Add@Me Learning Methods Database (EN)

Can be performed indoors or outdoors in a quite large space. A group of up to ten people (even number of participants).

The facilitator spreads sporadically around the area the various objects (bottles, balls, boxes, cones). Ask participants to get into groups of two. Ask one person from each group to put on a blindfold. The person who is not blindfolded is standing at a distance giving clear instructions to his/her partner on how to get from one side of the area to the other without stepping on the objects. The blindfolded person cannot speak at all.

The game can become more challenging by indicating a specific more complicated routes to follow.

Prepare 20 pieces of cardboard the size of a sheet of paper or 20 sheets of normal-sized paper. Each cardboard or sheet should have a number from 0 to 9 on it; make two sets of each. The number of people is 20 (two teams of 10). Each team is given a packet of numbers from 0 to 9. Each team member is given a number.

The coordinator calls out a number, e.g. 827; those with 8, 2, and 7 from each team should come to the front and line up in the proper order, holding the number sign prominently. The team that forms the number first scores a point. It is important that the facilitator makes sure that the instructions are well understood. He/she can ask for comments.

The coordinator explains that different orders are going to be given, and in order for them to be carried out, the following slogan must have been said beforehand: "The people are in charge", for example. "The people are in charge, stand up". Only when the slogan has been given can the order be carried out. It is lost if the order is not carried out or if the order is obeyed without having previously said the slogan. Then different orders are given.

From time to time, the facilitator will include orders with a different command, but something similar to the real one, e.g. "The people say stand up". The orders should be given as quickly as possible to keep the exercise moving.

The participants are standing in a circle holding hands. The facilitator chooses one person from the group which will start the game, by tapping on his or her back in such a way that the other participants can not see. This person ‘releases the pulse’. This means he/she is squeezing the hand either to the person left or right from him/her (by his/her choice). After a person gets the pulse, he/she should also release to the person next to him/her. He is doing this by squeezing the hand of the person next to him only once. He can also decide to send the pulse back and instead of squeezing the hand once of the person on his right, he is squeezing the hand twice to the person on his left (the one that gave him the pulse). Then the pulse is changing direction.

The game can last as long as the participants are willing to and the person sending the pulse first can be changed.

The vi facilitator will prepare a written message saying, for example: "They say that 483 people are trapped under a landslide, after the cyclone passed the rescue has started. Thousands of people have been mobilised carrying medicines, bandages and other items. But they say that the people trapped were not trapped by accident, it was a kidnapping, there are people with a lot of money among those trapped". A minimum of 6 volunteers are asked for and numbered. All but the first one leave the room. The rest of the participants witness the process of distortion of the message; they write down what changes from the initial version took place.

The vi facilitator reads the message to Number 1, then Number 2 is called. Number 1 communicates to number 2 what was read to him, without anyone's help. So on and so forth, until all the partners have passed. The last partner, instead of repeating the message orally, is better to write it on a flipchart or on a blackboard, if possible. In turn, the instructor will write down the original message for comparison.

The instructor will lead a discussion to reflect on the fact that the distortion of a message is caused by not being clear about the message, as we usually remember what catches our attention, or what we think is most important.

The coordinator divides the group into 6 teams. Each subgroup is given a sheet of paper with a secret word on it. Each team should describe the definition of each word without referring to it directly and without pronouncing it. The words to distribute are: belonging, cooperation, commitment, communication, learning and empathy. Each team should write and/or come up with examples or situations about the word they have received and then share them as a large group. When the definitions are given out, participants from the other teams should guess which word is being referred to.

Once the activity is over, there is a space for reflection on the contents developed. Ideas for the moment of reflection and debate. In this space it is ideal to refer to the meaning of the words in relation to how the group operates, how its members perform in relation to the task. Do they feel that they belong to a group? Is commitment to group work identified? Are cooperative and/or competitive attitudes detected? How is the communication, is it effective? Is there empathy? What is empathy? Is there learning? How does learning flow?