The #RiceBreaker: Facilitating Intercultural Dialogues in the Classroom by Engaging Shared Experiences

Abstract

Research demonstrates that classroom dynamics benefit from a culture of mutuality and respect, especially in seminar courses that thrive on student discussion and classroom participation. But cultivating such a culture can be challenging, especially because students come from various cultural backgrounds and bring different life experiences with them to the classroom space. This article outlines an activity employed during the first meeting of the semester that facilitates intercultural dialogue in the classroom by encouraging students to provide their perspectives on a shared experience. The activity asks students to answer a straightforward question: “how does your family or your culture cook rice?” By using the example of a simple ingredient found across the globe, the activity demonstrates how students can hold different perspectives on the same topic based on their own experiences, and models for the class how to approach conversation throughout the semester when perspectives on a given topic may vary. This activity provides an example of how a classroom icebreaker can be used in a way that facilitates dialogue, promotes participation, and models intellectual respect.

Keywords:

• Multicultural classroom
• identity
• culture
• inclusive pedagogy

Notes

1 For students who do not want to talk, I recommend providing alternative ways for students to contribute.

For example, instructors can invite students to continue the conversation during office hours (a great way to encourage attendance), or send an email sharing their response. For instructors who make it a point to provide multiple ways for students to demonstrate their classroom engagement, the RiceBreaker can provide an opportunity to showcase the different modes of engagement offered in the course.

2 I am careful not to imply that all perspectives must be treated with equal validity, but rather that we can weight the influence that ideas have on our own knowledge, and that our own ideas may even change when we are presented with new information.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Amber D. Spry

Dr. Amber D. Spry is an Assistant Professor in the Department of African and African American Studies and an affiliate in the Department of Politics at Brandeis University. Her research and teaching examine the role social identity plays in shaping political attitudes and behaviors in the United States. Dr. Spry’s current book in progress is titled The Identity Inventory: What group ties can (and can’t) tell us about politics.