|
Refugee issues in the classroom by Fiona Eastley (Doshisha Women's College of Liberal Arts) |
|
Abstract Keywords: refugees, global issues, stereotypes, prejudice, content-based education. |
|
Refugee issues in the classroom by Fiona Eastley (Doshisha Women's College of Liberal Arts) |
|
Abstract Keywords: refugees, global issues, stereotypes, prejudice, content-based education. |
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) estimated that there were nearly 19.8 million refugees
in the world as of January 1st, 2002, (UNHCR, 2002a). Many students are unaware of why people become refugees and
what distinguishes a refugee from others. This lesson is based on material produced by the UNHCR which can be found
on their website, (UNHCR, 2002b). This lesson aims at getting students to examine their own knowledge about refugees
and to consider the issues of prejudice and stereotypes within a content-based approach.
Content-based instruction as defined by Snow (1991) is the use of subject matter for language teaching purposes.
Snow (op. cit.) discusses how a content-based approach can boost student motivation while providing students an
opportunity to use language in a meaningful way. Swain (1985) highlights the importance of meaningful use of
language in the acquisition of communicative competence. Apart from the benefits of a content-based approach
in helping students acquire language skills, the actual content to be taught can be chosen by the teacher to
impart knowledge about issues from a perspective that the students may not have experienced.
Since the 1990's, content-based courses have become increasingly a part of many language classrooms; content areas
often include global issues and concerns. Cates (1990) stated that global education was bringing a new perspective
to the language classroom, school curricula, and the world of applied linguistics. Dyer and Bushell (1996) called this
growing world-wide trend "global education" and wrote that the need for a global perspective in foreign language
education in Japan was no exception. Teaching global issues through a content-based approach creates an opportunity
to give students an immersion in English through learning about important world issues, since
"this contextualisation provides situational and language background necessary to learn a new language. . . this is a return to a humanistic view of educationists' role as professionals who seek to educate students to be participative, well-rounded citizens." - Jacobs (1995, p. 17).Language education at the university level in Japan has recently been affected by the steadily decreasing population of students. The number of eighteen year olds in Japan dropped 25% from 1992 to 2000 and is expected to continue to decline (Asahi Shimbun Japan Almanac 2002). Universities are increasingly being expected to offer a greater variety of classes and more career based courses to entice enrollments. Content-based courses especially involving global education can provide university language courses with a new look current to today's world and issues.
[ p. 58 ]
This lesson was the first part in a series comprising a unit on refugees. This 90-minute lesson on refugee awareness I taught to a class of 25 first year university students studying within the faculty of contemporary social studies had the following three objectives:
The class begins with the teacher asking students to brainstorm what the word "refugee" means to them and consider what type of people become/are refugees. Students can be asked individually, in pairs or small groups. The teacher then goes around the class eliciting different answers from each student until all of the different comments are given and written on the board.
In higher-level classes students can be asked to give a definition of the word refugee using simple English. In lower-level classes the teacher writes a definition of this word on the board, e.g. "Refugees are people who have left their home country because they are scared that they will die or lose their freedom if they stay", (UNHCR, 2002a). Definitions can vary depending on the language level of the class, but should be based on the definition given by the UNHCR based on the 1951 convention relating to the status of refugees and its 1967 protocol (UNHCR, 2002c). More in depth discussion about the meaning and use of the word "refugee" could be an interesting adjunct to the lesson time permitting, see extension activities for further tasks.
The teacher then gives out the 'Spot the Refugee ' poster. Students select ten of the characters and give each character an identity and/or occupation. Students are also encouraged to give reasons for their opinions. The students can be guided to discuss their reasons and whether they were influenced by gender, appearance, clothing. A few students are selected to explain which characters they chose and what identity/occupation they gave that character and why. Further instruction and discussion can then be given on stereotypes depending on the answers the students give. For example is students assume the fire fighter is a man or the person in plain clothes is poor.
Next, students are told that one of the characters is a refugee. In pairs students try to find the refugee and once they have made a decision they must also prepare a reason to why they chose that particular character. Several students are asked to give their answers and reasons. These reasons are then compared with the definition of refugee on the board.
Finally, students are then instructed to lift the blank paper flap and to read the explanation on the bottom of the poster with the teacher and identify the refugee. The words prejudice and stereotypes are then presented and students consider what influenced their decision in choosing the refugee. This can lead to further discussion depending on the level of the class. The class concludes with a review of the meaning of refugee and comparing it with the reasons the students gave for choosing their character.[ p. 59 ]
Assessment can be done either objectively with a formal assessment or more subjectively. As the goals of the lesson are very subjective, a more reflective method of assessment is recommended. The following activities can all be used as a way to assess the students' grasp of the lesson, of their learning experience and their understanding of new vocabulary.
1. How would you feel if you lost all your possessions? 2. What is the difference between a refugee and you? 3. How would you feel if you had to move to a country where the people didn't speak any of the languages you know?
This lesson has been used successfully with first year university students studying within a predominately content-based course. The lesson is also suitable for younger students such as junior high school students, but the vocabulary would need to be adjusted. Students can be introduced to the concepts of stereotypes and prejudice without actually being taught the specific vocabulary. When the lesson is being used with students with a low level of English, the students would need to be given the grammatical and conversational structures to complete some activities. Therefore with lower level students, the lesson would have the theme of refugees, but the approach might need to be more task-based rather than content-based. Some difficulties that might be encountered are that students try to complete the activity in Japanese. To prevent this, the students need to be at a suitable level of English so they can discuss the issues — or as said, before students need to be given more structure and vocabulary. Students may need to be given a preparation lesson beforehand in which they are introduced to structures and forms that will be needed in the following lesson.
One other problem teachers might encounter is that some students might not feel the topic is relevant to them or shows any concern about refugees. This situation can be improved if the teacher presents true case studies about refugees, pictures from magazines or information in the news especially if it relates to the student's home country.
