomes:
A_COOP_2 Willingness to work together with others and become actively involved
A_EPIST_3 Inclination to see things from different perspectives
A_SELF_5 Readiness to strive for mutual understanding and meaningful dialogue
S_EPIST_1 Aptitude to cope with complex issues and avoid one-dimensional answers
S_SELF_1 Capacity to face the challenge of doubt and uncertainty
K_DIV_1 Understanding of the main concepts related to diversity (e.g. culture, identity, equality, empathy,
prejudice, stereotypes, discrimination, racism, citizenship, global interdependence, sustainability)
K_DIV_2 Understanding of the changing nature of identities and cultures
Type of activity: Introductory/ice-breaking; core/main activity
PROCEDURE
Introduction (10 minutes)
After a brief introduction, each participant is invited to read two poems on his/her own (see two examples
on Task sheet 1).
Step 1 (group work – 20 minutes)
1. Participants form micro-groups with one observer in each. Task sheets have to be distributed and the
observation and comments grid has to be given to the observer in each micro-group (see Task sheets 2
and 3).
2. Group members get together to comment on the two texts. Each participant is encouraged to express
her/his own feelings about what s/he has read. Then, the group analyses the different points of view.
The team must discuss language, culture and identity in order to clarify these concepts.
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