Teaching sequence

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

5 minutes

Introduction

10 minutes

Part A: ‘A New Hero. Sabrina Frederick-Traub’

20 minutes

Part B: Exploring Diversity Through Interviews

20 minutes

Part C: Exploring Diversity and Equality

5 minutes

Reflection

Introduction: Begin by asking “Are there any AFL or AFLW players in the room?” If there are, invite other students to ask the players questions. If none of the class members have previously experienced AFLW, watch this one minute introduction to AFLW.

Part A: ‘A New Hero. Sabrina Frederick-Traub’

Step 1. As a class, view 'A New Hero. Sabrina Frederick-Traub' Episode 3: 'New Heights in Footy' (4:59 minutes).

https://womens.afl/discover/player-stories/new-heights-in-footy

Note: You will need to scroll down the webpage to find Episode 3: 'New Heights in Footy' and associated text.

After viewing, invite students to discuss the following question with a partner, and note their responses on the Student Worksheet.

What are three things that Sabrina identifies as important to her in the video?

Step 2. Invite volunteers to share their responses with the class. Some of the key points that could be raised include:

Sabrina would like people to respect her choice of partner.
She would like to dispel the myth that sexual orientation is connected to playing certain sports.
Sabrina would like to be taken seriously as an athlete.
Different is still a win.
The women’s league is a chance to prove that women can play Australian rules football.

Part B: Exploring Diversity Through Interviews

Step 1. Invite students to form a pair and take turns to conduct the following interview with a partner, writing the answers in the space provided on the Student Worksheet.

CLASSMATE INTERVIEW

Q1 Who is your favourite singer or band?
Q2 What are the three most popular foods in your home?
Q3 Would you prefer to play soccer, netball or go for a swim?
Q4 What is the best place to go for a holiday and why?
Q5 What language do you prefer to speak and why?

Step 2. Invite students to join with another pair and share what they have learned about the person they interviewed. Highlight for students that while some response may have been similar, some would be very different - there is a diversity of responses.

Step 3. Invite students to discuss the following question with their partner:

What are three possible reasons for the diverse answers and opinions given to the interview questions?

Advise students to write the reasons in the space provided on the Student Worksheet. For example, reasons for different favourite foods may include cultural background, reasons for different choice of holiday destination could be distance or geographical location.

Step 4. Invite volunteers to share the reasons they came up with and encourage class discussion about them. Reasons suggested might include culture, age, opinion, opportunity (e.g. to try different foods or hear a range of music), ability, personality.

Explain that difference, such as that illustrated in the responses to the interview questions, can also be called diversity.

Part C: Exploring Diversity and Equality

Step 1. Write the word DIVERSITY in the centre of the whiteboard, and ask the class to contribute ideas and explanations about their understanding of what diversity means.

Summarise the brainstorm by sharing that when we talk about diversity, we can also mean acceptance and respect for each individual and acceptance of individual differences.

Step 2. Facilitate a class discussion using the prompts below as a guide:

Who has experienced diversity?
What did your experience of diversity look like?
What did your experience of diversity feel like?

Summarise by explaining that the way we react to difference, or diversity, can impact upon the well-being of others.

Step 3: Share the following definition of diversity. If possible, display it for student to read using this Diversity definition - display.

The concept of diversity encompasses acceptance and respect. It means understanding that each individual is unique, and recognizing our individual differences. These can be along the dimensions of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, age, physical abilities, religious beliefs, political beliefs, or other ideologies. It is the exploration of these differences in a safe, positive, and nurturing environment. It is about understanding each other and moving beyond simple tolerance to embracing and celebrating the rich dimensions of diversity contained within each individual.
Source: https://gladstone.uoregon.edu/~asuomca/diversityinit/definition.html

Hot tip: If required, invite students to identify terms they do not know the meaning of and invite others to explain the meaning.

Step 4. Explain to students that they are going to undertake an audit (check) of their community’s approach to diversity, and in doing so, understand how embracing diversity can affect people’s well-being. Guide a discussion of the different ways the community can support and promote diversity.

Responses could include:

Providing the facilities for both girls and boys to play the sport of their choice.
Celebrating different cultural events.
Creating space for people to be able to pray at certain times during the day.
Increasing accessibility for people with disabilities (i.e. wheelchair ramps, lifts, braille signs for people with a vision impairment).

Suggest that students think about the parts of their community that they experience on a daily basis, and the things they notice that do, or don’t, support a diverse community.

Invite students to work together to complete the 'My Community Diversity Audit' on the space provided on the Student Worksheet.

Step 5. Invite students to summarise their understanding of the effects of respect for diversity by discussing the following questions and noting their responses on the Student Worksheet:

How does respect for diversity improve well-being of people in the community?
Thinking about AFLW - create a mind-map to show the links between women playing professional Australian rules football and diversity in the community.

Invite students to volunteer to share their answers.

Reflection

Encourage students to complete the following statement on the Student Worksheet:

“One thing I could do to improve respect for diversity in my school community is…”

Differentiated Learning

Extension: Students create strategies for improving diversity in their school community.

Provisions for Learning Support: Ensure that student groups are of diverse ability.

Take it Further

Sabrina Frederick-Traub’s experience shows that with hard work and the support of others, barriers to success can be overcome. Encourage students to identify a barrier that students in their school face, whether it be stereotypical thinking, inequality or a reluctance to accept diversity.

Once students have done so, they can work to create an awareness campaign in their school community about the benefits of equality, equal opportunity and the value of diversity.

Teacher Reflection

AFLW - Celebrating Difference

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