The Language Teacher
06 - 2002
Self Identity and Awareness in Society
Jane Lightburn
Aichi Gakuin University
<allah@dpc.aichi-gakuin.ac.jp>
QUICK GUIDE
Key Words: Self identity, values, social skills, interpersonal skills
Learner English Level: Intermediate to advanced
Learner Maturity Level: University/adult
Preparation Time: 30 minutes
Activity Time: Two 40 minute classes
Materials: Photocopies of Appendix 1
Learning about social identity through self identity in the EFL classroom can be interesting and rewarding with good activities. Through a personal, hands-on, interactive activity, students not only practice English communication skills, but are also given the opportunity to focus on their positive inner qualities and powers, rather than the external socio-cultural, racial, and gender-based factors that greatly influence and shape their identities.
The main focus behind this activity is to highlight the powers that are within the control of the individual. In attempting this, students explore the powers of the self and the application of these factors in their everyday lives.
Procedure
Class One
- 1. Explain to the students that the purpose of the activity is to focus on powers that are within their control.
- 2. Ask students to select a color from blue, orange, red, gold, green turquoise, rose, and violet. Each color relates to a power (e.g., orange is the power to co operate) and each power contains four virtues (e.g., the power to co-operate consists of respect, honesty, harmony, and generosity.)
- 3. Give students a copy of Appendix 1 and ask them to select one of the virtues which matches their chosen color.
- 4. Next, ask students to write down a situation in their lives such as a problem or a challenge they are currently facing that they would like to improve.
- 5. Ask students to think of ways they could develop the virtue chosen in step 3 to improve the situation they wrote about in step 4.
- 6. For homework, students should attempt to use and develop this virtue every day for one week to improve the difficult situation they wrote about in step 4. Ask them to write down what they said and did to achieve this.
Class Two
- 1. Split students into groups of three or four.
- 2. Ask students to each discuss the virtue they chose, describe their daily attempts to use and develop it, and describe any effects this activity had on their current situation.
- 3. An additional option is to ask students to write up the experience in the form of an essay.
(Adapted from the “Women of Spirit: 4 Faces of Woman” workshop by Caroline Ward, Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University, Sydney, Australia, 1993).
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