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Spoon Theory
spoons on a plate
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Keywords

Disability
Sociological imagination
Activity
Ableism

How to Cite

Penner, Anna. 2024. “Spoon Theory: An In-Class Activity Examining Disability and Ableism”. TRAILS: Teaching Resources and Innovations Library for Sociology, October. Washington DC: American Sociological Association. https://trails.asanet.org/article/view/spoon-theory-an-in-class.

Abstract

This disability activity uses the sociological imagination and the social model of disability to highlight how society disables chronically ill and disabled individuals. Utilizing the spoon theory, students work through a week of their life with varying numbers of spoons and scenarios to reveal interpersonal and social ableism.


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Details

Subject Area(s):
Disabilities
Resource Type(s):
Assignment, Class Activity
Class Level(s):
College 100
Class Size(s):
Any

Usage Notes

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Learning Goals and Assessments

Learning Goal(s):

  1. 1. Students learn that hidden disabilities and chronic illnesses shape lives.
  2. 2. Students discover how individual reactions to disability may perpetuate ableism.
  3. 3. Students analyze the systems that oppress disabled individuals.

Goal Assessment(s):

  1. 1. Compare the next two weeks with limited spoons to explore the difference between in-person learning and virtual and how those may be different for individuals with limited spoons. (LG 1)
  2. 2. Provide discussion time to interrogate initial reactions and how they may perpetuate ableism on a micro and macro-level. (LG 2)
  3. 3. The discussion often fosters dialogue and facilitates students’ understanding of how society is set up to further disable people with disabilities. (LG 3)
    a. Ideally students recognize the mental and emotional toll planning and exclusion over a long period would have and the subsequent mental health issues that may arise.

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