Some More Favorite Toolkit Activities
Explore, try them out, and share your experience and any tips or modifications in the comments section of the activity's website page!
Dear collaborative discussion friends,
This week, as we wrap up our October Collaborative Discussion Coach Training, I would like to highlight 5 more activities that I enjoy, which are not included in the selection of activities in our coach trainings.
Many of these activities use fun, creative, and playful methods to help participants discuss serious issues, increase their awareness of common challenges like power imbalances, or learn & practice important collaborative discussion skills, like perspective-taking.
Try out these activities and share any modifications or useful tips in the comments section at the bottom of each activity’s website page!
If you missed the previous newsletter, Co-Creation in College Discussions, you can access it and our other weekly newsletters by subscribing below.
5 more toolkit activities to explore and try out
1) Activity 4.7 Recognizing Power Imbalances in Decision Making
Activity 4.7 Recognizing Power Imbalances in Decision Making. This activity makes visible the ways in which power works in society but more particularly, in the context of joint decision-making. It examines how power reinforces stereotypes, but it also offers opportunities to challenge traditional power dynamics.
Why I like this activity: I love how this activity provides a tangible way to bring awareness to and discuss power dynamics and imbalances, a topic that can usually be difficult to talk about.
2) Activity 4.9 Taking the Perspective of Another
Activity 4.9 Taking the Perspective of Another. This activity helps participants use information, such as the values, personality traits, life experiences, and knowledge of another to view a situation from the perspective of this other person and to understand how these facets influence the choices others make in a given situation.
Why I like this activity: When I drafted this activity I tried to create a fun, playful way for participants to practice perspective-taking by using fictional or historical characters and also by having participants discuss a fun topic before moving onto a more serious one. I hope you enjoy trying out this activity. I would love to hear about your experience and any tips or modifications you would like to share with others doing this activity. Please share them in the comments section on this activity’s page.
3) Activity 5.5 Identifying Knowledge in the Community
Activity 5.5 Identifying Knowledge in the Community. This activity explores where we locate knowledge in our community. Participants examine the different kinds of knowledge they have gained. This activity disrupts traditional notions of how we think about knowledge and where it is located.
Why I like this activity: I love how this activity uses a fun method like crafting knowledge trees to helps participants think about all the different types of knowledge in this world, especially those beyond formal education, and the various knowledge keepers in a society.
4) Activity 5.6 Building and Shifting the Discourse
Activity 5.6 Building and Shifting the Discourse. This activity uses memes to introduce participants to the concept of discourse. Participants will be challenged to change the world by changing our discourse about the world.
Why I like this activity: I really like this activity because of its use of a playful medium like memes to help participants understand and discuss a concept like public discourse on a particular topic and how this discourse is created and changed through different strategies.
5) Activity 5.7 Practicing Collaboration with Others
Activity 5.7 Practicing Collaboration with Others. Three presenters pitch campus initiatives or community programs they want to keep, get rid of, or flirt with in order to create their ideal shared community. Participants discuss their own ideas while building a collaborative city out of LEGOs.
Why I like this activity: I love how this activity uses tactile play to make discussing serious topics more fun and interesting. By engaging participants in a playful activity while discussing an important issue, I think this activity helps them listen and engage in the conversation from an open and collaborative frame of mind.
Upcoming Events
5 Practices for Better College Discussions Workshop Series. Invite college students to register and attend these workshops for an introduction to the necessary skills for robust class conversations! The upcoming workshops in this series will take place online from 7:30 pm to 8:30 pm (eastern) on October 23, November 6, and November 20. Share this link for them to register!
Saint Ignatius College Prep in Chicago is hosting Guanacaste: The Transformational Listening Conference 2024 from October 24 to October 26. The theme of the conference this year is "Listening: A Path to Peace in a Polarized World". Dr. John G. Igwebuike, the founder of Guanacaste: The Lead Listening Institute, and one of our Collaborative Discussion Coaches, is organizing this conference. All are welcome! Register Now!
CDP Community Gathering. Mark your calendars! Our next community gathering is Thursday, November 14th at 12 pm (eastern). It will be a casual Q&A session, so bring your questions about using activities from the toolkit, offering certificate programs, or any other questions you may have about the CDP. All are welcome! Register here.
Looking forward to collaborating,
Ritu Thomas & the Collaborative Discussion Team