• Let trainees know that this section in the tutor training manual was developed to increase awareness of the issues and give trainees an opportunity to brainstorm appropriate responses to the given situations. The most important thing to take from the exercise is simply the importance of enabling your learner (but not to make decisions for your learner).

D: Discussing Culture with your Learner

• Define "critical incidents" and discuss the example in the tutor
  training manual.

20 minutes

Activity: Critical Incidents

(This demonstration will give the trainees a chance to see how critical incidents work in a group setting.)

• Use the Facilitator cards included.
• Read the first critical incident (along with the four options) and have trainees choose the response they consider the best.
• In pairs, have trainees discuss WHY they consider their response the most appropriate.
• Discuss responses as a group.
• Read the "response and rationale" portion of the card to the group and discuss.
• After all the cards have been completed, debrief.

Questions you may want to ask when debriefing:

• How did you make your choice?
  • Possible responses:
  • knowledge of the culture, guessing.
• What would be difficult about negotiating meaning in any of the above situations?
  
  Possible responses:
  • a lack of consistency - what is acceptable in one situation may not be in another.
  • a lack of information - we notice what is culturally important to us; we ignore all the other "stuff" that isn't considered important. Did trainees notice the placement of the facilitator's hands when passing the book? Would any of us notice that a friend’s glass is empty?