Respect for all: Planet Mingo (cultural and social justice)

This activity was used with children in key stage 2, years 5 and 6.

Aims

• To develop awareness and understanding of the nature of prejudice, racism and stereotyping, and why these need to be challenged.
• To develop strategies for detecting and challenging prejudice, racism and stereotyping.
• To develop respect for difference and diversity.

Activity objectives

• To explore positively cultural differences and similarities, and show an awareness of local and global communities.
• To present and assert a case for personal rights.
• To develop an understanding of right and wrong and a sense of justice, including the concept of a just world.
• To develop qualities of tolerance and empathy to the needs and lives of others (both individuals and societies)

This activity relates to the following components in the key stage 2 PSHE and Citizenship framework:

• learning that their actions affect themselves and others (4a);
• thinking about the lives of people living in other places and times (4b);
• realising the nature and consequences of racism, teasing, bullying and aggressive behaviours (4d);
• recognising and challenging stereotypes (4e);
• learning about differences and similarities between people (4f).

Activity description

This activity was part of a series of six lessons on the theme of cultural diversity and social injustice.The lessons were scheduled over a six-week period during one half-term.

The children explored their own assumptions about life in another culture, through a discussion about life on another planet. The activity also provided opportunity for the pupils to examine their notions of 'who is British?'

For this activity to succeed, the teacher and the children needed the confidence they had developed through circle-time techniques.

Finding things in common (circle-time activity)

The children found a partner from within the class whom they did not know very well. (Alternatively, the teacher could put children into pairs, making sure they are teamed up with someone they are not used to working with.) The children talked to one another to find out something they had in common, eg an interest; a skill; a hope or fear; a like or dislike. When they had established a common bond, the children were encouraged to talk about it briefly to one another.

The whole class reconvened and some pairs gave feedback on their 'common bond'. For example:

Did they find the task easy?
Did they have assumptions about each other?

Geography lesson on the planet Mingo (circle-time activity)

The children listened to the following scenario, and had the chance to share their opinions afterwards.

Imagine you have won an intergalactic competition and your prize is a week on another planet.
The bad news is that you have to go to school while you are there.

So there you are on the planet Mingo, sitting with the rest of the class (who all look like the alien from ET) and you feel a little nervous. Here comes the teacher.

The teacher is an 'expert' on planet Earth and proceeds to tell the Mingolians all about life on earth.

Occasionally the younger Earthlings go on an "outday". They look forward to the "outday", seeing it as a great privilege. What happens on the "outday" is very odd. The young Earthlings sit on different contraptions, which they call rides, to be scared witless, screaming in terror and clutching on to the restraints for their lives. Then they say, "That was brilliant." Strange as this may sound students, this is absolutely true. On "outdays" and at other times, I have seen young Earthlings stuff sweet things into their mouths. Later they visit the tooth doctors who repair the teeth using drills. This looks uncomfortable, but the young Earthlings don't seem to be able to understand that the tooth damage in their mouths is caused by the sweet things. If they did, they would stop chewing them. Compared with the young on planet Mingo, they are quite dumb.

The children then discussed their responses. They received copies of the whole text and worked in groups of three or four to consider questions such as:

Does the teacher think that planet Mingo is better than Earth? If so, why?
What was wrong or mixed-up in what the teacher said?
As an Earthling in that class on planet Mingo:

• Would you say anything to correct the information?
• What would you say?
• How would you say it?
• Who would you say it to?

A whole-class discussion then took place to summarise whether this activity shows us about the way that some people think they understand people from different cultures.

Commentary

The children became aware that:

• their ideas about people from different cultural backgrounds are limited and may be built on false assumptions;
• their ideas about 'British culture' may lead them to give people stereotypical labels such as:

'All Muslims wear long black clothes';
'All black people can dance';
'All English people drink tea';
'All British people are white'.

Within their own circle of relationships (eg class, school, acquaintances in the wider community), there are people whose family lives spring from a diversity of cultures. This pattern is becoming more common in modern Britain. Food, popular music and clothing are examples of where cross-cultural influence and diversity have enriched our shared British culture.

The session was well received by both the children and staff. It enabled the children to discuss matters that, unfortunately are often neglected during class time. The children participated well and looked forward with enthusiasm to the sessions. Their oral responses were mature and positive.

The activities were set at an appropriate level for the age group and enabled the children to talk in a safe environment sharing their knowledge and personal experiences with others.

Follow-up activities

The children could identify aspects of modern mainstream 'British culture' that have roots in minority ethnic groups. For example:

• music: reggae, ragga, hip-hop, bhangra, blues, jazz, R&B;
• food: curry, samosa, pizza, pasta, Chinese food;
• clothing: influence on fashion of traditional dress.

The children could also identify leading personalities, celebrities and positive role models in modern mainstream British culture from minority ethnic groups:

• music: Damage, Craig David, Talvin Singh, Mis-Teeq, Beverley Knight;
• film: Patterson Joseph, Cathy Tyson;
• theatre: David Oyelowo, Roderick Williams;
• television: George Alagiah, Sir Trevor McDonald, Krishnan Guru-Murthy, Konnie Huq, Angellisa Bell, Lenny Henry, Craig Charles, Paul Ewing (You and me), Meera Syal;
• sport: Emile Heskey, Jason Robinson, Alex Tudor, Rio Ferdinand, Nasser Hussain, Denise Lewis, Audley Harrison, Kelly Holmes, Hope Powell ( England's National Women's Football Team Coach), Tessa Sanderson, Ashia Hansen;
• Politics: Diane Abbot MP, Lord (John) Taylor of Warwick, Professor the Lord Desai.

In addition, the children could collect photographs from magazines and pictures in books that present non-stereotypic images of people from other countries or that show Britain as a multiracial, multicultural society.

Resources

The citizenship schemes of work can be found at www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/schemes
The online national curriculum can be found at www.nc.uk.net

PSHE and citizenship introduction

All subjects and activities

Respect for all introduction

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