Multicultural Game

Outline

Content Page Number

Introduction 3

Flowchart of the Game 4

Aspects of Diversity Covered in the Game 5

How Will the Game Teach the Concepts? 8

Game-based Learning Theory 9

The Relation between the Game and Multiculturalism 10

Conclusion 11

Game Video Tutorial & Link of the Game 12

Instructional Guide to the Multiculturalism Game 13

Post Activity 15

References 16
 Introduction
The world is no longer isolated and we are all connected but we have different beliefs, values,
cultures, and different ideas of right and wrong. Imagine that we live in a world where we all
share the same beliefs, same ideas and same values and cultures. Although the idea sounds very
interesting, it will not be very pleasing to live in such world because we are all different and
each individual is a unique person who makes the world diverse and multicultural. Diversity
marks the differences between people whether it is their gender, religion, background, race,
and culture, social and economic status.

The United Arab Emirates, for example, has a diverse and multicultural society. The country
once had a small and ethnically homogeneous community. That was changed by the arrival of
other ethnic groups and nationalities. Nowadays, we almost live in multicultural societies, so
teaching students about the issues of bias, prejudice, discrimination and raising awareness
about diversity is becoming an essential part of the learning process. Teaching multicultural
and diversity activities across the curriculum can improve positive socialization behaviours
among students. Hence, students will manifest acceptance and respect for all cultures in
addition to positive attitudes. Incorporating diversity in teaching would also teach the children
to be critical thinkers. Critical thinking occurs when we strive to understand issues through
examining and questioning. Young children can begin to develop these skills, to know when a
word or an image is unfair or hurtful.

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 Flowchart of the Game

Diversity of Learning

Embrace Diversity

Instructions

Rules Objectives Start

Introduction

Female Male

Map

Stage 1

Stage 2

Stage 3

Conclusion

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 Aspects of Diversity Covered in the Game

The learning outcomes would be to demonstrate understanding of issues related to cultural

diversity, multiculturalism and social change. Additionally, demonstrate understanding of
issues related to intercultural communication, recognize how culture may result in conflict and
apply different strategies to resolve it. These are very big topics, hence we decided to teach sub
topics of this big umbrella, which is to explore and discuss, prejudice, bias and discrimination
stereotyping, culture shock, and diversity in the workplace. Again, these sub-topics would
include many aspects but in this game, we focused on few elements will be discussed below.

Stereotyping, Prejudice, Bias and Discrimination

People are often biased when it comes to others outside their social, cultural or ethnic group.
This can be manifested in the forms of prejudice, stereotypes and discrimination. In the past
decades, these forms of bias were really evident among people that it turned into conflicts in
some areas of the world. However, during the 20th century it became less socially acceptable
to exhibit such forms of discrimination.

We all want to be particular individuals with different thoughts and feelings. But still, we tend
to put other people into groups and label them. This includes emotional prejudices, mental
stereotypes and behavioural discrimination.

These three aspects of bias are related, but they each can occur separately from the others. For
example, sometimes people have a negative, emotional reaction to a social group (prejudice)
without knowing even the most superficial reasons to dislike them (stereotypes).

To help tackle these issues we should understand the meaning of each term as listed below:

Bias: bias is prejudice in favour of or against one thing, person, or group compared with
another, usually in a way considered to be unfair.

Stereotypes: is a preconceived notion, especially about a group of people.

Prejudice: to prejudge people unjustly because of race, gender, religion or any other
categorization.

Discrimination: means treating a person unfairly because of which they are or because they
possess certain characteristics. If you have been treated differently from other people only

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because of who you are or because you possess certain characteristics, you may have been
discriminated against.

However, as the world becomes more interconnected with more collaboration between
countries, more mixed marriages between different ethnic groups; more and more people are
encountering greater diversity in their everyday life.

Culture Shock
Some people need to live abroad for various reasons, such as studying or looking for jobs. This
experience may inspire new world views, increase the cultural curiosity, and explore new areas
of the world. However, it may have negative feelings which makes living abroad difficult and
this refers to the culture shock stage.

Culture shock is “described as the feelings one experiences after leaving their familiar, home
culture to live in another cultural or social environment” (“What is Culture Shock”, n.d.). There
are four stages for the culture shock: honeymoon, frustration, adjustment, and acceptance.

The four common stages of culture shock:

1. The Honeymoon Stage: This is the stage of satisfaction about the new language, new
people, and the new types of food (“The 4 Stages of Culture Shock”, 2016). People at
this stage feel like they will be able to control everything.
2. The Frustration Stage: This is the most difficult stage and this is familiar to anyone
who has lived abroad. A lot of miscommunication may happen and people may not
understand gestures and signs. In addition, more focus will be put on the differences
between the new culture and the home culture.
3. The Adjustment Stage: Travelers at this stage feel less frustrated as they begin to
recognize the people, food, and language in a comfortable way. For instance, people
will start making friends, establishing communities of support and some improvement
in acquiring the new language.
4. The Acceptance Stage: After going through the three stages mentioned above,
acceptance comes as the final stage of culture shock. Through this stage, travelers will
have an understanding that they do not need to have a complete understanding of the
new culture (“The 4 Stages of Culture Shock”, 2016). They start to appreciate certain
aspects of the new culture and feel like it is another home.

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Tips for Dealing with Culture Shock

According to (“8 Tips for dealing with Culture Shock”, 2017), culture shock will happen even
if people stay abroad for short time, so there are some tips to follow to reduce the feeling of the
shock.

• It is normal: Going through all the stages of the culture shock is not a wrong thing but
it is a normal stage for all travelers and it happens to anyone who goes with the same
experience. If travelers deal with this experience as an adventure and excitement, they
will be able to live with all circumstances in a comfortable way.
• Explore: As the second stage (frustration) is the difficult one, try not to take much time
in it and discover the new culture. Think of yourself as a tourist and hold your camera
with you to snap different photos to make memories of the place.
• Make friends with fellow travelers and locals: Making new friends will make
travelers feel less isolated as they will share concerns together. Moreover, making local
friends will help travelers acquire the language and have a deep understanding of the
culture.

Diversity in the Workplace

No matter how big the world is, we no longer life isolated from the globe. Each content, each
region, each country, each city and each area has people who come from different backgrounds,
different religions, different ethnic groups, different genders, race, and colour. We all are
different, and hence the world is increasing in its globalization, we also are required to increase
our interaction among people from diverse backgrounds. We are all competing with a global
framework, thus all organizations (regardless if they are government or non-government,
private or profit or non-profit) we all need to become more diverse to remain competitive.
Having said that, I believe we all notice the recent initiatives of organizations in the UAE to
maximize and capitalize on workplace diversity as it is an important issue in management.
Because diversity is beneficial for both employers and associates, even though associates are
independent in their workplaces, but by respecting individual differences they can increase
productivity.

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Here are a few of the top benefits or diversity in the workplace:

• Talents, skills and experiences: Individuals from diverse backgrounds can offer a
selection of different talents, skills and experiences, that may be of benefit to the
organization and their work performance.
• It creates innovation: By working alongside, people of different backgrounds,
experiences and working styles, and creative concepts can be born from bouncing
ideas off from each other and offering feedback and suggestions.
• Improves employee performance: Employees are more likely to feel comfortable
and happy in an environment where inclusivity is a priority. Equality in the workplace
is important for encouraging workers from all backgrounds to feel confident in their
ability and achieve their best. The higher the team morale, the more productive
employees are.

People in leadership positions (like managers and supervisors) need to endorse the change and
recognize the ways in which workplaces are changing and evolving. It requires a well
knowledgeable person to be able to adapt and accommodate a multicultural work environment,
as managing diversity in a workplace can be very challenging. After All, what does diversity
really means? It means, and it implies for acknowledging, understanding, accepting, and
valuing differences among people with respect to age, class, race, ethnicity, gender, disabilities,
etc. (Esty and Griffin and Schorr-Hirsh, 1995).

Naturally, when you have diversity in your workplace, some challenges will come up in many
ways and types. Managing diversity in a workplace is more than simply acknowledging
differences in people. It is more about recognizing the value of differences, combating
discrimination, discrimination and promoting inclusiveness. One major barrier to
organizational diversity is negative attitudes and behaviours since these might harm the
working relationships and damage morals, and hence reduce work productivity (Esty et al,
1995). Examples of negative attitudes and behaviours can be like, prejudice, stereotyping,
discrimination of age, gender, race, ethnicity, skin colour, mental or physical disability, etc.
Those types of negative behaviours should never be used in organizations by any employee
and especially management in hiring, retention or termination practices.

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 How Will the Game Teach the Concepts?

Before learners play the game, they obviously will be learning about the concept of diversity
and multiculturalism. And based on the learning outcomes mentioned above, the game will be
tailored to cover these concepts in real life situations. Basically, the activities in the game and
the challenges will be about those concepts. We all as educators’ life-long learners, realize that
for us to really learn about something, we need to be amerced in the situation and it has to be
relevant to us. Hence, when we were designing our game, we kept in mind those important
elements to include in our game.

Having said that, you will notice that the game is very interactive, and its theme is based on a
trip around the planet. When students play the game, they will be exposed to real life situations
and scenarios, in which they have to think about the situation explained and then select the
answer that they think might be correct. Once that it is done, a feedback message will be shown
based on their responses. For example, if their answer is incorrect, they will receive a feedback
explanation to guide them to the correct answer. The situations and the tasks in the game are
authentic practices for diversity in the real world.

During the game and the post activity (review the instructional guide below), learners can be
engaged in role plays and open discussions about diversity and multiculturalism. We believe
these activities will be the most powerful and impactful to learners, as they will be critically
analysing situations to come up with ideas, solutions or the moral behind the acts. They would
also get insight into other perspectives. The game can be used as an isolated tool to teach the
concepts on diversity and multiculturalism, or as suggested in the instructional guide below, to
be used as a blended learning, where they engage with the content first then practice
authentically through the game. We believe this method of blending technology and face to
face interaction would have a positive impact on learners’ retention of these concepts and it
could powerfully change their perspectives to better outcomes.

Game-based Learning Theory

Game based learning (GBL) is built upon constructivism theory which suggests providing
learners with the essential tools to construct their own procedures to solve problems (“The
Theory of Game-Based Learning”, 2017). In fact, utilizing games in education is valuable and
has many advantages as we noticed during our experience in teaching. Piaget (1962), discussed
in (Plass, Homer, & Kinzer, 2015) that children go through stages of cognitive development
while they develop intellectually, and socially through games.

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Argument for GBL

There are many studies and literature reviews have been conducted to show the importance of
game-based learning (GBL) in education. Although there are many arguments about using
digital games in classrooms, there is a study which showed that GBL motivated students to
learn. According to a study that was conducted in 2015, 65.5% found games to be motivating,
28% claimed it would not matter either way, and 8% found them to be demotivating (Game
Based Learning: Is It Effective Classroom Instruction?” n.d.). Game based learning refers to
using games to enhance the learning process. According to (McGonigal, 2011) mentioned in
(Game Based Learning: Is It Effective Classroom Instruction?” n.d.), games have four
important elements: goals, rules, feedback system, and voluntary participation. As educators,
we need to focus more on the elements to create more valuable games which meets the learning
outcomes.

Advantages and Opinions

Firstly, GBL gives learners the chance to practice, and experience in non-threatening scenarios
as they acquire the target knowledge through interaction with their peers and the environment
in an authentic way (“The Theory of Game-Based Learning”, 2017). I totally agree with this
statement because when I taught grade 6 students and students played “the ladders and snakes”
game as two groups, I was surprised with the results and the amount of interaction between
students talking about animals and where they live. The game was created based on the learning
outcomes of the unit and students had a great chance to interact with their peers and live the
real experience.

Another great advantage for GBL is the immediate feedback that takes place during the game
playing as (“5 Advantages of Game-Based Learning”, 2016) mentioned. Learners need to
receive feedback on their learning process and feedback has different ways. Games give
learners the chance to get rapid results about their progress. I believe getting feedback through
games will not only assist students, but it will also help teachers to decide whether to continue
teaching with the same methods or improve instructions.

According to (“How Game-Based Learning Can Help Students of All Ages Learn”, 2016),
Bruner’s discovery learning theory emphasized the importance of engaging students in play-
based activities since they have many benefits. The connection is clear between Bruner’s theory
and GBL. Based on Bruner’s theory, using games will help learners improve some skills, such
as creativity, problem-solving, sense of personal responsibility and independence. In fact, there

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skills are very crucial in today’s classrooms as they meet the needs of today’s learners and the
21st century skills.

The Relation between the Game and Multiculturalism

The concept of the game we created is based on activities which raise learners’ awareness of
multiculturalism. Diversity in the workplace, culture shock and discrimination are three main
concepts covered in the game. These main concepts are connected to multiculturalism since
they highlight diversity and cultural differences. While creating the game, we considered
meeting the objectives of the lesson which are understanding issues related to cultural diversity,
multiculturalism and social change, and recognizing how culture may result in conflict and
applying different strategies to resolve it.

Based on the types of questions included in the game, students will be experiencing real life
situations as they will read short sceneries about discrimination and diversity in the workplace
and respond to them. In addition, after introducing the concepts and highlighting the main
points with students, teachers can use the game to revise the concepts and check learners’
comprehension in a fun and interesting way. Through the game, learners will use their critical
thinking skills to connect their knowledge about multiculturalism to answer the questions.

Conclusion

Teaching the concept of diversity and multiculturalism through an interactive game is a

valuable method of delivering such delicate information. The content presented in the game
should be authentic and related to learners’ experiences as they can relate to them. Based on
our experiences as educators, we have discovered that students learn best when they apply the
knowledge learned through experiential learning. As a suggestion for teachers who are
interested using this game, be aware that this game will not work by itself, but it has to be
linked with face to face interaction. In fact, we recommend teachers to use the blended learning
approach while teaching this content along with the game. Further to the game, teachers can
use role plays, discussions and debates as methods to enhance and trigger learners’ critical
thinking skills.

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 Game Video Tutorial & Link of the Game

Link 1: please click on the link to watch some tips for playing the game

https://screencast-o-matic.com/watch/cFfOQQbItB

Link 2: Embrace Diversity Game

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1FmQsjC8PyM9-ouoiEwXS5tESS-7cZlK7/view?usp=sharing

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 Instructional Guide to the Multiculturalism Game

Instructions (Guide for Techers to Use the Game):

Before playing the game:

- Make sure before your learners play the game that they understand the below concepts
(explained in more details above):
o Demonstrate understanding of issues related to cultural diversity, multicultural
ism and social change
• Explore and discuss culture shock
• Discuss problems associated with stereotyping, prejudice, bias
and discrimination
o Demonstrate understanding of issues related to intercultural communication;
recognize how culture may result in conflict and apply different strategies to
resolve it
• Explore diversity in the workplace
- Display the game on the projector to model it for learners who might have some
difficulties in playing the game.

While playing the game: (Optional)

- After learners complete stage 1, ask them to pause the game (We understand that some
learners might take longer time than other o finish each part, but regardless we just want
you to go over the content of stage 1).
- Ask learners what they experienced in stage 1. What were their feelings and thoughts?
(have a group discussion about this for 10 minutes).

After playing the game:

- Ask students to do the post activity below.

- After they finish the post activity, engage them in more open discussions/call on debates
on controversial issues/situations on diversity and multiculturalism. Allow students to
share their experiences and expose them to different perspectives (YouTube
educational videos, TED Talks, Edutopia). The purpose of this activity is to engage
learners to use the 21st century skills like critical thinking (sharing their experiences),
critique, evaluate, and analyze (when exposed to controversial issues)

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How to play the game?

Time frame: 30 minutes

Materials: PC or any smart device and headphones

- Open your computer/iPad (this program is compatible with PC and IOS) and open the
Multiculturalism Game.
- Click on “start” to start playing the game.
- Once you click on “start” you will see the instructions to play the game.
- Read instructions carefully to have an overall idea about the pace of the game
- ; you will notice the following
o Rules
o Objectives
o Start
- Click on “start” and choose a character to represent you (player) in the game.
- Click on stage 1 (discrimination & bias).
- Go over the content of stage 1 and read carefully to be prepared for the challenge.
- To move to stage 2, you should successfully complete stage 1 challenge.
- Click on stage 2 (culture shock).
- Watch the video explaining the content of culture shock.
- To move to stage 3, you should successfully complete stage 2 challenge.
- Click on stage 3 (diversity in the workplace).
- Watch the video explaining the content of diversity in the workplace.
- Complete stage 3 challenge to accomplish all the stages of the game

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 Post Activity

Students will create flyers using Somre to raise awareness about one of the issues discussed in
the game. It could be about issues related to discrimination, cultural shocks or diversity in
workplace.

Rubric adapted from: Adapted from

https://www.rcampus.com/rubricshowc.cfm?sp=yes&code=R5B2B9&

Category 4 3 2 1
Organization Layout is logical Layout is Layout is Layout is
and appealing; an organized; a Z haphazard; confusing;
obvious focal point format not aligned
or attention grabber followed white
apparent. space is used
appropriately
Attractiveness The font and sizes Text fonts and Text fonts Text fonts and
are well chosen; sizes are and sizes sizes make the
exceptionally readable; may cause flyer difficult to
attractive formatting attractive distraction; read; distracting
and easy to read. formatting unattractive and unattractive
formatting formatting
content The reader knows Flyer contains Flyer Flyer contains
the purpose of flyer several details contains very few, if any,
and what to expect and is mostly some of the details
at the attraction, complete details
restaurant, business,
etc..
Spelling/ No errors are No more than No more More than 4
Proofreading evident after 2 errors are than 4 errors errors are noted
proofreading evident after are evident
proofreading after
proofreading
Graphics Graphics and Graphics and Graphics and Graphics and
pictures go well WordArt go WordArt go WordArt do not
with the text and well with the well with the go with the
there is a good mix text but there text but there accompanying
of text and graphics are so many are too few text or appear to
that they and the flyer be randomly
distract from seems "text chosen
the text heavy"

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 References
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https://www.brighthubeducation.com/teaching-methods-tips/129304-advantages-of-
game-based-learning/
8 Tips for dealing with Culture Shock | Kaplan Blog. (2017). Retrieved from
https://www.kaplaninternational.com/blog/8-tips-for-dealing-culture-shock
The Theory of Game-Based Learning. (2017, July 07). Retrieved from
https://www.game-learn.com/the-theory-of-game-based-learning/
Braverman, D. (2015, August 12). The Huffington Post: Diversity as An Enriching
Experience. Retrieved from https://www.cicu.org/news/op-eds/huffington-post-
diversity-enriching-experience
C. (2014, April 26). Seven false stereotypes about the Chinese. Retrieved from
https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/opinion/2014-04/26/content_17403411_2.htme

Devine, P. G. (1989). Stereotypes and prejudice: Their automatic and controlled

components. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 56(1), 5-18.
Dovidio, J. F., & Gaertner, S. L. (2010). Intergroup bias. In S. T. Fiske, D. T. Gilbert, & G.
Lindzey (Eds.), Handbook of social psychology, Vol. 2 (5th ed.) (pp. 1084-1121).
Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley.

Esty, K., R. Griffin, and M. Schorr-Hirsh. (1995). Workplace diversity. A manager's guide to

solving problems and turning diversity into a competitive advantage. Avon, MA:
Adams Media Corporation.

Fiske, S. T. (1998). Stereotyping, prejudice, and discrimination. In D. T. Gilbert, S. T. Fiske,

& G. Lindzey (Eds.), The handbook of social psychology, Vols. 1 and 2 (4th ed.) (pp.
357-411). New York: McGraw-Hill.
Game Based Learning: Is It Effective Classroom Instruction? (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://coffeeforthebrain.com/game-based-learning-is-it-effective-classroom-
instruction/
How Game-Based Learning Can Help Students of All Ages Learn. (2016). Retrieved from
http://www.edudemic.com/game-based-learning-help-learn/
Plass, J. L., Homer, B. D., & Kinzer, C. K. (2015). Foundations of Game-Based Learning.
258–283.

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Rapp, T. (Ed.). (n.d.). The Importance of Teaching About Diversity. Retrieved April 18,
2016, from https://www.theodysseyonline.com/importance-teaching-diversity
The 4 Stages of Culture Shock – Global Perspectives – Medium. (2016, February 19).
Retrieved from https://medium.com/global-perspectives/the-4-stages-of-culture-
shock-a79957726164
What is Culture Shock, and What Can I do to Avoid it? (n.d.). Retrieved from
https://www.hziegler.com/articles/culture-shock.html

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