PERCEPTION CHECKING
THE PROFESSOR WILL ASSIGN ACTIVITY AND GROUP(S) DEPENDING ON CLASS SIZE

The Gender Game. Divide the class into men and women. Each group is to come up with 5-10 questions they have always wanted to ask the opposite gender but, for some reason or another, never have.

They are to rank their questions in importance because the class may not get to all the questions. Two simple rules govern the limits here:

you may not ask a question of the opposite gender that you are unwilling to answer yourself, and

you should avoid questions that are insulting (i.e., specific sexual behaviors that might embarrass some class members) or that tend to generalize about all members of a gender (e.g., “Why do women always go to the bathroom in pairs?”).

Groups meet face to face after about 20 minutes allotted to question-generation, and the instructor acts as moderator as one “side” and then another asks one question at a time; each time the opposite side can put the question back to them.

The instructor should encourage all members of the class to answer the question put to the group, but no one should be pressured if he or she feels uncomfortable.

The Intercultural Game. Using the same format as The Gender Game, this activity makes good use of any diverse population your institution may have.

If your class has members of many cultures, you can divide them that way. Or, make use of foreign language classes or English as a Second Language (ESL) classes, and coordinate your activity with another instructor.

In addition to providing a forum for perception checking, you can further interdisciplinary relationships at the same time.

Discussion Questions

What did you find out about the other gender (or about another culture) that you didn’t know before?

Are your perspectives similar to or different from the others you interviewed?

What purpose did perception checking serve in this activity?

How do our perceptions influence communication with others? Give specific examples.

What effect might this activity have on future communication and relationships with people of the

opposite gender (or of another culture)? Suggest specific ways we can improve communication.