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2.2
Embracing Contradictions
Submitted by Jack Byrd, Jr. & Shannon Wheatley Hartman
Contradictions can be helpful. They can help us to see complexity and develop flexibility of thought. Most issues (and people) contain contradictions. Instead of being stumped by contradictions, this activity encourages participants to lean into this discomfort and develop a “paradox mindset.”
Learning Goal
Learn how to identify contradictions and frame them in a way that embraces complexity and encourages flexible thinking.
Instructions
Set Up: Prepare for the Activity
Organize participants into pairs or small groups (3-5 ppl).
Share the Contradiction Template as a hand out or invite participants to draw this chart on a piece of paper.
Before beginning this activity, play the following clip from the movie Catch 22 as an introduction to contradictions.
Begin by introducing the learning goals of this activity.
Step One: Play with Contradictory Statements (10 min)
Invite participants to discuss the following statements:
You have to spend money to make money.
You have to be cruel to be kind.
Don’t get in the water until you learn to swim.
This sentence is a lie.
Can you promise not to make any more promises?
I’m a compulsive liar.
Each sentence is a paradox or contains some sort of contradiction.
Invite participants to discuss how they make sense of these contradictions.
How do you feel when confronted by contradictions? Energized? Stumped? How do you reconcile these opposing ideas?
Step Two: Reflect on Personal Contradictions (20 min)
Next, encourage participants to think about internal or personal contradictions.
Using the Contradiction Template, invite each participant to generate their own list of contradictions.
Ask them to share these lists with their partner or group.
Discuss: How is it possible for us to contain these contradictions? What does this tell us about ourselves?
Step Three: Discuss Contradictions in Policy (20 min)
In pairs or small groups, explore one of the following topics. Discuss policies related to this topic and how they may seem contradictory or even a paradox, depending on how you think about the topic:
Affirmative action
Policing
National security
Disability
Environmentalism
Welfare
Gun Control
Step Four: Debrief as a Full Group (10 min)
After thinking about contradictions from three different levels (statements, personal, policy), discuss:
What have you learned about contradictions?
How might contradictions or paradoxes help you to see issues in a new way?
How might paradoxes help you to question assumptions?
TIME
50
min
MODULE
Creative Collaboration
This activity can be completed by any discussion group.
This activity can be easily modified for asynchronous learning. See Sample Asynchronous Certificate Program Design to illustrate sample sequencing.
This activity is suitable for professional or more formal learning environments.
This activity can be used to build trust and interpersonal connection.
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
YD
December 3, 2022 at 2:39:23 AM
Activity 5.4 uses the fun method of role playing and builds on other activities to help participants develop questions and practice gathering information to collaborate effectively with communities as partners. This activity involves working together in small groups and as a large group. It also includes multiple additional resources for participants to continue learning methods and skills to build community partnerships.
YD
December 3, 2022 at 2:39:00 AM
Activity 1.8 provides a very useful survey to gather information on and help support participants' different discussion styles and needs, exploring various areas like preferences for group size, ways of participating in discussions, any fears relating to discussions, etc.
YD
December 3, 2022 at 2:34:46 AM
Activity 5.8 further explores direct democracy by proposing the idea of "legislative juries" to improve the current initiative process through collaboration and deliberation. This activity uses role playing to have participants practice deliberation as part of a mock legislative jury to craft ballot initiatives on a given issue.
YD
December 3, 2022 at 2:27:35 AM
Activity 5.7 uses a fun and tactile activity like building LEGOs to explore the effects of coming together to colloborate and discuss, while also participating together in another physical activity.
YD
December 3, 2022 at 2:22:49 AM
Activity 5.6 uses memes and futuristic zombie scenarios to develop ways to change people's minds, while exploring various aspects of the methods used to change minds, like assumptions behind ideas, sticking to the facts versus stretching the truth, appealing to emotions etc.
YD
December 3, 2022 at 2:16:44 AM
Activity 5.5 uses a fun and visual/craft activity to help participants explore the many different types of knowledge, how they are valued, and the role/importance of each type of knowledge in their own lives.
YD
December 3, 2022 at 2:11:54 AM
Activity 5.3 gives participants to use writing, drawing, and/or speaking to share and discuss the various communities they belong to and/or feel excluded from, the various aspects that define community, as well as the practices of inclusion or exclusion and power distribution in these communities.
YD
December 3, 2022 at 2:07:26 AM
Activity 5.2 introduces four categories of stakeholders and multiple prompts to help participants work together in small and large groups to create comprehensive list of stakeholders, including those who are marginalized or not as obvious, for a given issue.
YD
December 3, 2022 at 2:04:00 AM
Activity 5.1 uses gamification by having participants play the Civics Topics Sweet Sixteen Competition to identify their issues they are passionate about both as individuals and as a group.
YD
December 3, 2022 at 2:01:34 AM
Activity 4.9 uses both lighthearted and serious characters, topics, and dialogue to help participants practice viewing an issue from the perspective of multiple people/characters and explain their thought processes and rationale for the choices they think these people will make in a given situation.