Differences and Similarities Icebreaker

This activity was inspired by this resource: https://www.icebreakers.ws/medium-group/categories-or-similarities-game.html

Summary: Participants are divided into small groups and asked to find similarities and differences between group members.

Time: 20 minutes

Materials: None 

Context: This icebreaker activity works best with new groups where participants do not already know each other well. This activity can be adapted for any age group from elementary school to professional adult groups. 

Learning Objectives:

  • Participants get to know each other and feel more comfortable with each other.
  • Increase feelings of connection and understanding between participants.
  • Participants gain insight into similarities within the group.
  • Participants gain insight into diversity and difference within the group.

Activity Instructions:

  • Step 1: Divide participants into groups with between 4 and 6 members in each group.
  • Step 2: Tell the groups to find as many things as they can that every single group member has in common. Ask the groups to keep track of the number of things they have in common and what those things are. Tell the groups they have 5 minutes and set a timer for 5 minutes.
  • Step 3: Ask each group to share how many things they found in common and what those things are. Plan approximately 5 minutes for this step although time will vary based on the number of groups. 
  • Step 4: Tell the groups to find as many things as they can that no one has in common with anyone else in the group. If there are four group members, then there must be four unique facts or experiences for the chosen difference. Ask the groups to keep track of the number of differences and what the differences are. Tell the groups they have 5 minutes and set a timer for 5 minutes.
  • Step 5: Ask each group to share how many things they found that are different for each group member and what those things are. Plan approximately 5 minutes for this step although time will vary based on the number of groups. 

Variations on the Activity:

  • One variation on this activity is to ask groups to find a specific number of similarities in the first round and a specific number of differences in the second round. 5 similarities for the first 5 minute round and 5 differences for the second 5 minute round may be a reasonable request depending on the context of the group.
  • Another variation on this activity is to make it a game where the group that finds the most similarities wins the first round and the group that finds the most differences wins the second round. Prizes and team names can be added to further competitiveness if appropriate for group context. 

Debrief: This activity can be used as a quick icebreaker before other activities, but it can also invoke deeper questions. The facilitator can add an additional 10 to 15  minutes to the activity to have a discussion about the activity. Debrief may be especially significant for teenagers and adults in activist groups, highly diverse groups, and educational settings.

Potential Debrief Questions: Pick a couple questions relevant to group context or prepare different questions.  

  • Was this activity easier or harder than you expected?
  • How did you feel during the similarities round? 
  • How did you feel during the differences round?
  • How, if at all, has this activity changed how you view other group members?
  • How, if at all, did this activity challenge assumptions you had about other group members?
  • Were you surprised by anything you found out? If you were surpirsed, what surprised you?

  “The Conflict Perspective Game”

Audience

Employees, managers, students, members of a community

Goal of the Exercise

To understand the implications of conflict scenarios while developing an understanding of how to approach conflicts in work, school, or other institutional settings.

Key Learning Objectives

  • Identify common problems that emerge in group situations and critique the motivations, intentions, and of stakeholders involved in conflicts.
  • Demonstrate empathy, active listening, and the ability to identify the multifaceted implications of everyday problems and conflicts in group settings.

Required Materials

  • Pens
  • Index cards

Total Time

90 minutes

Preparation for Role-Playing

  • On each index card, write out a scenario that could manifest in school, the office, or another institution.
  • Create small groups to play the game.

Role-Playing Session 1

  • Each member of the group receives one card outlining a particular scenario.
  • Each participant reads the scenario out loud and takes two minutes to describe and assess the scenario.
  • Each participant assumes the role of a stakeholder in a conflict.
  • Each player writes down the thoughts, sentiments, or emotions that the stakeholder could experience in a conflict.

Transition to next phase

Small Group Discussion

Over the span of 20 minutes, discuss why each character behaves in a certain way, the potential outcomes, and what can be done to diffuse the situation.

Transition to next phase

Role-Playing Session 2 (Repeat Session 1)

  • After the first role-play, each participant takes on a new role.
  • Each group member discusses the conflict, scenario, and motivations of each character.
  • Each participant assumes the role of a stakeholder in a conflict.
  • Each player writes down the thoughts, sentiments, or emotions that the stakeholder could experience in a conflict.

End role playing – transition to next phase 

Group Reflection

Each small group spends 10 minutes reflecting on each conflict, discussing the broader implications of the situations, and developing interventions to diffuse each of the conflicts.

Transition to next phase

Small Group Presentations

Each group takes 10 minutes to present the conflicts that they discussed, the perspectives of each group member, and what they learned about conflict management in different situations.

Debrief

  • Bring the groups together, assess the challenges associated with conflict in group situations, and identify takeaways that reflect the larger exercise.
  • Identify what steps and interventions can be designed to address these controversies in group settings.

Trouble in the Neighborhood: Building Bridges

  1. Audience

Members of a diverse community

  • Game Goal

To teach participants how to apply problem-solving skills to real life community problems.

  • Game Objectives
  1. Present the intricacies and dimensions of common conflict scenarios that occur in diverse communities.
  • Motivate game participants to view conflict through the lens of other stakeholders.
  • Encourage players to embrace the perspectives, rights, and needs of others in complex conflicts.
  • Help players conceptualize what works and what does not work in the context of “building bridges” with opposing quarreling in diverse communities.
  • Game Materials
  1. Large sheets of paper
  • Colored markers, colored pens, and sticky notes
  • Preparation for the Game
  1. Draw a fictional community with make-believe “spaces” for different stakeholders in the conflict.
  • Introduce a fictional community conflict scenario involving multiple individuals or groups.
  • Choose a scenario that reflects the values and constructs of pluralist societies (HOA, zoning, environment/pollution, noise ordinance)
  • Playing the Game:
  • Present the visual representation of the community and explain the conflict to the game participants.
  • Identify the stakeholder groups involved in the conflict.
  • Create separate groups that represent the interests of the fictional community. Possible stakeholders include HOA, small business owners, members of the township, the mayor, etc.
  • Perspective Mapping
  • Each stakeholder group is given a sheet of paper, markers, and pens to map out their part of the community. For instance, the HOA might draw a fictional master plan community. Another group, the township, could draw a fictional government building.
  • Game players in each stakeholder group write down their grievances, expectations, motivations, demands, and possible solutions to the problem.
  • Stakeholder Group Rotation
  • Rotate from one group to another clockwise in order to give each stakeholder group the opportunity to assess the perspectives and viewpoints of the other groups.
  • Each group is encouraged to write any notes on the sheet belonging to other groups.
  • Building bridges
  • The group facilitator introduces the idea of building bridges to create synergy and understanding between the groups.
  • Each group draws “bridges” on their papers to connect their own perspectives to the ideas written by other groups.
  • Community Talk

In the final phase, each group presents their “bridges” and how they plan on creating synergy while fostering understanding with opposing stakeholder groups.

  • Debrief
  • Hold a roundtable discussion to discuss the difficulties associated with building bridges between quarreling parties.
  • Discuss the most effective strategies in building bridges with opposing stakeholder groups.
  • Delineate some of the key motivations and demands that are least likely connected to potential bridges.

OPEN-ENDED Qs Activity

Content and Instructions:

  • This roleplay was inspired by the theater of the oppressed, where actors try to use language in various ways to either deliver or receive a certain message in a manner that would bring clarity and reasoning without any complication.

  • This facilitation resource that is being introduced is an activity that involves a group of students working together to understand the facilitation tool of open-ended questions. First, set up chairs around in a horse-shoe manner – facing towards an empty chair where an individual who will be asked questions will be seated. Secondly, have the individuals that will be asked questions by the group leave the room. While they are waiting outside, have a group of people (preferably 10-12) decide on a fact that they would like to learn about the individual. Next, once the group has decided on the question, invite back the individual to sit in their designated seat and allow them to make a general statement. The group of people will go around asking one question to the individual based on the statement, to slowly get them to answer the question that the group is seeking. For example, if the statement that the individual gives is “Over the weekend, I spent playing football with my colleagues.” Then, the group will ask open-ended questions that revolve around the first statement and hopefully by the end of the round, have the individual asked a question that will deliver the answer. If the group is not able to steer the questions to the topic of interest to get the individual to provide the facts, then another round will be initiated and timed. This activity takes approximately 10 minutes. In addition, please be advised that there will be no random participation. In case a person from the group asks a closed-ended question, then it is the job of the facilitators to correct them. In between rounds, students are allowed to jot down notes for a debrief at the end of the activity to understand how the activity went and if there were any difficulties.

Goal:

  • The learning objectives of this activity are the following: To practice listening to enhance understanding and responding. This workshop will ensure that future specialists in the field of Conflict Resolution know how to: (a) focus more on listening to and understanding facts before making further assessments, increasing their knowledge of emotional and factual aspects of a dispute. (b) Develop the ability to redirect unproductive assessments through strategic questioning. (c) Utilize questions to guide the conflict resolution process toward a mutually satisfactory outcome. (d) Practice asking questions that promote a deeper and more meaningful understanding of each party’s needs and interests.

In what context can this exercise be useful? And for which field is this activity ideal?

  • This resource is best for any age level, as well as it is possible to incorporate into formal and informal settings, including in the field of diplomacy, and mediation, as well as other non-political fields that involves listening and understanding, including the field of psychology, or the field of law practice.

  • This exercise possesses a wide range of fields, since listening and asking questions is applied in our everyday lives; from our time in our offices working with colleagues to being trialed in court.

Share Out

Skills: Place-taking Empathy Mirroring Respect Responsibility

Time: 25 minutes | 5 for preparation / 10 for activity / 10 for debrief

Inspiration: This activity is modeled after a dialogue workshop depicted in the documentary Two Sides, produced by the Palestinian Israeli Bereaved Families for Peace organization. While the activity was used as an icebreaker for the group of adults ranging from their twenties to their fifties, the discussions that it elicited ran much deeper than expected and gave the facilitators insight into the group dynamics they were about to manage.

Audience: This activity’s important aspect is its discussion prompt and time limit. Each can be crafted to suit a specific age and group! For example, younger participants would benefit more from simpler or more generation-specific discussion prompts and can be expected to retain less information than their older counterparts. For this reason, sharing phases should be kept shorter than you would for an older group of participants.

Room Setup Recommendations: The participants are recommended to be arranged in a circle so that the participants can switch to different pairs easily by looking in the opposite direction. The room can have chairs or not, depending on available furniture, the time allotted for the exercise, and the preferences of the participants. NO other materials are needed for this activity!

Preparation: It is best for the facilitator to know what they information and experiences that they want to have shared between partners and in the wider group! General questions are best for the first round and deeper questions are best after the group has built a good model of representation and have established trust and respect for each other. Please consider these factors as you sequence your discussion prompts. If this activity exceeds 2 rounds, please end the activity with each participant introducing themselves as themselves to clarify who they are!

Procedures: 

  1. Facilitators will introduce themselves and explain that the group will be split into pairs. 
    • Pairs will be formed by asking the participants to look in the clockwise direction.
  2. When everyone has settled on their partner, the facilitators can now give the participants their discussion prompts.
    • Prompts can also be written on the board for easy reference.
    • Sample Prompts:
      • Name
      • Hometown
      • Plans for the weekend
  3. After 60 seconds have been spent, the facilitator will now ask the group if each partner has had the chance to share about their prompts.
    • If all have shared, please feel free to move to Step 4
    • If all have not shared, please repeat Step 3 to give everyone the chance to share with their partner
  4. Now that everyone has shared, it is time to spring the suprise! Each participant will introduce themselves as their partner, Sharing Out to the class the information that they received from their partner moments ago!
    • Participants should be encouraged to speak in the first person
  5. Now that everyone has had the opportunity to represent their partner, the group can be reshuffled and the facilitators can introduce new discussion prompts and/or longer time limits.

Debrief:

  • If this is the end of the activity, please feel free to use the following prompts to decompress and review the activity!
    • How did it feel to be represented by someone else?
    • How did it feel to represent your partner?
    • Did you feel a difference between the experiences?
    • Are there responsibilities involved with representing someone else?
      • If so, name a few?
    • What makes for an accurate, respectful representation?
    • How did you feel about your partner after you had represented each other?
    • How did it feel to Share Out to the group?

Acting Out

Exploring Conflict Resolution Concepts Through Expression

Learning Objectives

  • Participants will demonstrate the ability to creatively and effectively portray conflict resolution concepts through non-verbal communication
  • Increased awareness of the role of non-verbal communication in conflict resolution.
  • Understanding how individuals interpret concepts differently based on gestures and expressions.
  • Development of empathy by considering multiple perspectives in conveying and interpreting non-verbal cues.
  • Encourage participants to interpret concepts individually and collaboratively construct meaning through debrief discussions.

Content

I developed this paired charade workshop, inspired by the classic game of charades, to delve into essential concepts related to conflict and peacemaking. Drawing directly from the structure of charades, my goal is to create an engaging activity that emphasizes the diverse interpretations people have, particularly when communication is restricted to non-verbal cues.

The activity incorporates words and phrases related to conflict and peacemaking such as:

  • Power dynamics
  • Negotiation
  • Inequality 
  • Compromise
  • Disagreement
  • Advocacy
  • Resistance
  • Neutrality
  • Process
  • Misunderstanding

Context

This resource is adaptable to a variety of educational settings, spanning different age groups and subjects. It is suitable for middle school, high school, college, and community contexts. The activity’s flexibility allows it to seamlessly integrate into conflict resolution courses, communication workshops, or community-building initiatives. Its experiential nature makes it valuable in both formal classroom environments and informal community settings.

Materials

  • Small pieces of paper with concepts (as listed above) written down
  • Timer
  • Space

Implementation

Introduction (1-2 minutes): Begin by introducing the activity, drawing a parallel to the game of charades. Explain that this exercise will focus on non-verbal communication in the context of conflict resolution. 

Pairing (1-2 minutes): Ask participants to pair up and decide within their pairs who will take on the role of the guesser and who will be the actor in the first round. Encourage discussion and ensure that both participants have a clear understanding of their roles. 

Concept Distribution: Once pairs are established, distribute small pieces of paper with concepts related to conflict resolution (as listed above) to each person. Instruct the participants to not share the content of their paper.

Timer Set-Up: Set a timer for one minute, and instruct participants to act out their assigned concept using non-verbal communication. Remind them to be creative and use gestures, body language, and expressions effectively.

Round 1 (1 minute): Begin the timer and allow pairs to engage in the first round of the activity. Observe the dynamics and non-verbal interactions within each pair.

Once the timer concludes, give pairs a few moments to discuss the concept portrayed and the interpretations (1 minute)

Round 2 (1 minute): Set up the timer again, allowing the second person in each pair to be the guesser in the second round. Repeat the process. 

After the second round, invite everyone to a debrief session. Encourage reflection on feelings and challenges in both roles. Ask participants to share examples of effective or ineffective gestures, body language, and expressions in conveying concepts.

Debrief

Pose debrief questions such as:

  • Were there specific gestures or expressions that were particularly effective or ineffective in conveying concepts?
  • Do you think your partner accurately portrayed the word or phrase? Explore why it might be accurate or inaccurate. How would you have done it differently?
  • Does anyone want to share an example of specific gestures, body language, and expressions that were particularly effective or ineffective in conveying concepts?

Goals

As participants engage in creative acts of expression, the activity goes beyond theoretical discussions, offering a hands-on experience that bridges the gap between understanding and application. Throughout the debrief and discussion sessions, it becomes apparent that effective communication plays a crucial role in understanding diverse interpretations. Encouraging participants to reflect on the gestures, body language, and expressions used by their partners prompts them to recognize the nuances of non-verbal communication. The activity underscores that what may seem clear to one person might be interpreted differently by another, emphasizing the need for clarity and precision in communication. The incorporation of various pedagogies, such as experiential learning, reflective practice, and inquiry-based learning, adds depth to the educational experience. These pedagogical approaches not only strengthen the learning outcomes but also promote the development of essential skills, including creativity, empathy, and effective communication.

The Flower of Identity

Background

The Fower of Identity activity is adapted and sourced by the Council of Europe. Founded on May 5, 1949, the Council of Europe is an organization that values human rights, democracy, and the rule of law. Today, 46 states are members of the Council of Europe, and of these 46 states, 26 make up the European Union.

Source(s):

The Council of Europe

The Flower of Identity

Teambuilding.com

Diversity, a ‘source of strength’ | UN News

Context

The Flower of Identity activity is best suited for college-age students and adults. This activity can be achieved in 30 – 45 minutes and is usually conducted as an informal icebreaker and/or teambuilder. The Flower of Identity activity explores DEI initiatives: diversity, equity, and inclusivity.  Although this activity can be done with youth groups, it is recommended for a more mature audience as it requires vulnerability and a deep dive into one’s identity.

Implementation

Set Up: Activity should be set up in advance. Cut construction paper sheets (the colorful kind) in the form of petals. You will need to cut one petal per group. Split participants into groups of 4-6. Each group will get one petal and numerous markers. Each individual participant will be handed a piece of scrap paper. This activity can be done on desks or on the floor, but preferably it should be conducted on a flat surface.

Introduction (5 minutes): The facilitator should define identity. Explain to participants that identity can be thought of in terms of a flower. During this activity, each group will make up a petal, which is a part of the flower. At the end of this activity, all of the petals will be combined to form our flower. The flower at the end will represent the larger group and/or community. Before we get started, ask participants to take a minute to brainstorm elements of identity.

Individual Draw (5 minutes): The next part of this activity asks that each participant take out their scrap piece of paper. Using the markers provided, participants will individually draw a flower – participants will just need to draw the center of the flower and the petals attached to the center. Once they have drawn a flower, they will now write elements of their own identity in the petals. Note for the facilitator(s): the participants can use region, gender, education, values, family, jobs, etc to represent elements of their identity.

Fill in group petal (15 minutes): Ask each participant to share their flower with their group members. Once each participant has shared, the group will decide on a common element(s) of identity. The group will then write the element(s) in their group’s petal.

Present the petals (5 minutes): Bring all the groups together and have one member from each group present their petals to the larger group.

Creating a flower (5 minutes): The facilitator will collect the petals from each group to create a flower. The facilitator will then close the activity by asking the larger group what elements of identity they all share.

Debrief (10 minutes): Below are debrief questions that could be asked following the Flower of Identity activity.

  • How did you choose what went into your flower (the flower drawn individually on the scrap paper)?
  • Did anyone learn anything new about your groupmates?
  • Were any of you surprised to find common elements of identity amongst group members?
  • What does it mean to be a part of a group? Why is being a part of a group important?

Goals

  • To think about the different components that shape identity.
  • To explore one’s own identity.
  • To find commonalities in the identities of a group.
  • To practice making group decisions

Teaching Around The Lines: Lesson Plan

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/banned-books/

Context & Audience:

This lesson plan has been designed to be taught in high school and college classes and community arts centers.

Implementation:

The format is flexible and can fit into a three-hour class, two one-and-a-half hour sessions, or the exercise can be broken down into four parts: the erasure and discussion, making the collage, the public component, and the class discussion. 

Materials Needed:

Sharpies + red pens (1 per each student)

Paper (+ access to a printer)

2 poster-boards

Glue sticks or tape  

1 pair of scissors

Goals: This is a demonstrative lesson that draws on the conceptual framework of Freire’s Theater of the Oppressed. The class is designed to let participants reclaim their own stories by creating a collaborative story.

Lesson/Facilitation Plan:

One week before class: participants will be provided with the following resources: PBS Storied, Harvard Library Guide to Banned Books, History, and Censored Texts (and the pages within it) and the Library of Congress digital collection of governmental/historical texts. Participants choose and email the instructor/s a 3-page extract from a banned book or story that they feel is important or relevant to themes or issues they have special investment in. The instructor/s will print out two copies of the selections ahead of class.

The class is designed engage with oppression and erasure in two ways: by using redaction to reclaim and subvert censorship by reconstructing redacted work to make a new narrative, and By recreating oppression through redacting all non-challenged elements of a story and creating a new narrative using only the censored text.

Session 1:

The class will begin with a conversation on Benjamin Graves definition of Derrida’s Deconstruction.

Students will discuss examples of poetic work that address oppression and erasure through varied processes by reading extracts and reviews of Layli Long Soldier’s Whereas, Nicole Sealey’s  The Ferguson Report: An Erasure, Zong! As Told to the Author by Setaey Adamu Boateng  by M. NourbeSe Philip, and Travis Macdonald’s The O Mission Repo (free download of the full book here).

30 minutes: Using the sharpies provided, the participants will make an erasure by blocking out all the challenged speech and content (overview of what is challenged most frequently here: https://libguides.butler.edu/c.php?g=34189&p=217686).

On their second copy of their texts, students can erase everything but the challenged text, using the red pen to underline the text that is personally significant to them or that represents contested topics.  

15-20 minute debrief: The class will then turn in the texts to be laid out altogether. The class will look at the erasures as a group: each person’s chosen text will remain anonymous unless they otherwise expressly state that they don’t want it to be. There will then be a group discussion on the nature of inequality.

Questions to ask the participants include:

Looking at the pages, is it clear that some stories have had more taken away than others?

What stories, if any, were left unchallenged, and which narratives were taken away almost completely?

Do you think differently about your intersecting identities, relationships, experiences, and right to tell your own stories after this?

Looking at the pages where only the unchallenged text was erased, what remains? What does what remains say?  

This conversation will be intended to provide an opportunity for participants to reflect on privilege, narrative, and whose stories are told. The exercise is designed to show the experience of oppression and who gets their narrative erased.

After the discussion concludes, the lesson will pivot to considering ways to counteract oppression. Drawing from Theater of the Oppressed, the class will focus on ways to reconstruct narrative and divert/reenact the experience of oppression. Two options will be provided (option two is geared to a smaller class, though both could fit depending on the size of the group and dynamic present).

Option 1:

Participants will be instructed to take the censored text and use the words left uncensored (or even the censored text cut into shapes or repurposed any way they like) and work in a group to reclaim their voices by making a new story through collaging the found texts on a piece of poster-board.

Option 2:

The other option is that all participants will choose a line from the texts provided and place the lines in envelopes to be shuffled then drawn randomly like an Exquisite Corpse to create a story.

Option 3:

Participants can construct a collage piece using only the censored work.

After making the story, the participants will debrief with a 15-minute conversation.

Questions to ask participants include:

Did you feel like you got to reclaim what was taken from your narrative and make a new story?

Why, or why not?

Was the experience of having to make a new piece with the remaining words and texts from the erasure empowering or disempowering?

How, why?

Looking at the poster now, how do you feel?

Session 2:

Sharing their work: It is important for the class to have a choice about who they approach to discuss their project with. Depending on the class size and environment, the class will have two options:

Option 1:

Present their narrative reconstruction and initiate a conversation with 1 or 2 people outside of school (there is no specification for who, how, or where) and take notes on the differing reactions and responses to their project. Participants will take a photo of the text, and be instructed to ask the conversation partner of their choosing about the piece (here, participants are strongly encouraged to come up with their own questions and framing for how they approach this conversation). For a 1-session class, the notes and takeaways from the conversation can be emailed to the group, uploaded on Blackboard, or sent to the instructor/s, depending on format.

Option 2:

This option works best in schools or an arts center, and fits well with either a multi-session class or one longer session.

Participants will put the poster board up next to a blank poster board with sharpies and pens in a public educational space (in a study lounge, school library, hall outside the classroom) for people to anonymously respond to. The class chooses how they want to display their piece and for how long (for example: displaying it in a study room during lunch hour, or leaving it up for one day and then returning to gather the materials).

The participants will engage in public pedagogy by taking note of the reactions—positive, negative, or lack thereof—that the piece elicited and have a final 15-minute conversation on their findings before the session ends.

Primary in-class resources:

PBS Storied: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpKqRC-9Avc

Harvard Library Guide to Banned Books, History, and Censored Texts (and the resources and lists within it): https://guides.library.harvard.edu/c.php?g=1269000&p=9306840

Library of Congress free digital collections: https://www.loc.gov/discover/

The O Mission Repo by Travis Macdonald:

https://fact-simile.blogspot.com/2009/09/o-mission-repo-free-online.html

https://www.under-erasure.com/artists-writers/travis_macdonald/

Review of Whereas by Layli Long Soldier: https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/interrogation-transmigration-layli-long-soldiers-whereas-mai-der-vangs-afterland

Review of The Ferguson Report: An Erasure by Nicole Sealey: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2023/07/31/the-ferguson-report-an-erasure-nicole-sealey-poem

Benjamin Graves definition of Derrida’s Deconstruction: https://www.postcolonialweb.org/poldiscourse/spivak/deconstruction.html

Rey Chow, “Reading Derrida on Being Monolingual”: https://www.jstor.org/stable/20058066

Zong! As Told to the Author by Setaey Adamu Boateng by M. NourbeSe Philip: https://engleskaknjizevnostodrenesansedoneoklasicizma.files.wordpress.com/2017/08/zong-as-told-to-the-author-by-setaey-adamu-boateng-by-m.-nourbese-philip-z-lib.org_.pdf

“Redact to React: Deconstructing Justice with Erasure Poetry” by Sarah-Jane Coyle in the Liverpool Law Review: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10991-023-09346-6

Other resources:

https://www.moma.org/collection/terms/exquisite-corpse

https://poets.org/glossary/erasure

https://www.associationforpublicart.org/what-is-public-art/

https://uel.ac.uk/our-research/research-school-education-communities/international-centre-public-pedagogy-icpup#:~:text=Public%20Pedagogy%20is%20a%20relatively,popular%20culture%20and%20political%20struggle.

https://www.ala.org/advocacy/fight-censorship?utm_source=ala&utm_medium=topbanner&utm_campaign=redesign

https://www.bookweb.org/aba-right-read-toolkit#:~:text=The%20ABA%20Right%20to%20Read%20Toolkit%3A%20How%20Booksellers%20and%20Readers,to%20the%20sections%20you%20need!

https://libguides.butler.edu/c.php?g=34189&p=217686

https://mofa.fsu.edu/erasure-poetry/

The Power of Eye Contact

This exercise is an adaptation of “Emotional Intelligence Exercise: Making Eye Contact” that is available on this website: https://www.skillsconverged.com/blogs/free-training-materials/emotional-intelligence-exercise-making-eye-contact

Learning Objectives

This exercise helps participants to understand and appreciate the power of eye contact and how it can affect emotional connection and emotional states. It is ideal in teaching emotional intelligence, body language and communication skills.  

Context

Since this exercise can be used to teach emotional intelligence, body language, and communication skills, it is best placed in any educational setting and can be tailored to appeal to both a younger and older audience. Emotional intelligence is an important life skill, and everyone, regardless of age, education, and background, can benefit from this activity.

Implementation

This resource can be incorporated in many ways, but it is best used as an icebreaker and/or at the start of the class, workshop, meeting, etc… This resource is also good to incorporate in the middle of said class, workshop, meeting, etc… because it requires participants to get up and move around which increases engagement and active listening. It also provides a good opportunity for participants to get up and stretch, especially if they have been sitting for too long.

A good amount of space is required for participants to be able to freely walk around, therefore it is important to consider the number of participants that will be doing this exercise in addition to the space that you will be utilizing. It is recommended that participants are either given or use their own piece of paper and a writing utensil, for it will be helpful to give them the opportunity to take down notes during appropriate times throughout the activity in order to remember details for the debrief afterwards. The debrief is not necessary, but it would help participants get more from the exercise and is highly recommended.

This exercise can take anywhere between 10-30 minutes depending on how much time you allocate to your participants for note-taking after each round as well as how much time you spend on the debrief afterwards. The actual exercise itself could take 10-15 minutes.

Exercise Instructions for Facilitator(s)

This activity will have 3 rounds. Make sure to provide participants with a notecard/piece of paper and a writing utensil.

Round 1

  1. Once we say so, everyone will start walking around the room as if you all are in a public space while NOT making eye contact with anyone else. 
  2. We will be setting a timer and doing this for 1 minute, once the minute is over, we will tell you all to stop and give you further instructions.
  3. *Do the activity for 1 minute* 
  4. STOP 
  5. Using the card we handed you, please write down how this round made you feel and/or what you are feeling now; you can write whatever you want, just make sure to put a *1* next to what you wrote to indicate that it’s for the first round.
  6. We will be doing this 2 more times. 

Round 2

  1. Once we say so, everyone will start walking around the room again, and this time we ask that you seek out eye contact. However, as soon as you and someone else make eye contact, you both should break it and look away.
  2. We will be setting a timer and doing this for 1 minute. Once the minute is over, we will tell you all to stop and give you further instructions.
  3. *Do the activity for 1 minute*
  4. STOP
  5. Using the card we handed you, please write down how this round made you feel and/or what you are feeling now; you can write whatever you want, just make sure to put a *2* next to what you wrote to indicate that it’s for the second round.
  6. We will be doing this one last time.

Round 3

  1. Once we say so, everyone will start walking around the room again. Just like Round 2, we ask that you seek out eye contact. This time, however, you will pair up with the first person you make eye contact with. Once you pair up, you and your partner should stand side by side and make sure that you do not establish eye contact with anyone else.
  2. We will be setting a timer and doing this for 1 minute. Once the minute is over, we will tell you all to stop and give you further instructions.
  3. *Do the activity for 1 minute* 
  4. STOP 
  5. Using the card we handed you, please write down how this round made you feel and/or what you are feeling now; you can write whatever you want, just make sure to put a *3* next to what you wrote to indicate that it’s for the third round.
  6. Once you have written on your card, go back to your seat with your card, and we will follow up with a discussion. 

Debrief

  • Before we get started with our discussion, please note that you are not required to share if you do not want to. You are allowed to share as much as you would like, and we hope that we have enough people willing to share for us to be able to have this discussion.
  • While you were going through the different rounds of exercise, how did you feel?  
    • How did it feel when you were making eye contact and you had to break it straight away? 
    • How did it feel when you made eye contact and you could approach the person to pair up with
  • If you had a difficult time pairing up with someone, how did it feel to go about finding someone you could make eye contact with?
  • How easy was it to make eye contact with someone?
  • How close do you feel with people that you maintained eye contact with?
  • What pre-conditioning dictates our behavior in making eye contact or maintaining eye contact, and how does this compare between different societies? 

What Can You Learn by Asking?

A Lesson/Facilitation Plan for Practicing Open-Ended Questions

This lesson/facilitation plan is an adaptation of “Open Questions – Role Play,” an exercise by William Chadwick that is available for free via https://www.sessionlab.com/methods/open-questions-role-play.

Learning Objectives

  • Learn about open-ended questions and the difference between open-ended questions and close-ended/leading questions
  • Develop confidence with asking open-ended questions
  • Practice listening to understand and respond
  • Consider the value of open-ended questions in conflict resolution facilitation

Context

This lesson/facilitation plan is appropriate for formal and informal settings, from middle- and high-school peer mediation workshops/clubs/classes to college and graduate courses to adult workplaces or community groups. It may be useful in any group setting in which instructors/facilitators are seeking to help participants learn to ask better questions, listen more closely to others, and/or prepare to serve as facilitators or mediators of some kind. As described below, this activity will work best when there are at least two instructors/facilitators. A single instructor/facilitator may modify the activity if needed, and there are suggestions below for that modification.

Materials

  • Paper/notecard and writing utensil for each participant
  • Timer
  • Optional:
    • Slides, poster, and/or handout with information about open-ended questions
    • Slides, poster, and/or handout with a list of potential fun facts for participants to choose from and instructions for the activity
    • Slides, poster, and/or handout with a written example of the activity (such as the one supplied below)

Time

Expect to spend at least 30 to 45 minutes on this activity, depending on the size of the group.

Room Set-Up

Place (or ask the participants to help place) 6 to 12 chairs (with or without desks/tables) in a semicircle, all facing towards the inside. Place one chair (with or without a desk/table) in front of the opening of the semicircle and make sure that it is facing the semicircle. If the class/group is too large to fit in the semicircle, have other chairs outside of the semicircle and explain that everyone will get a turn in the semicircle.

Background and Preparation

Invite the participants (or the first group of participants) to sit in the semicircle.

If there are people who do not fit in the semicircle, explain that those who are not in the semicircle are responsible for observing the action in the semicircle.

Tell the group that they will be practicing the facilitation tool of asking open-ended questions, which is a really important skill when you are trying to understand someone else’s experiences and perspective.

Explain that open-ended questions are questions that do not have yes-or-no answers and that are not leading or loaded. They often begin with “who,” “what,” “when,” “where,” “why,” or “how.” Using “why” can be tricky because the other person may see the question as judgmental, but “why” questions can also be valuable, when asked in the right situation and with the right tone.

Share examples of open-ended questions and close-ended/leading questions and discuss the difference and the value of open-ended questions. One example pair of questions is “How did that make you feel?” (open-ended) vs. “Were you scared?” (close-ended/leading).

Ask the group for their thoughts on the value of open-ended questions.

The Activity

The following lesson/facilitation plan refers to the co-teacher/assistant/co-facilitator as “Ms. Terry.” The name “Ms. Terry” is just a placeholder for personalization and ease of reference in this lesson/facilitation plan. If you have a co-teacher/assistant/co-facilitator, replace “Ms. Terry” and her pronouns with your co-teacher/assistant/co-facilitator’s name and pronouns throughout the instructions. If you are leading this activity without a co-teacher/assistant/co-facilitator, replace “Ms. Terry” and her pronouns with “a/the volunteer” (or something similar) and explain that the volunteer will change with each round.

The following script explains the activity. Feel free to personalize it and modify it as you see fit.

Ms. Terry will leave the room shortly and, while Ms. Terry is outside, the class/group will collectively decide on one fact that they would like to know about her.

I will provide you with a list of fun fact questions to choose from, and I hope to achieve a quick consensus or do a little vote (if needed). Remember that there will be multiple rounds, so there will be a chance to use several different questions.

  • Note to the instructor/facilitator: See the next section for some fun fact question ideas.

Once the class has decided on a fun fact, Ms. Terry will return and sit in the chair in front of the semicircle. She will start off the activity by making a random statement. She might share something she did earlier in the day, something she recently saw, or some other observation.

Next, the first person in the semicircle will ask Ms. Terry an open-ended question based on her initial statement.

Ms. Terry will answer the question, and then the next person will ask a new open-ended question based on Ms. Terry’s answer to the previous question.

This question-and-answer session will continue until the group is able to steer the conversation to the point at which someone is able to ask the original question of interest or the round reaches the 10-minute mark, whichever comes first. If the round reaches the 10-minute mark without getting to the question of interest, the group will share the question they were trying to get to, and the class/group will start a new round.

There will be no random participation in the semicircle. You will have a turn to ask a question based on the order in which you are sitting. If we make it all the way around the semicircle, we’ll go back to the first person in the semicircle.

If one of you asks Ms. Terry a closed or leading question, I will speak up and ask you to reframe your question so that it is open-ended. I will also step in if someone asks a question that is not based on Ms. Terry’s last statement.

Ms. Terry will leave the room again at the end of each round to give the group the chance to decide on another fun fact question, and then we’ll start a new round.

Notes for the Instructor/Facilitator

If there are observers, you can keep them engaged and provide them with another way to learn by tasking them with raising their hand if they notice that someone in the semicircle has asked a close-ended or leading question or if someone has asked a question that does not relate to the answer Ms. Terry provided for the previous question.

For the list of fun facts, favorites are often popular and can be appropriate for all ages, but you are not limited to posing questions related to favorites. Other questions are also appropriate and interesting. Example questions include the following:

  • What is your favorite animal?
  • What is your favorite candy/food?
  • What is your favorite holiday?
  • What is your favorite color?
  • What is your favorite TV show/book/movie?
  • What is a place you really want to visit?
  • If you could go back in time, which historical era would you choose to visit?
  • What is your biggest (non-serious) fear/superstition/pet peeve?
  • What is the first job you ever wanted/dreamed of as a little kid?
  • Who is a famous person you admire?

If you are leading this activity without a co-teacher/assistant/co-facilitator, you may choose not to provide the group with a list of fun fact questions (instead just having the class/group come up with options themselves) so that the potential volunteers to serve in the Ms. Terry role, who should change with every round, will not see the list of options.

Set a timer for 10 minutes at the beginning of each round and intervene as necessary (as described above) throughout the round.

Once Ms. Terry answers the participants’ original question or a round reaches the 10-minute mark, congratulate all involved and pass out paper and writing utensils so that participants can take a moment to record their thoughts and feelings.

If the class/group was too large to fit into the semicircle, have the participants who asked at least one question in the previous round swap places with observers and start a new round, sending Ms. Terry out of the room again while the participants decide on a new fun fact to learn about her.

If you are leading this activity without a co-teacher/assistant/co-facilitator, you may ask for a new volunteer to take the place of the previous round’s volunteer at this time.

In each round, start from a different place in the semicircle.

It may be helpful to provide the participants with an example, whether by reading aloud and/or by passing around a handout with a written example. One potential example is below. If you share the example below with the participants, it may be helpful to note that a real round may be longer or shorter than this example. Additionally, if you share the example below, feel free to replace Ms. Terry with the name of the person who will take on that role in your activity, or you can use the generic “Volunteer.”

Example

While Ms. Terry is outside the room, the participants decide that they would like to learn Ms. Terry’s favorite holiday. Now, Ms. Terry has returned and the question-and-answer activity begins.

Ms. Terry: Over the weekend, I played in a basketball tournament.

Participant 1: Where did the tournament take place?

Ms. Terry: It was in a community center in Somewhere, about a 30-minute drive away.

Participant 2: How did you get there?

Ms. Terry: My teammate picked me up, and then we picked up another teammate, so there were three of us in the car.

Participant 3: What did the three of you do in the car during the drive?

Ms. Terry: We talked to each other about our weeks, our jobs, our families, and the news. We had a nice time chatting and laughing.

Participant 4: What makes you laugh?

Ms. Terry: Oh, we’ve known each other for several years and we tease each other and joke about different things in our lives and in the news. I think it’s important to be able to laugh at yourself and with your friends.

Participant 5: Who do you like to laugh with the most?

Ms. Terry: I probably like to laugh the most with my family and my best friends. We’re all so comfortable with each other and we know how to really make each other laugh and how to laugh with and at each other and ourselves.

Participant 6: Who is in your family?

Ms. Terry: My family consists of my parents, my brother, my sister, my brother-in-law, my niece, my nephew, and a bunch of cousins and aunts and uncles.

Participant 7: Besides joking and laughing, what do you like to do with your family?

Ms. Terry: We like to cook and play games.

Participant 8: When do you like to cook and play games with your family?

Ms. Terry: We cook and play games pretty much anytime we are together at someone’s home.

Participant 1: When do you gather at someone’s home?

Ms. Terry: My closest family gathers together relatively frequently because we’re pretty close. More people join in for birthdays and holidays and other special occasions.

Participant 2: What is your favorite holiday?

Ms. Terry: My favorite holiday is Thanksgiving. I love how everyone comes and we talk about what we’re grateful for, plus there is a lot of time for cooking and playing games together.

Participant Debrief

After completing at least three rounds, shift to the debrief. Although appropriate debrief questions will vary depending on the age of the participants and the purpose of the activity, there are a few questions, identified below, that will likely be useful to all groups.

Was this easier or harder than you thought it would be?

To break up the activity, it may be helpful to ask participants to place themselves along a spectrum for this question, indicating that participants who thought that the activity was much easier than expected should go to one side of the room, those who thought that it was much harder than expected should go to another, and those who felt that it was about what they expected or somewhere else in the middle should place themselves in the room according to their experience. Then, you may choose to ask some people to explain why they chose to stand in the particular spot they picked.

After completing the activity and participating in the debrief up to this point, what do you think is the value of using open-ended questions when conflicts arise? How might you use open-ended questions to deal with rumors? How might you use open-ended questions when a group of people is trying to work together for the first time?

When you asked your questions, you were trying to steer Ms. Terry in a certain direction. Do you think this sort of questioning is okay in a real facilitation situation? If so, when and how would you decide to do this?

Additional Resources

For more information about open-ended questions, take a look at any of the following articles (presented in alphabetical order, not in order of preference).