Honouring Diversity through Constructivist Group-Building

If one of the goals of education is to prepare students for a global future, then we must develop in them a heightened awareness, appreciation, and ability to negotiate’ the politics of difference’. This paper presents constructivist group-building as a way of doing this. Based on action research in an Australian university, the paper demonstrates the value of group-work when it is carefully designed, enabled, facilitated, and monitored. The paper takes a constructivist approach. It acknowledges the challenges and risks involved in culturally diverse group-work, but offers strategies for turning these risks into opportunities for deep, experiential, and enjoyable learning.