Take A Stand

Take A Stand

Approximate Time: 20- 45 minutes

Minimum Group Size: 3 people

Maximum Group Size: 200 people

 

Age/ Level:

Participants must be able to consider their values and viewpoints, and empathize with others, in order to take part in this activity. Recommended for Grade 4 and up.

 

Space Required:

A room large enough for all participants to gather in the centre of the room, and then spread out into four corners of the room with enough space for private discussions.

 

Materials:

  • 1 pen or pencil per participant
  • 1-2 index cards per participant (can be cut in half – can also use recycled paper instead of index cards)
  • 1 large paper, or powerpoint slide, with a numbered list of statements (see Resources for a sample list)

 

Set-up:

The participants will each be given 1-2 index cards, and a pen or pencil, and asked to sit in a circle.

The four corners of the room should each be labeled with big signs, one in each corner with: “Agree”, “Disagree”, “Strongly Agree”, and “Strongly Disagree”.

 

Objective:

The objective of this activity is for participants to reflect on their personal beliefs and values, and consider their peers’ beliefs, values, and perspectives.

 

Facilitator Guidelines:

1.  Show participants the list of numbered prompts (on a PowerPoint slide or flipchart paper)

2.  Ask participants to write their responses to each statement next to the statement numbers on their index cards. Their responses should list whether they strongly agree, agree, disagree, or strongly disagree. They can use the abbreviations SA/ A/ D/ DS

3.  After they have written their responses to each statement, participants should fold their index cards into paper airplanes, and launch them into the middle of the circle. 

4.  Invite participants to pick up a paper airplane and read the first statement in silence. 

5.  Ask participants to walk to the corner of the room with the sign that correlates to the answer to the first statement, as shown on the paper airplane they picked up. 

6.  When the participants are in the four corners of the room, the facilitator will ask them to discuss why someone may have responded with SA/ A/ D/ DS for that statement. Each corner group should choose a speaker to share their group’s response with the larger group. 

 7.  After each corner has shared their responses, invite all participants to re-fold their airplanes and throw them across the room, and then pick up a different airplane and repeat the entire process for the second prompt (and then the third and fourth prompts and so on)

 

Facilitation Variations:

SA/ A/ D/ DS may be changed to simply “Agree” or “Disagree” for smaller groups, or if the facilitator would like to

Roles:

Each group should select a speaker to represent that group’s    opinions and responses to group debrief questions.

 

References

Sample list of prompts:

Cheese is bad for you

Computer games should be limited to 1 hour of game time everyday

Everyone should do 60 mins of physical activity every day

Individual work is easier than group work

Talking about myself is easy

I feel accepted in our Community

Student voices are integrated into decision-making at our school

It’s better to hear everyone’s idea than to make an executive decision

You must go to a top-tier university in order to be successful

If you study hard and work hard you would be financially successful

Wealth is a privilege that only a few deserve

Homeless people are lazy

I have a responsibility for the wellbeing of others

Teachers should be allowed friends with their students

We should only focus our fundraising and awareness on terminal illnesses that affect large populations of people.

 

Service Learning Prompts:

I have a responsibility for the wellbeing of others

The service we did is sustainable

Homeless people are lazy

The government plan to fight poverty is enough

 

General Debrief Questions

  • How did you feel when you had to justify and defend your point of view?
  • How did it feel when you had to justify a point of view that you didn’t agree with?
  • Why is important to share your opinions?
  • How does awareness of others help your understanding of others and develop empathy?
  • How do personal experiences shape opinions?
  • Why is it important to respect others’ opinions?
  • What is empathy? Why is empathy a good skill to have?
  • Usefulness/effectiveness of being able to think in someone else’s shoes
  • Spectrum vs. black and white divisions (SA/A/D/SD vs. A/D)

 

 

Notes – Safety, planning for groups, etc

This activity is very similar to Diversity Circle, however it is unique in that it requires participants to justify differing viewpoints and empathize with their peers’ viewpoints.