The NESA Activities Handbook for Native and Multicultural Classrooms

P.J. Hammel is a professor of Education at the University of
Saskatchewan.

According to the authors, this book of activities is in response to requests from many teachers for a collection of activities “designed for or appropriate to the native Indian or multicultural classroom.” The 27 activities include “communication exercises, simulation games, values clarification activities, group process exercises and research projects...,” all of which are designed to focus on and develop “attitudes necessary for multicultural awareness and sensitivity.” Some of the activities included are: Two on a Crayon, One-Way And Two-Way Communication, Win As Much As You Can, Evaluating People on Incorrect Information, NASA Exercise, Colonialism Game, and On the Edge of Objectivity. For each activity the authors provide the following information: Goals, Group Size, Time Required, Grade Level, Materials Needed, Notes on Use (in which the authors share their experiences regarding problems, opportunities to watch for, hints and ideas), Procedure, and Debriefing (questions for discussion “to help students extrapolate from the exercise, to gain additional meaning, and to apply learning that has resulted to their own lives”; sample answers are, however, not generally offered).

The authors claim: “The techniques outlined here work.” Each activity has been thoroughly tested in the classroom. The activities appeal to and are effective with both the achieving and the non-achieving student; they provide a way of teaching concepts, skills, and attitudes that is often ignored by traditional techniques. Although arranged according to approximate difficulty, from lower grades to higher, many of the more advanced games can be adapted for younger students — indeed, teachers are encouraged to adapt and modify or even to develop their own activities.

To all of this a word of caution must be added: This work is for skilled professionals only. Those unfamiliar with group processes and simulation activities should acquire appropriate training before attempting these activities.