Ethical Intercultural Practice

Overview

Lesson 6 of 18 in the Contemporary Drama Ensemble Lab. Students examine how drama can learn from cultures without taking, copying, or misrepresenting cultural knowledge. They apply an ethical decision-making process to replace an unsafe imitation with an original scene about relationship, land, responsibility, or listening.

Use locally appropriate protocols and Indigenous-led resources. If possible, arrange a compensated Indigenous artist or Knowledge Keeper through school or district processes; do not ask students or visitors to represent Indigenous cultures without authority, consent, and context.

Learning intentions

Students will:

• distinguish respectful intercultural learning from cultural appropriation
• ask who created, owns, teaches, or has authority over a cultural element
• identify when permission, context, attribution, or privacy is required
• revise an unsafe dramatic idea into an original, respectful scene
• reflect on power, positionality, responsibility, and intended audience

Success criteria

• I can explain why a cultural symbol, story, language, regalia, ceremony, or movement may not be mine to use.
• I can use the questions: What is the source? Who has authority? Is permission needed? Who benefits? What must remain private?
• I can identify a specific risk in a dramatic idea and propose a respectful alternative.
• I can contribute to a scene that does not imitate ceremony, invent prayers, use Indigenous accents, or claim pan-Indigenous authenticity.

Curriculum links

• Drama elements, principles, symbols, conventions, and the ethics of cultural appropriation
• Traditional and contemporary First Peoples worldviews and cross-cultural perspectives communicated through drama
• Explore and create: intentionally select dramatic elements and conventions and create work for an intended audience
• Reason and reflect: describe, analyse, evaluate, receive, provide, and apply constructive feedback
• Communicating and documenting: revise, refine, analyse, and document performance pieces

Lesson structure (60 minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Opening protocol and focus. Teacher explains that this is an inquiry into responsibility, not a performance of Indigenous culture; open with the hook and learning intentions and establish that no student must disclose personal cultural identity or experience. Students silently respond: “What makes learning from a culture different from performing as that culture?”

2. 5–15 min · Explicit teaching. Teacher uses the ethical practice teaching slides to distinguish cultural exchange, respectful learning, appropriation, and plagiarism. Explicitly state that students must not simulate ceremony, use regalia or sacred imagery, invent prayers, use Indigenous accents, copy cultural movement or language, or present a pan-Indigenous version of identity. Students record one respectful choice and one prohibited choice on the ethics checklist and revision plan.

3. 15–25 min · Ethical decision-making. Teacher models a fictional example: an ensemble wants to use a sacred-looking chant and movement to show “connection to nature.” Think aloud through the questions: What is the source? Who has authority? Is permission needed? Who benefits? What must remain private? Students work in five groups of five to analyse an assigned idea from the scenario analysis section and identify the risk, missing information, and responsible next step.

4. 25–35 min · Source, authority, and positionality discussion. Teacher facilitates a whole-class debrief using the discussion prompts. Emphasise that “inspired by” does not remove responsibility, and that research alone does not grant permission. Grade 9 students identify respectful and unsafe choices; Grade 10 students practise naming and citing credible sources; Grade 11 students discuss power, privilege, positionality, and who benefits; Grade 12 students consider protocol, consent, attribution, and documentation. Students revise their group response after peer questioning.

5. 35–50 min · Scene replacement lab. Teacher directs each group to replace the unsafe idea with a 60–90 second original scene about relationship, land, responsibility, or listening. Students may use neutral movement, original language, silence, sound, objects, levels, focus, contrast, and blocking, but must not imitate ceremony, accents, prayers, regalia, or identifiable cultural forms. Groups complete the revision plan and rehearse, ensuring the scene communicates an idea rather than claiming cultural authenticity.

6. 50–57 min · Sharing and feedback. Teacher invites groups to perform or present a rehearsal extract, with the option to share only the plan. After each presentation, classmates offer one observation and one question using the prompts on the sharing and feedback slide. Students identify how dramatic choices communicated meaning and whether the work respects source, authority, consent, privacy, and audience.

7. 57–60 min · Exit reflection. Teacher asks students to complete the final section of the individual reflection and exit ticket: “One choice we changed was… because…” and “Before using cultural material, I will…”. Collect worksheets as evidence of ethical reasoning and revision.

Resources

• Ethical Intercultural Practice slide deck
• Ethics Checklist and Revision Plan
• Board or projector
• Open rehearsal space
• Five fictional scenario prompts prepared by the teacher
• School or district protocol information
• Indigenous-led resource or invited Knowledge Keeper, if arranged through appropriate processes
• Timer and assessment notes

Assessment

• Listen for students using source, authority, permission, benefit, privacy, consent, attribution, and positionality accurately during group analysis.
• Check each revision plan for a clearly identified risk, a responsible alternative, and intentional dramatic choices.
• Use the exit ticket to assess whether students can transfer the ethical questions to future ensemble work. Provide feedback without asking students to disclose personal or cultural identity.

Differentiation

• Provide sentence starters: “The concern is…”, “We need permission because…”, “A respectful alternative is…”, and “Our scene communicates… through…”.
• Offer scenario cards and a completed model for students who need structure; allow students to contribute as performer, writer, director, dramaturg, designer, or observer.
• Provide written and verbal instructions, visual keywords, rehearsal time in a quieter space, and the option to submit a plan instead of performing.
• For Grade 9, focus on identifying respectful choices; Grade 10, require source notes; Grade 11, require a positionality statement; Grade 12, require a consent/protocol record and explanation of who benefits.