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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
Shannon Wheatley Hartman
December 7, 2022 at 7:01:33 PM
Another all time favorite. I really recommend this activity when you are trying to think about the complexity of a social topic and who/what is impacted by it. It pairs well with the Divergent Thinking/Surround the Topic activity. This activity also includes a really helpful worksheet for capturing types of stakeholders.
Shannon Wheatley Hartman
December 7, 2022 at 6:59:07 PM
I really like this activity. It is a fun way to figure out what matters most to us as a group. For example, if you need to figure out the theme for a discussion series or a topic for a group project, try out this activity. It helps participants to reflect on their own civic passion but also negotiate together the civic passions of the group. It could be paired with the value activities in Module One.
Shannon Wheatley Hartman
December 7, 2022 at 6:54:13 PM
I the process in this activity ("surround the topic") a lot. It is particularly useful as facilitation preparation. It also helps with generative thinking.
Shannon Wheatley Hartman
December 7, 2022 at 6:52:01 PM
This is an all time favorite. Use it as a warm-up activity or whenever you have a group that feels stuck and can't think of new ways of engaging a topic or problem.
Shannon Wheatley Hartman
December 7, 2022 at 6:49:22 PM
Similar to the previous activity (1.7 Taking Inventory of CD Skills), this activity includes a google survey that participants can complete at the beginning of a program or class. Instructors or facilitators can use this information to then tailor future activities to best fits the discussion needs of their group.
Shannon Wheatley Hartman
December 7, 2022 at 6:46:46 PM
Use this as pre-class or pre-workshop preparation! These self-evaluations will help teachers or facilitators to better understand the starting point of each participant and an aggregate view of the group. The survey results are shared only with the instructor/facilitator. This is a really helpful resource (and you can modify the survey to fit your needs).
Shannon Wheatley Hartman
December 7, 2022 at 6:43:42 PM
This activity and the previous (1.5 Understanding Values) are great for difficult conversations. I would use this as the prep work before diving into potentially tricky conversations. It helps participants to look for the values that inform opinions (and not just dismiss ideas that they don't like).
Shannon Wheatley Hartman
December 7, 2022 at 6:41:01 PM
This is also known as "Identity Pie." It's a great warm up and way for participants to get to know one another. I would use this early in a group setting to help build connection.
Shannon Wheatley Hartman
December 7, 2022 at 6:39:24 PM
I think we all know that creating guidelines is important. I introduce activity 1.1 What is Collaborative Learning? first and then use the positive and negative attributes that they generate to help form our group guidelines.
Shannon Wheatley Hartman
December 7, 2022 at 6:36:43 PM
I always recommend that folks start off with this activity and pair it with 1.3 Creating Guidelines. It is a great way to set the tone and emphasize the importance of collaborative discussion.