Culture in the Cupboard modified lesson

I work with students with special needs ages 18 to 21. I think that a modified activity like Culture in the Cupboard would be beneficial in our weekly employment seminar. Our students are not real good when it comes to remembering things from week to week, so rather than have them bring an item from home, I would have them do some research in class.

First, I would present the topic: cultural differences regarding employment and career. We have several different cultures represented in our group and I think, with some guidance, they would be about to participate in a preliminary discussion of the value placed on work and a career within their family and culture. We have several Hmong students in our program and I think this discussion would be especially valuable to them. Typically, we have a very quite group so they usually need some additional encouragement and examples.

After the introduction, I would have them use the computers to do some research. I find it necessary to give some different options with an exercise like this. For example, I would try and help some students start by saying: "identify some jobs or careers that your parents or relatives have", "why do you feel that _______ chose that career?" "Do you feel that cultural customs played an influence in some or all of their choices?" etc.

After they have completed their individual research, we would come back together as a big group to discuss some of their findings. Again, this usually takes some additional encouragement from staff. We have had discussions, depending on the make up of the group, that consists almost entirely of staff telling stories of a period of time in their life, for example, when they worked as a volunteer.

Because our students all have a disability and have some significant barriers, any lesson we create has the potential to be meaningful or a disaster, depending on the make up of the group. In addition to dealing with disabilities, we face many cultural challenges with some of our students. We are trying to help them achieve the greatest sense of independence possible, but that can cause cultural conflict in some cases. I think this would be a great addition to our curriculum but it has to be interjected at the right time, i.e. the teachable moment.