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1.4
Understanding Your Identity in Collaboration
Submitted by Shannon Wheatley Hartman
There are different ways of thinking about identity ranging from personal to social or perceived to ascribed. This activity encourages participants to reflect on the type of person or identity they bring (or would like to bring) to a discussion.
Learning Goals
Recognize that all discussion participants bring and withhold parts of their identity.
Be more intentional about the identities we put forward (or hold back) in group discussion.
Instructions
Set Up: Prepare for the Activity
Organize the participants into pairs or small groups (5-6 ppl).
Begin by introducing the learning goals of this activity.
Step One: Individually Design Identity Capsules (10 min)
Share the following prompt with participants:
Imagine that you have the opportunity to live on another planet with an alien population. The interview process requires that you pack 5 items into a capsule that best represent you as a person. You decide which 5 aspects of your identity are most important and how you might represent them as objects in the capsule. Write down your answers, being mindful that you will share this information in pairs or small groups. Do not write down something that you are uncomfortable sharing.
Step Two: Share Capsules (20 min)
In pairs or small groups, invite participants to share their capsule items. Discuss these prompts:
Why did you include this item? What part of your identity does it represent?
How might this part of your identity show up (or not show up) in larger group discussions?
When are these identity traits most present and when are they invisible or held back in reserve
Step Three: Debrief as a Full Group (20 min)
Reconvene as a large group and ask participants to take inventory of their identity capsule contents. Prompts:
What sort of items were in your identity capsules? Any similarities? Anything that stood out? Anything in possible tension?
How do we know which parts of our identity we want to put forth in a collaborative discussion with others? Can we be intentional about this?
Which parts of our identity do we hold back? What is the cost of holding back parts of ourselves? Under what circumstances do we feel safe to put forth a more authentic or whole self?
TIME
50
min
MODULE
Introduction to Collaborative Discussion
This activity can be completed by any discussion group.
This activity can be used to build trust and interpersonal connection.
This activity is focused on developing or supporting listening skills. See Sample Listening Certificate Program Design to illustrate sample sequencing.
Tell us what you think. Rate and review this activity:
Have any helpful suggestions or modifications for this activity?
Share them in the comments below!
0 Comments
June 22, 2023 at 3:24:58 AM
June 16, 2023 at 3:56:28 PM
Fun activity!
June 16, 2023 at 5:01:38 AM
Great activity!
June 16, 2023 at 5:00:51 AM
anon
May 25, 2023 at 1:27:08 PM
Great site!
May 22, 2023 at 7:54:26 PM
RT
January 17, 2023 at 12:39:09 AM
This activity could possibly pair with Activity 1.8, which evaluates current discussion style. After completing that evaluation, this activity could be used to help participants envision and set goals or intentions for how they would like to participate in discussions going forward.
RT
January 16, 2023 at 10:26:09 PM
This activity helps develop a skill that is useful in many contexts, including in the classroom, workplace, community and even at home.
RT
January 13, 2023 at 3:17:13 AM
This activitiy can be modified or used as is in helping STEM students and science & technology professionals in identifying the unintended consequences and uses of any new scientific or technological developments or tools, such as AI models, etc.
Shannon Wheatley Hartman
December 7, 2022 at 7:03:49 PM
I am waiting for someone to try this activity out and share it back with us. This is probably one of the most ambitious activities in the toolkit. I really love it but I have not had the opportunity to try it out with a group. Please someone try this and share back!