Respect is the cornerstone of all our intentions and getting along with people is one’s most important career skill. The development of good human relations skills will be explored as a strategy for promoting equity and celebrating diversity in the workplace. Business education students, regardless of career choices, should develop skills to succeed in the diverse environment they will be entering.

Since President Johnson uttered the words "affirmative action" more than three decades ago, the impact on America’s workforce is undeniable. The labor force is growing more slowly than it did ten years ago. More women are entering the workforce, with women now accounting for 46 percent of the labor force. The labor force is aging and this may force businesses to find new ways to better utilize older workers. The workforce is showing greater ethnic diversity. The percentage of all minority ethnic groups in the population will increase in the next few years and this will be reflected in the workforce. African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Asians and Native Americans will compose one in four workers. Companies have responded to this trend by creating ethnic diversity programs to help workers understand and appreciate cultural differences. This mix of cultures in the workplace will bring new perspectives to solving business problems. An individual will be a more valuable and effective employee if he/she can successfully perform in a diverse workforce.

The workforce of the future will represent a broad range of gender, age, and ethnic differences. It is critical for people entering the workforce to be aware of these changes and of the necessity to work with all different kinds of people. Learning to appreciate differences is a workplace requirement. The increased use of human relations skills will lead to a much higher quality of life and a more pleasant work environment with less strife or conflict. When people are getting along well with one another a workplace has increased productivity, fewer errors, a positive feeling of team spirit and lower employee turnover.

In today’s changing workplace, the keyword for success is flexibility. As the economy continues its shift from goods-producing to service-producing, new and different skills are needed. When dealing with people from diverse races, religions, genders, national identities, abilities, and ages, it takes a commonsense approach to human relations. Treat others as you would like to be treated.

Workplace Diversity

Today’s workplace is steadily becoming more diverse with more immigrants, more individuals with disabilities, more women, more ethnic minorities, and older workers represented. Native-born white males, no longer the majority of the work force, currently represent only one in six workers. The diversity in the work world can set the stage for problems of prejudice and cultural conflict. Employers expect workers to fit in, get along, and help others to do so. Learning to understand the values and views of others which are different while taking pride in who you are and making an effort to learn about different cultures and traditions are benchmarks to this goal. Cultural conflict can be avoided when workers are sensitive and respectful of the numerous, sometimes subtle, differences among cultures.

Accordingly, businesses today are under pressure to operate ethically and to be socially responsible. Ethical behavior on the part of those who represent a business can be a major factor in the success of the business. Businesses are increasingly sensitive to the role of women, ethnic groups, the physically challenged, and older workers. The workforce of a business should reflect the various groups that constitute the community. Members of these groups must have equal access to education, training, jobs, and career advancement opportunities. Managing diversity in the workplace is a major challenge today. Equal opportunity laws have moved to eliminate sex-based job descriptions and requirements. Today women and minorities effectively perform in jobs once available only to white male workers.

Recognizing that America's workforce will become increasingly diverse, a 1993 Department of Labor report, "Skills and Tasks for Jobs," was prepared by the Secretary’s Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills (SCANS). The SCANS report identified skills and attitudes essential for workers to fit in and perform according to the expectation of employers. Keeping high productivity for the nation in mind, this report identified a competent worker as one whom:

respects the rights of others,
bases impressions on performance, not stereotypes,
works well with men and women, people of different ethnic or social backgrounds,
takes pride in his or her own culture, and
respects and appreciates other cultures.

 

Essential Human Relation Skills

Numerous workforce studies have shown that the main reason that people either leave or lose their jobs is their inability to get along with their co-workers. One’s ability to get along with co-workers is the single most important factor affecting chances of success in the workplace. It amounts to being a good team member and reflects the value of respecting another person’s right to be different. In today’s global village, business activities often take place across national borders. It is likely that each of us will work with people from other lifestyles, ability levels, and cultures. When experiencing such differences, showing respect will demonstrates one’s practice of good human relation skills and will facilitate one’s acceptance in any culture and in any organization.

Students preparing to begin careers of their choice should develop skills to be successful in a diverse workplace. As a future employee in any organization, one of the most important skills students can learn is how to get along with others. Cooperating with others is essential to becoming a good team member and employee in any career choice.

Helping others to adjust and fit in can be personally rewarding. Promoting acceptance and suggesting improvements when things are not equitable can lead to unity and contribute to dissolving divisiveness. Supportive interpersonal relationships with those that are different can be personally and professionally enriching.

In any work environment, attitude is an important factor that determines one's acceptance by others. An individual's work attitude shines through even if he or she mistakenly thinks it can be hidden. Attitude reflects how one feels about their job and their co-workers. A good attitude includes a willingness to work hard, be ambitious, and treat others pleasantly and respectfully. Having a good attitude reflects that you care about others on your work team. Co-workers are usually more willing to accept a person who has a good attitude.

Lifestyles can include one's manner of dressing, eating habits, housing, education, leisure activities, and beliefs. There is a myriad of lifestyles and many will be represented in the workplace. Respect should be shown for another person's right to be different and for the way others choose to behave and live. America continues to accommodate immigrants who wish to live and work in this country. Immigrants sometimes wear unusual clothing, have widely differing values and beliefs, eat unique foods, and share a common language. Newly immigrated workers are likely to bring these multicultural characteristics to work with them and this is where one is likely to encounter lifestyles associated with different cultures.

International business crosses numerous national borders and is prominent today. When working with people from different cultures it is simply good human relations to be accepting and tolerant of their lifestyles. In turn, people from other cultures should accept and tolerate our culture.

Appearance can affect one's chances for acceptance at work. Each of us has only one critical opportunity to make a first impression! One can improve his or her ability to make a good impression by maintaining eye contact, speaking clearly, and being pleasant. A positive first impression will launch an individual on his or her way to being accepted.

Clothes and grooming should be given some thought and effort. In addition to being clean and neat, one should notice how to dress for a job at the time of application and interview. Appropriateness is critical because many people decide to accept or reject others based on their appearance.

In any organization, the practice of not making incorrect assumptions about people can help one find greater acceptance. While foolish and illogical to make judgements with few or any facts, it is far better to wait for the facts to present themselves.

Discrimination is unfair treatment due to attitudes about gender, religion, race, and a variety of other personal characteristics. Stereotyping and prejudice are underlying causes of workplace discrimination.

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (E.E.O.C.) is a government agency that assists with implementation and enforcement of Title VII of the 1972 amendment to the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The E.E.O.C. also aids both private and public agencies and businesses develop and implement affirmative action programs designed to correct the effects of discrimination. Employers are not legally permitted to use discriminatory practices in hiring. Unlawful hiring practices include queries or selection criteria that would permit the employer to give preference to or reject job candidates because of religious affiliation or practices, race, color and national origin, age, personal character that does not meet society’s standards, and/or family status and gender.

In 1990 the Americans with Disabilities Act (A.D.A.) enacted regulations that ensure fair access by persons with disabilities to many jobs that were formerly unavailable to them. Employers, required to disregard an individual’s disability, make selections on the basis of job performance capability. In addition, employers are required to make reasonable accommodations so the employee will be able to effectively work.

Developing tolerance and understanding for others may offset prejudice and discrimination.

Upon completion of this instructional unit, students should be able to:

1.  Correctly describe the ethnic and minority composition of today's workforce.

2.   Describe how employers are coping with diversity and their expectations that employees will adapt and react to it in        the workplace.

3.   Gain an appreciation for, research, and report on the sacrifices other Americans have made to ensure equality in the          workplace.

4.   Demonstrate understanding and tolerance for peers who might be subjected to discrimination, prejudice, and                stereotyping.

5.  Describe how cultural conflict and misunderstanding can be avoided or resolved.

6.  Recognize unfair or illegal discrimination and prejudice.

7.   Explain why appearance and attitude are important aspects of being accepted by co-workers.

In this instructional unit, core curriculum standards are addressed in the content areas of Career Education and Work, Citizenship, Communications, Health-Safety-and Physical Education, and Science-Technology. Specific core curriculum content standards are listed in the Appendix.

Students of all abilities enroll in Business Education classes at the high school level, ranging from those with identified exceptionalities requiring special education services to mainstream to scholars to Center for Advanced Studies. In addition, students may be in ninth, tenth, eleventh, or twelfth grade.

This rich mixture of culture, ethnicity, life experience, grade, and ability lends itself to a study of human relation skills for success in a diverse workplace. Tolerance of others is expected and encouraged and the learning tone within the classroom is positive and accepting. Individual accountability for actions is paramount. A large poster could be clearly displayed in the classroom as a visual focal point that states, "Getting along with others is your most important career skill." The ramifications of this message could be discussed in detail as part of the course overview on the first day of class.

Research and theory suggests that teachers who have a thorough knowledge of their students are better able to engage those students in formal learning because their student knowledge can be utilized in every facet of educational decision-making. This student knowledge can greatly assist teachers in facilitating the link or connection between new knowledge with the context of the learners' present knowledge.

To assist with this paradigm shift from the traditional teacher role of curriculum content distributor, the Urban Education Project staff at Research for Better Schools developed the Urban Learner Framework (Knapp et al, 1993). This vision encourages teachers to make better connections with their students by building on their cultural strengths. The development of autonomous individuals able to confidently make decisions is the underlying goal of the project.

The gathering of information regarding students' out-of-school life experiences can begin with student interviews. This activity is easily incorporated into the initial lesson of the instructional unit.

A variety of instructional methods will be utilized to accommodate various and multiple intelligences and learning styles found in the classroom. These methods will include: silent reading; interviewing; written reporting; oral presentation; brainstorming; discussion groups; creative writing; videos; research; individual and team work.

Day One

The definition of human relations and its critical importance to career success will be discussed. Human relations factor into each interaction between customers, co-workers, supervisors and oneself. Successful organizations, dependent on repeat business and aware that customers are the most important part of any organization, promote human relations. The historical development of the human relations movement during each third of the 20^th century will be presented, with emphasis placed on management’s’ perception and treatment of employees. The Western Electric experiment in the early 1930s and its surprising results on productivity, known as the Hawthorne Effect, will be discussed.

Objective: Describe the business value of human relations skills between customers, co-workers, supervisors, and oneself.

Activities

· Read and discuss Chapter 1, pages 1 through 10, in Eggland and Williams’ Human Relations for Career Success.

· Interview a partner and introduce him/her to the class.

· Brainstorm concerns about getting along with people.

· Research the school district’s policy on harassment at

<http://info.pps.pgh.pa.us/>.

· Discuss sexual, physical bullying, cruel and demeaning condescension, or hazing incidents that students share.

Day Two

We will continue our review of the human relations movement today. In the last 30 years effective human relations has become a key business strategy. Organizations recognizing that the competitive edge can be gained through its employees, actively promote a diverse workforce. This strategy is valuable in meeting diverse customer needs and provides for a more enlightened and interesting work environment. Using a car analogy, the relationship between technical skills and people skills will be demonstrated. The front wheels represent people skills and the rear wheels represent technical skills. A car, or an individual, can only go forward if all wheels move.

Objective: Describe how good human relations enable a person to succeed in a career.

Activities

· Identify appropriate ways to disagree, compliment, question or ask for clarification in the workplace.

· Discuss common reasons people get fired and how these behaviors hurt a business. Include personal or peer experiences.

· Discuss personal or peer incidents of being treated poorly by a business. Why do businesses rely on return customers?

Day Three

Now that the importance of human relations and the development of the human relations movement has been reviewed, we will now move forward to discuss incidents of intolerance in our country’s history. The Declaration of  Independence asserts, "…all men are created equal." Unfortunately the experience of many individuals shows that this universal principal has not been universally applied. The equality declared in 1776 belonged exclusively to white men—not to women and not to men of other races.

The video, The Shadow of Hate, depicts events in our history in which intolerance arose from the fear, anger and suspicion of ordinary people. The same impulses continue today to cause conflict. The first half of the video will be viewed today. While negative and sometimes tragic consequences of prejudice and hate will be shown, also note the hope and heroism that moral conviction inspires.

Objective: Increase awareness of America’s history of intolerance toward individuals and groups that are different.

Activities

· Read and discuss the "Introduction", Us and Them, Jim Carnes, pages 4 and 5.

· View the initial 20 minutes of the video "Shadow of Hate", Teaching Tolerance.

· In a paragraph, share your impressions of the video’s content.

Day Four

As we view the second half of the video, The Shadow of Hate, continue to note examples of intolerance in American history. At the conclusion of the video, a list will be created of the categories of depicted intolerance. The list should include intolerance based on religious, racial, ethnic, cultural, gender and age prejudice.

In the course of American history, some groups have been feared and discriminated against because of who they are. Some groups are victimized in one instance become perpetrators in other instances. Certain historical and psychological pressures can cause people to exclude and victimize others. Such disciminatory behavior violates the basic principles of our nation—equality, liberty and justice for all.

Objective: Reflect on images of intolerance depicted in the video "Shadow of Hate."

Activities

· View the final 20 minutes of the video "Shadow of Hate", Teaching Tolerance.

· Write a short essay to address this scenario—You host a talk show and want to produce a show on intolerance in America today. Whom would you invite and what issues would you cover? Explain your guest choices.

Day Five

During the next four class periods we will focus on noteworthy examples of resistance to workplace diversity in American history. This class period we will examine the intolerance that Chinese laborers endured as immigrant in 19^th- century America. The setting for today’s lesson is 1885 in Rock Springs, Wyoming. 

Define vocabulary used in this article: alien, exclusion, intercede, pawn, preferential, and sojourner.

In the late 1800s, economic factors contributed to intolerance toward Asians in the Western United States. After the Central Pacific Railroad completed laying tracks across the Sierra Nevada Mountains in 1869, thousands of Chinese workers hired to do that job moved to the cities where high unemployment already existed. A national economic panic in 1873 closed businesses and raised unemployment even higher. Whites viewed these jobs as rightfully theirs and resented competition from them. Companies openly favored hiring Chinese workers because they refused to join labor unions.

Objective: Describe how segregation contributed to intolerance for thousands of Chinese immigrant laborers in 1885.

Activities

· Read "A Rumbling in the Mines", Us and Them, Jim Carnes, pages 48-57.

· Class discussion of six questions listed in Shadow of Hate Teacher’s Guide, pages 14 and 15.

· Write a short story, set in 1875, about a Chinese sojourner who has risked offending the graves of his ancestor to come to America to find wealth and return to his homeland. Describe his feelings, encounters, and experiences.

Day Six

Yesterday we learned about workplace intolerance towards Chinese immigrants in 1885 in Rock Springs, Wyoming. Today we will focus on the difficult life of European immigrants in the U.S. in the early 1900s and the part they played in the labor movement in this country. Child labor, immigration, worker safety, and minimum wage each played a factor in the two-month Lawrence, Massachusetts strike.

Define words used in today’s lesson: anarchist, immigrant, labor union, martial law, "scab", strike, and Wobbly. Note the significance of the article’s title, "The Strike For Three Loaves." Many of the immigrants fled their homelands due to starvation conditions. The proposed wage cut totaled 34 cents, which was the cost of three loaves of bread in 1912. In addition to better wages, the strikers also protested to preserve human dignity. Note that the company advertisement greatly contrasted with the harsh realities facing the workers. The company ads boasted that the workers could live the life of their dreams and never be hungry.  In reality, the living conditions of the immigrant workers were deplorable. They resided in a company town where factory whistles directed their lives. They lived in crowded rat-infested tenements on streets with garbage heaps and open sewage. The workers well malnourished and sickness flourished. Work conditions in these factories included working in lint-filled and humid rooms with noisy textile machinery. In 1912 as many as 45 nationalities of men, women, and children worked in the mills of Lawrence, Massachusetts. Company leaders deliberately used these ethnic differences to keep them from uniting. They often paid certain groups more than others which incited mistrust and barriers among the workers.Recognize the active role that women and children played in the "Strike For Three Loaves." They marched, sang and refuse to work for low wages. Most importantly, they became the focus of newspaper articles and front-page pictures.

The images of women and children being beaten by police officers on horses served to arouse the nation’s conscience to the inhumane treatment the workers received.

Objective: Explain the effect of national newspaper accounts of police brutality at the Lawrence, Massachusetts strike.

Activities

· Read and discuss "Introduction", A Place at the Table, pages 6 and 7.

· Read "The Strike for Three Loaves", A Place at the Table, pages 54-65.

· Write a poem or create a poster that details the coming together of diverse ethnic groups for a common cause.

 

 

Day Seven

During the last class we explored the two-month textile mill strike in Lawrence, Massachusetts in 1912 and the many hardships endured by immigrant workers. This class period we will focus on anti-Semitism in America and the dangers of

Scapegoating. The incident of intolerance we will learn about today occurred in 1913 in Atlanta, Georgia. The Jewish conspiracy myth found its target in the murder of Mary Phagan, a 13-year old girl who worked for a Jewish factory superintendent named Leo Frank.

Define vocabulary used in today’s article: anti-Semitism, atone, conspiracy, desecrate, lynch, scapegoat, and yellow journalism. Recognize the economic conditions that lead to a general mood of intolerance toward Jews in Atlanta. Drought and boll weevil disease crippled Georgia’s cotton crop causing depressed economic conditions. The high cost of urban life and low wages necessitated women and children work long and hard hours in dangerous factories. Many Atlanta families lived in unsanitary and overcrowded slum apartments. Jews were viewed with resentment as wealthy outsiders who controlled the economy.

Note how personal motivations influenced District Attorney Hugh Dorsey and the Atlanta Police Department. Neither the evidence in the case nor the governor’s grant of clemency could stop the social pressure that led to the lynching of Leo Frank. When something goes wrong, laying blame gives the illusion of putting our world back in order and focuses our anger. Our prejudices help us to rationalize our choice of victims. In this example of workplace intolerance, notice how prejudice contributed to scapegoating.

Objective: List conditions that contributed to a general mood of intolerance toward Jews in Atlanta at the time of Leo Frank’s arrest.

Activities

· Read "The Ballad of Leo Frank", Us and Them, pages 66-75.

· Class discussion of six questions listed in The Shadow of Hate Teacher’s Guide, pages 18 and 19.

· Imagine that you are the editor of the Atlanta Journal newspaper in 1915, when Leo Frank is lynched. Write a powerful editorial explaining how intolerance led to the murder of an innocent man. Explain the behavior of the people who cut off pieces of Frank’s nightshirt as souvenirs.

 

Day Eight

Our fourth case of workplace intolerance occurred in Salt Fork, Utah in 1997. Federal law does not protect individuals from employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. Gay men and women have been denied and fired from jobs because of this aspect of their identities. In recent decades they have increasingly challenged this discrimination and have asserted their right to equal protection under the law.

Define vocabulary used in today’s article: employment, discrimination, gag order, jeopardy, lesbian, sexual orientation, unsubstantiated. Today we will read about one teacher who decided to fight a local school district that threatened her job and freedom of expression because she was gay. As she stood up against intolerance, she found herself in the middle of a controversy that divided her entire community.

On May 31, 1997 in response to s student’s direct question, Ms. Weaver revealed that she was gay. At this time she had been a psychology teacher for 17 years and the most successful coach in the history of Spanish Fork High School. As the news spread, her principal withdrew her coaching assignment and her school district issued a gag order prohibiting her from talking about her sexual orientation or any related matter with students, teachers, or parents. Her lawsuit against the school district divided her colleagues and the largely conservative Mormon community. Weaver realized that if she followed the gag order on her private life, she would act as if she were ashamed of herself and this would teach her children that they should be ashamed of their family.

As we read the article, think of the ways people can prevent their differing religious views on social issues from violating each other’s rights

Objective: Recognize that, unlike discrimination founded on race, religion, gender, national identity, disability and age, no federal legal protection exists on the basis of sexual orientation.

Activities

· Read and discuss "The Battle of Spanish Fork", A Place at the Table, pages 128-139.

· Read and discuss "Becoming America", A Place at the Table, pages 140-141.

· Martin Luther King understood that all forms of discrimination and persecution were unjust and unacceptable for a great democracy. In small groups of five students, write a short skit that promotes unity and inclusion, rather than division and exclusion.

Day Nine

Recently, we have reviewed historical examples of workplace intolerance suffered by Chinese and European immigrants and by a Jewish supervisor named Leo Frank and a teacher named Ms. Weaver who happens to be gay. It is our present and future that should most concern us. Change is a slow and sometimes painful

Process but we have made headway in the last few decades. As a whole, attitudes have changed and we are a more accepting and more tolerant society than 30 years ago. Unfortunately there has been an increase in the number of hate crimes committed by young Americans who have no affiliation with organized hate groups. Even worse, today Neo-Nazi, Skinhead, and Ku Klux Kan organizations operate in every state of our country and there are hundreds of hate group websites.

Equally troubling is the willingness of many people to look the other way when an act of intolerance takes place. As a nation we have often failed to acknowledge the fact that our country’s strength has always come from our diversity. America’s greatest achievements in literature, government, art, and science have occurred because we are open to new people, concepts, and ideas. We have seen that repeatedly throughout our history individuals and groups have made great sacrifices for the cause of equality and freedom. Martin Luther King, Jr. advised each of us to rise up and live out the true meaning of our creed. This can happen if we overcome the temptation to deny or diminish the humanity of our neighbors.

The class will now be divided into teams. During today’s and tomorrow’s classes you have an opportunity to demonstrate tolerance and cooperation with your peers.

Objective: Demonstrate tolerance with your peers.

Activities

· Read "Out of the Shadows", Us and Them, page 128.

· Revise, rehearse, and present a short skit that promotes unity and inclusion.

 

Day Ten

Today we continue in our teams to create a skit that demonstrates tolerance with our peers. Skit presentations should begin in 20 minutes. Using the rubric provided, you will critique the other teams’ skits.

Objective: Present skits that promote unity and inclusion.

Activities:

· Present a short skit that your group has written.

· Using the rubric provided, critique others’ skits.

Day Eleven

Do you realize that you will spend almost 95,000 hours of your life working? We work for many reasons. We work to earn money to pay for our material needs of food, clothing, housing, travel and entertainment. We work to meet psychological needs such as self-fulfillment and self-esteem. Work helps to fulfill our need for human interaction and friendship.

Because work is such a major factor of our lives, it is important that you have a basic understanding about work today and in the future. Today we will gain an overview of the labor force, the move from a goods-producing economy to a service economy, occupational trends, and work structure.

Objective: Relate future work trends to a career of your choice.

Activities

· Read and discuss Chapter 1, "Work Today …and Tomorrow", in Ludden’s Job Savvy, pages 1 through 12. Review labor force data for 2005; service- and goods-producing organizations; occupational trends, salaries, and required education; and the structure of work.

· Read and respond to three case studies involving work situations.

· Identify a career you may pursue in the future.

Day Twelve

During the last class we learned that each of us is likely to spend 95,000 hours of our lives at work. That amounts to a very long and unhappy time if one works at a job in which he or she is not happy or interested. Do you know anyone that does not like his or her job? Today you have an opportunity to investigate your interests and identify careers in which you are more likely to succeed.

Objective: Relate careers to one’s interests.

Activities

· Complete the Interest Checklist in Bridges.com’s ChoicesCT software package and print your interest profile.

· In an oral presentation, explain your interest profile and the education, outlook, and salary of a related career of your choice. Was this the career you identified at the end of yesterday’s class?

Day Thirteen

We have examined the human relations movement, general examples of intolerance in American history, cases of workplace intolerance, changes in the labor force and in work, and identified your career interests. During this class we will identify changes that have made today’s workplace very different from what it was 20 years ago. The labor force is growing more slowly and it is aging. More women are entering the workforce and it is showing greater ethnic and cultural diversity. More individuals with disabilities are working.

Objective: Identify three significant changes that have made today’s

workplace far different than it was 20 years ago.

Activities

· Given a case study, identify potential problems or barriers

that might make it difficult for people from diverse cultures to fit in, get along, and reach out to provide support.

· Examine personal attitudes toward other groups. List practical steps toward improving how and what you feel toward these groups.

· Bonus: interview an individual that worked in the 1960s and 1970s. Contrast work conditions then with those of today.

Days Fourteen, Fifteen and Sixteen

One example of a cultural difference in business is the Japanese emphasis on process or style in relation to substance. In the United States most people are interested in efficiency in work activity and in communication. We like to "get to the point." Saying this to a person from an Asian culture, especially Japanese, would be insulting. When dealing with Japanese business people you should be patient and tolerant with lengthy rituals surrounding introductions and drinking tea. It may be difficult to understand, but in Japan the process of doing business is as important as the outcome.

You will be divided into teams. Your captain will select a paper slip to identify the country your team will research for the next three days. On the fourth day, your team will present your findings to the class.

Objectives: Research a country’s customs, weather, behaviors, dress and food. Identify beliefs and values characteristic of the culture. Note customs that would be helpful to an entrepreneur selling services or goods in that country.

Activities

· In groups of 3 students and given criteria, research an assigned country.

· Prepare a written and oral presentation of your findings to the class.

· The final keyed report will serve as A Report of Information Writing Exhibit for your Secondary English/Language Arts Portfolio.

· Bonus: Prepare a food commonly enjoyed in that country.

· Bonus: Play music commonly enjoyed in that country.

· Bonus: Display or wear clothing worn in that country.

· Bonus: Create a poster to be used in your presentation.

Day Seventeen

Today each group will present their findings about the country they have researched for the past three classes. Please demonstrate good human relations skills during each presentation. Take note of customs that would be helpful to an entrepreneur selling services or goods in each of the countries presented.

Objective: In groups of 3 students, present information on the country you have researched.

Activities

· Using the rubric provided, critique others’ presentations.

· List one new fact you have learned about each country.

Day Eighteen

According to the dictionary, discrimination means to recognize differences. The word has taken on a negative connotation as a word used to describe unfair treatment of a particular person or group due to gender, race, physical ability or religious affiliation. Discrimination is a behavior often based on an attitude.

Prejudice is a term, often used in connection with discrimination, which means to prejudge or form an opinion without taking the time to judge in a fair manner. Prejudice leads to treating a person unfairly.

Stereotyping occurs when you think of all members of a group as having identical characteristics, rather than viewing the members of a group as unique individuals.

Today we will learn to identify and avoid discrimination, prejudice, and stereotyping. We will view the first 20 minutes of the video "A Place At the Table." This video explores how our nation pursued—and still pursues today—the dream of liberty and justice for all. The eight narrators are teenagers, like you, from around the country whose families have experienced the struggle for that dream. As you watch, think about civil rights challenges that still face our nation.

Objectives: Identify prejudice and stereotyping. List two ways to avoid these behaviors.

Activities

· Complete a worksheet on recognizing cultural stereotyping.

· Complete a worksheet on identifying and avoiding prejudice.

Day Nineteen

We will watch and discuss the final 20 minutes of the video "A Place At the Table" and examine federal laws that protect workers from discrimination. Equal Employment Opportunity in the 1960s marked the beginning of efforts to end prejudicial employment discrimination by treating employees fairly. An organization’s personnel activities are conducted without prejudicial discrimination.

Lack of ability should be the criteria used rather than race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age or physical or mental disability. Federal laws enacted since 1963 that promote workplace equity will be reviewed. These laws include: the Equal Pay Act, Civil Rights Act—Title VII, Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the Family and Medical Leave Act.

Note that affirmative action programs promote ongoing equal opportunity for all employees but do not require employers to hire incompetent or unqualified candidates.

Objective: Discuss religious, ethnic, disability, and age discrimination workplace scenarios.

Activities

· Discuss federal laws that protect workers from discrimination.

· Address case studies on workplace discrimination scenarios.

Day Twenty

In this instructional unit, "Human Relations Skills For Succeeding in a Diverse Workplace," we have discussed many topics. We have explored the human relations movement, examples of intolerance in American history and four cases of workplace intolerance. You have created and presented skits that promote unity and inclusion with your peers and we have looked at work, the labor force, and careers that interest you. In teams you have presented research about another country’s dress, customs, weather, food, and business behaviors. We have looked at federal laws that protect workers from unfair treatment and we’ve looked at ways to avoid discrimination, prejudice and stereotyping. Today we will reflect upon our activities.

Objective: Key an essay on the importance of human relations for succeeding in a diverse workplace.

Activities

· Listen to an overview of this instructional unit, "Human Relations for Succeeding in a Diverse Workplace."

· List three important facts you have learned during this instructional unit.

· Identify the activity you enjoyed the most and why this appealed to you.

· Make two recommendations to improve student understanding and practice of tolerance.

Annotated Bibliography for Teachers

A Place at the Table. Dir. Bobby Houston and Robert Hudson. Video and Teacher Guide. Teaching Tolerance, 2001.

Begun, Abbey M., Jacobs, Nancy R., and Quire, Jacquelyn F., Eds. Minorities—A Changing Role. Wylie, Texas: Information Plus, 1998.

Benenson, Lisa. "It’s Not Easy To Hire Different." Working Woman, April 2001, 6.

Behnham, Barbara. "Get Your Share." Working Woman, April 2001, 54+.

Blalock, Jr., Hubert M. Race and Ethnic Relations. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, 1982.

Bridges.com. ChoicesCT. Software package. Bridges.com Company, 2001.

Carolina Power and Light Company. "Corporate Employment Diversity."

Online. 20 December 2000. <http://www.cplc.com/employment/opps/diversity.html>

Chideya, Farai. The Color of Our Future. New York: William Morrow, 1999.

Clark, Don. "Diversity Activity." 20 December 2000. <http://www.nwlink.com~donclark/leader/appear.html>

Commissioner for Public Employment. "Managing Diversity Policy Guidelines for Agencies." Online. 20 December 2000. <http://www.dpac.taz.gov.au/divisions/ep/md/wdh.html>

Daly, Alfreida, ed. Workplace Diversity: Issues and Perspectives. Online. NASW Press, 1997. <http://www.naswpress.org/publications/books/diversity/workplace/workplace.html>

Finnegan, Annie. "Different Strokes." Working Woman. April 2001, 42+.

Fogleson, Nicolle. "Workplace Diversity: Descendant of Affirmative Action." Careermag.com. Career Magazine Online, 1997. <http://www.careermag.com/diversity/nicolle.html>

Ford, Clyde W. We Can All Get Along. New York: Dell, 1994.

Fox, Matthew. The Reinvention of Work. New York: HarperCollins, 1995.

Franklin, Paula Angle. Melting Pot or Not? Springfield: Enslow, 1995.

Gordon, Douglas. Teamwork. Cincinnati: South-Western Thompson Learning, 2001.

Hull, Mary. Ethnic Violence. San Diego: Lucent Book, 1997.

Jackson, Donna. How To Make The World a Better Place For Women In Five Minutes a Day. New York: Hyperion, 1992.

Keyes, Alan L. Masters of the Dream—The Strength and Betrayal of a Black America. New York: William Morrow, 1995.

Long, Robert Emmett, ed. Multiculturalism. New York: H. W. Wilson, 1997.

Ludden, LaVerne L. Job Savvy. Indianapolis: JIST Works, 1998.

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McNaught, Brian. Now That I’m Out, What Do I Do? New York: St. Martin’s, 1997.

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Beneson, Lisa. "Get Your Share." Working Woman, April 2001, 6.

Behnham, Barbara. "Get Your Share." Working Woman, April 2001, 54+.

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Clark, Don. "Diversity Activity." 20 December 2000.

http://www.nwlink.com~donclark/leader/appear.html

Finnegan, Annie. "Different Strokes." Working Woman. April 2001, 42+.

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The Shadow of Hate. Dir. Charles Guggenheim. Video. Teaching Tolerance, 1995.

Content standards addressed in this unit plan are numerous and include:

Career Education and Work

· #2—All students access how changes in society, technology, government, and the economy affect individuals and their careers and require them to continue learning.

 

Citizenship (Social Studies)

· #1—All students demonstrate an understanding of major events, cultures, groups, and individuals in the historical development of Pennsylvania, the United States and other nations, and describe themes and patterns of historical development.

· #7—All students demonstrate the skills of communicating, negotiating and cooperating with others.

· #8—All students demonstrate that they can work effectively with others.

· #9—All students demonstrate an understanding of the history and nature of prejudice and relate their knowledge to current issues facing communities, the United States and other nations.

· #11—All students demonstrate the ability to resolve conflicts in peaceful ways, including, but not limited to, peer mediation, anger management, interpersonal skills, and problem-solving.

 

 

Communications (Reading, Writing, Listening, and Speaking)

· #1—All students use effective research and information management skills, including locating primary and secondary sources of information with traditional and emerging library technologies.

· #4—All students write for a variety of purposes, including to narrate, inform, and persuade, in all subject areas.

· #6—All students exchange information orally, including understanding and giving spoken instructions, asking and answering questions appropriately, and promoting effective group communications.

· #7—All students listen to and understand complex oral messages and identify the purpose, structure, and use.

· #8—All students compose and make oral presentations for each academic area of study that are designed to persuade, inform or describe.

 

Science and Technology

· #9—All students demonstrate basic computer literacy, including word processing, software applications, and the ability to access the global infrastructure, using current technology.