Dr. Paul Pedersen's presentation in 2005

1. 110 EXPERIENCES FOR
MULTICULTURAL
LEARNING
By Paul Pedersen
Professor Emeritus Syracuse University
Visiting Professor,
Department of Psychology
University of Hawaii

2. ASSUMPTIONS…???
• What is “normal?”
• Where are our “boundaries?”
• Is “dependency” bad?
• Is “individualism” good?”
• Is all right thinking “rational?”
• Is history relevant?

3. INTERPRETING THE
EVENTS
IN A PICTURE
• Shout out your
interpretation of
what is happening
in the picture.
• See how the same
picture has different
interpretations.

4. DRAWING A HOUSE
• Select a partner, ideally someone you
do not know.
• Both persons hold the same pen or
pencil.
• Draw a house cooperatively without
speaking.
• Who was leader and who was
follower?
• Was the task more important than the
relationship?

5. WHAT ARE THE
SYMBOLS OF YOUR
CULTURE?
• For one or two minutes draw important
symbols, stick-figured events, designs and
experiences that have shaped your
identity.
• Select a partner, ideally someone you do
not know.
• Explain your drawings to your partner.
• Let your partner explain their drawings to
you.

6. THE OUTSIDE
EXPERT
• Select four or five volunteers to be
“outside experts.”
• Send the volunteer outside experts out of
the room while we develop a culture.
• Bring the outside experts back to ask
YES or NO questions about the culture.
• After 4-5 minutes of “Yes/No” questioning
the outside experts report back on what
they learned.

7. CONCLUSION
• What we do says a lot about who we
are?
• Culture teaches us through stories.
• Know your culturally learned
assumptions.