Decision-Making in Our SchoolActivities & Teaching Strategies
Active learning transforms abstract ideas about culture into concrete, shared experiences. When students see, hear, and teach each other about traditions, they move from passive awareness to active appreciation. This topic works best when students engage directly with the people and practices in their own community rather than relying on secondhand information.
Learning Objectives
- 1Identify different groups within the school community that make decisions.
- 2Explain the process by which classroom rules are created and enforced.
- 3Compare two different methods for group decision-making, such as voting versus consensus.
- 4Justify the importance of student input in school-wide decisions.
- 5Design a poster illustrating one way students can share their voice in school.
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Peer Teaching: Tradition Show and Tell
Students bring in an item or a photo representing a family tradition (e.g., a special recipe, a holiday decoration). In small groups, each student 'teaches' the others about why this tradition is important to their family.
Prepare & details
How are decisions made in our school, and who gets to be involved in making them?
Facilitation Tip: During Tradition Show and Tell, sit in a circle so every student faces the speaker and feels equally valued.
Setup: Presentation area at front, or multiple teaching stations
Materials: Topic assignment cards, Lesson planning template, Peer feedback form, Visual aid supplies
Gallery Walk: Festivals Around the World
Set up stations for different cultural festivals (e.g., Lunar New Year, Diwali, Eid, NAIDOC Week). Students rotate in pairs, looking at images and objects, and finding one 'common thing' (like special food or lights) in every festival.
Prepare & details
What are some different ways a group can make a decision together, and how well does each way work?
Setup: Wall space or tables arranged around room perimeter
Materials: Large paper/poster boards, Markers, Sticky notes for feedback
Think-Pair-Share: The 'Soup' of Community
The teacher uses a 'Community Soup' analogy (each culture is a different ingredient). Students think of one 'ingredient' their family brings to the community, share with a partner, and discuss why a soup with many ingredients is better than just one.
Prepare & details
Why is it important for students to have a say in decisions that affect them at school?
Setup: Standard classroom seating; students turn to a neighbor
Materials: Discussion prompt (projected or printed), Optional: recording sheet for pairs
Teaching This Topic
Experienced teachers approach this topic by grounding activities in students’ lived experiences. Avoid starting with textbook definitions of culture; instead, connect lessons to what students already know and observe in their daily lives. Research shows that when students teach each other, misconceptions about who ‘has’ culture dissolve more effectively than with teacher-led explanations alone.
What to Expect
Successful learning looks like students confidently sharing their own or their family’s cultural practices, actively listening to peers, and recognizing how diverse traditions contribute to the school community. They should be able to explain why including different voices makes decisions richer and more inclusive.
These activities are a starting point. A full mission is the experience.
- Complete facilitation script with teacher dialogue
- Printable student materials, ready for class
- Differentiation strategies for every learner
Watch Out for These Misconceptions
Common MisconceptionDuring Tradition Show and Tell, watch for students assuming that only families from overseas have traditions worth sharing.
What to Teach Instead
Use the show-and-tell format to highlight that traditions can be as simple as a family’s Sunday roast or a local fishing spot, and invite students to share these in the same way.
Common MisconceptionDuring the Gallery Walk of Festivals Around the World, watch for students focusing only on food or clothing as the main difference between cultures.
What to Teach Instead
Before the walk, ask students to look for traditions tied to celebrations, such as dances, songs, or ways of giving gifts, and prompt them to notice commonalities like joy or gratitude.
Assessment Ideas
After Think-Pair-Share about the 'Soup' of Community, pose the question: 'Imagine our class needs to choose a theme for the next assembly. What are two ways we could decide together? Which way would work best and why?' Listen for students comparing methods and justifying their choices based on fairness or inclusivity.
During Tradition Show and Tell, provide students with a scenario such as 'The class wants to choose a new game for Friday afternoon playtime.' Ask them to draw or write one sentence showing how a student could share their idea for the game. Check for understanding of active participation by reviewing whether their response includes sharing an idea with the group.
After the Gallery Walk of Festivals Around the World, ask students to name one person or group in the school who helps make decisions. Then, have them write one reason why it is important for students to have a say in school matters. Review responses for accurate identification of decision-makers and understanding of student voice.
Extensions & Scaffolding
- Challenge early finishers to prepare a short role-play showing how they would explain a family tradition to someone who has never seen it before.
- Scaffolding: Provide sentence starters on cards for students who struggle to begin, such as 'My family celebrates _____ by _____.'
- Deeper exploration: Invite a local elder or community member to share a story about how their cultural practices have shaped the neighborhood over time.
Key Vocabulary
| Decision-making | The process of choosing a course of action or making a judgment. In school, this can range from choosing a book to read to deciding on a new playground rule. |
| Student voice | The expression of students' opinions, ideas, and perspectives on issues that affect their learning and school experience. It means students are heard and considered. |
| School community | All the people who are part of a school, including students, teachers, parents, and staff. Everyone contributes to the school's environment. |
| Consensus | An agreement reached by a group where everyone can support the decision, even if it is not their first choice. It involves listening to all ideas. |
| Voting | A formal expression of choice or opinion by a group, usually by marking a ballot or raising hands. The option with the most votes wins. |
Suggested Methodologies
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