Teaching sequence

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

10 minutes

Tune In: Silent discussion

20 minutes

Find Out: Ripple effect

25 minutes

Take Action: Racism reflections

5 minutes

Reflection

Learning intentions

Students will:

explore different types of racism (overt, covert, systemic) and how these manifest in sports and broader society
examine the historical and contemporary impact of racism in the AFL, with a focus on the Collingwood Football Club.

Success criteria

Students can:

identify and describe different types of racism and provide real-world examples
analyse how racism has impacted individuals and institutions in the AFL, using case studies and historical events.

Tune In: Silent discussion

Preparation:

Write the following individual questions on the top of poster paper and place them at intervals around the room. Depending on the number of students in your class, you may want to have multiple copies of the same question to allow for accessibility.

What does racism look like?
What experiences do you have with racism?
What is your first memory of racism?
What responses have you heard from people who have received racist remarks?
How can we prevent racism?

Step 1

Explain to students that they will be participating in a silent discussion. Instead of speaking to their peers, they will respond to the questions written on paper, in silence. Encourage them to build on each other's ideas, just as they would in a conversation. Explain that they can either write something in response to a previous idea or present something new.

Step 2

Distribute different-coloured pens and pencils to help students keep track of the ‘speakers’ in the conversation. Ask students to put their initials after their comments.

Allow students 2 minutes on a question before announcing it is time for them to move to a new question.

Learning support: While there are only 5 questions, allow for 2-3 passes through each question. This will provide students with time to expand their thinking and revisit the conversations that have been added since their last pass.

Step 3

Once completed, provide students with a clear definition of racism by explaining that racism is the belief that one race is superior to others, often leading to discriminatory practices and actions. It can be seen in individual acts of prejudice, hatred, or violence, as well as in systems of inequality that disadvantage people based on their race or ethnicity.

Connect the class discussion back to the silent discussion by emphasising that racism is not just about individual acts but is also embedded in societal norms and institutional structures.

Find Out: Ripple effect

Step 1

Ask the students if they are aware of the different types of racism. Then, allow time for students to share their thoughts.

Be aware that students from diverse backgrounds and cultural groups may feel uncomfortable sharing their thoughts or experiences during this activity. Avoid putting pressure on them to participate.

Step 2

Display the Visual Explainer to the class. This presentation introduces students to the 3 types of racism: systemic, casual and microaggression. Once you reach the last slide, explain to the students that people don’t often consider the ongoing impact of their words and actions, which have a ripple effect similar to that of a pond of water when a stone is thrown into it.

A ripple effect is best described as a situation in which 1 event produces effects that spread and produce further effects on a wider body of people or things. See below a visual example of a ripple diagram using an environmental issue:

Step 3

Your students’ task is to create a ripple effect diagram related to a racism scenario from the activity sheet. Place students into groups of 4 and provide them with poster paper, pens and a scenario card to read.

Ask students to draw 4 ripples similar to the one in the example above and explain to them that in each ripple, they will use their scenario to help them map who is affected and how.

Step 4

To begin, ask the students to use their scenario card to identify a single discriminatory act and place this in the centre of the diagram.

In the first ripple, ask the students to identify the immediate impact of this act. How does the targeted individual feel?
In the second ripple, ask students to identify the possible community impact. How do their team, supporters, or other players respond?
In the third ripple, ask students to identify the broader societal impact created by this incident. How does this incident reinforce systemic issues or affect social attitudes?

Allow students time to share their scenario cards and discuss their resulting ripple effect diagrams with their peers. Outline that racism has direct impacts on the health and wellbeing of the targeted individual. Research shows that racism is linked to increased risks of depression, anxiety, behavioural issues, and stress-related conditions in children and young people. Alongside this, racism directly impacts physical health, where the stress caused by racial discrimination can disrupt sleep, increase inflammation, and lead to long-term health risks like obesity and heart disease (source).

Take Action: Racism reflections

Step 1

Explain to students that they will be working in pairs to research responses to acts of racism in AFL history. Students may choose from 1 of the articles linked below, and analyse the language used in the media reports and player statements by responding to the analysis questions on the Student Worksheet.

Articles:

Collingwood Football Club – An Apology to Nicky Winmar and Gilbert McAdam
Collingwood Football Club – A statement from our athletes
AFL – Buckley admits to dismissing racist claims, still haunted by press conference
AFL – Magpies apologise to Winmar, McAdam for racist abuse

Learning support: A small group of students can work with a supporting teacher who will read 1 of the texts to the students and facilitate a discussion around the main points.

Learning opportunity: Ask students to create a ripple effect diagram based on the information provided in the article.

Step 2

Invite students to form groups of 4 to share their analysis of their article. Encourage students to report back to the wider class with a brief summary of the incident, the response and their analysis.

Reflection

Step 1

Invite students to participate in a Think, Pair and Share thinking routine discussion before exiting the classroom using the following prompts:

How does racism impact individuals, teams, and communities?
How can language contribute to or challenge racism in sports?

Understanding the Impacts of Racism

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Summary

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