Many Faces, One People

Sam Gullickson                                                                         Shane Steele

Professional School Counselor                                                  MSU,M Intern, Spring 2000

Waseca Central Intermediate School                                         Waseca Central Intermediate

Waseca, Minnesota                                                                   Waseca, Minnesota

Description of Program:

Many Faces, One People is a multicultural training guide based on the stereotyping unit of the Youth For Understanding manual on Intercultural Communication published in 1985 and revised in 1992 as part of a project funded by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation through the National 4-H Council and the USDA Extension 4-H program.  The material is divided into eight lessons that take students through the recognition of stereotypes, defining stereotypes, to developing strategies to use and analyzing stereotypes.   

Each lesson is designed to be presented in about 40 minutes to roughly one hour.   Each lesson is designed to be adapted to fit your time frame and audience.  Within each lesson, activities are described in detail; lesson descriptions include lesson length, equipment needed, objectives and hints for the trainer.

Description of Lesson (from the program)

Lesson:  Defining Stereotypes

Materials Needed:  Potatoes (at least one per person), a large bag, and something to write on (flipchart, chalkboard, whiteboard).

Activity: 

Take a potato out and hold it up.  Share with students how much you have thought about potatoes – maybe about how you may have taken them for granted, or have not really thought a lot about them.  Roll out the potatoes and ask each student to take a potato.  Ask each student to examine their potato and really get to know them.  They should be able to identify the bumps, scars, color, and any other fact about their potato.  They should make friends with their potato for about one minute in silence so that they will be able to introduce their potato friend to the group.  After silence, introduce your potato to the group and share a little story that tells something about the potato.  Have each student share their story.  Ask them if they handle their “friend” differently now from the first time.  Ask each person if they would be able to find their “friend” again.  Put the potatoes back into the bag.  Ask if everyone would agree with the statement that, “all potatoes are the same.”  And if not, why.  (20 minutes)

Take the potatoes out of the bag and ask each person to find their “friend.”  Share with the students that perhaps potatoes are a little like people.  Discuss how we tend to group people together and how we tend to think that all people within that group are alike.  Discuss how everyone in the group is alike and may be grouped together according to all being fourth graders, for example.  Discuss what happened to change the group’s mind that all potatoes are not alike.  Process with the students about how getting to know their potato may be similar to getting to know more about different people.  (10 minutes)

An option provided is to discuss the four different terms that have related meanings to the word stereotyping.  Have students brainstorm about the ideas each associates with the words:  generalization, bias, prejudice and discrimination.  Using the handouts in the training guide, help students explore the definition of each and identify examples.  (15-20 minutes)

Connections to Related Standards, Competencies, and Domains:

Many Faces, One People directly relates to Minnesota Graduation Standard Learning Area #7 (3501.0447): People and Cultures at all levels of content standards.  Students explore a variety of stereotypes associated with many segments of the population. 

Many Faces, One People also discusses the Personal/Social and Academic domains of the Minnesota School Counselors’ Model of Developmental Guidance and Counseling.  Students receive an education about the definition of stereotypes, related words, strategies to use, myths, and information about other cultures.  Furthermore, students in lessons five, six and eight learn skills to address stereotypes and situations within which stereotypes are being used.

References and Resources

Scaringe, Phyllis (1992).  Many faces, many people:  A mulicultural training guide. 

(Community CARES project,  W. K. Kellogg Foundation – National 4-H Council and the USDA Extension 4-H program).

For Further Information:

Sam Gullickson

Professional School Counselor

Waseca Central Intermediate School & Southside Elementary, Waseca MN  56093

Phone:  507-835-3000