Rationale

The activity focuses on problem-solving, communication and critical-thinking.

Size of Group

The activity is ideal for 20 to 30 participants.

Materials

• Zoom books by Istvan Banyai

Procedures

• To create the game from the book, separate the picture pages of the book into one page sheets and laminate or place in clear plastic sleeves to protect them and prolong usage.
• Hand out one picture per person (make sure a continuous sequence is used).
• Explain that participants may only look at their own pictures and must keep their pictures hidden from others.
• Encourage participants to study their picture, since it contains important information to help solve a problem.
• The challenge is for the group to sequence the pictures in the correct order without looking at one another’s pictures.
• Participants will generally mill around talking to others to see whether their pictures have anything in common.  Sometimes leadership efforts will emerge to try to understand the overall story.
• When the group believes they have all the pictures in order (usually after ~15 minutes), the pictures can be turned over for everyone to see.

Guide Questions for Processing

• Why was it hard to get the story together?
  (everyone had a piece, but no-one had the big picture)
• What type of communication was used in attempting to solve the problem?
• What communication methods might have worked better?  e.g., Imagine if, at the outset, the group had taken the time to let each person describe his/her picture to the rest of the group.  What would have happened then?  Would the solution have been found faster?  What prevented such strategies from being considered?
• Did you try to “second position” (i.e., see one’s communications from the perspective of others)?
• What kind of leadership was used to tackle the problem?
• Who were the leaders?  Why?
• What style of leadership might have worked best?
• If you were to tackle a similar activity again, what do you think this group could do differently?
• What real life activities are similar to this activity?

No related posts.