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SEL: Philosophical Chairs - Intro to Bias

This activity prompts young people to think and speak critically with their peers about a real-world topic. They consider how the topic applies to them and how it might impact others. During this activity, youth share their opinions, debate their positions, and sometimes even change sides as their opinions shift to accommodate new information or other viewpoints. This activity introduces young people to the concepts of bias and stereotypes by discussing how the judgments we make can be very damaging. 

Through this activity participants become aware of their own privileges, and the racial, cultural and socio-economic biases in society today.

“No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion.
If [people] can learn to hate they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite. ”
~Nelson Mandela

In this lesson, students learn to identify bullying behavior using two literature books, Mr. Lincoln's Way and The Secret Bully.  They compare and contrast two examples of bullying behavior portrayed in the books and create a peer/staff/family survey to research bullying behavior in their own school community.

Using a variety of activities, students examine the meaning of and examples of stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination. They work in groups to propose ways to help reduce stereotyping, prejudice, and discrimination.

Students examine the meaning of and examples of stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination. They reflect on ways that stereotypes develop and have the potential to turn into discrimination.

Through an activity with differently wrapped gifts, youth examine the meaning of stereotypes and prejudice. They discuss the importance of respecting diverse voices to avoid stereotyping and prejudice.

The purpose of this lesson is for learners to create a vocabulary wall about respect. They will define words associated with respect and disrespect and write a sentence using a vocabulary word.

Students listen to a creative story about a group of characters who have no self-respect or respect for others. Students analyze the effects of lack of respect and identify ways to demonstrate respect in real-life situations.

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