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4.3
Understanding Perspectives on a Continuum
Submitted by Janice McMillan
This exercise makes visible a range of views on an issue as well as how hard it is to take on the view of someone else. It helps participants become aware of how strongly held views can lead them to be dismissive of the views of others.
Learning Goals
Identify views or perspectives as a continuum and not as a binary.
Develop a deeper appreciation for how hard it is to actually take on the view of someone else.
Instructions
Set Up: Prepare for the Activity
Make it easier for participants to move around and visualize by taping paper signs to indicate a letter for each position and lanes on the floor for each place in the continuum (refer to this Continuum Map).
On one end of the room/space, draw a large “A” on a piece of paper and tape it onto the floor to represent position A and, on the other end, draw a large “B” on a piece of paper and tape it onto the floor to represent position B.
Take 6 sheets of paper, and write “Strongly Agree with A”, “Agree with A”, “Somewhat Agree with A”, “Strongly Agree with B”, “Agree with B”, “Somewhat Agree with B” on each sheet respectively.
Tape these sheets of paper down in between the position A and position B signs, so in the end, the sheets mark lanes in the following order:
Strongly Agree with A, Agree with A, Somewhat Agree with A, Somewhat Agree with B, Agree with B, Strongly Agree with B.
Use long pieces of masking tape to create a lane for each position.
Step One: Get Ready to Start (5 min)
Begin by introducing the learning goals of this activity.
Start with all participants in position somewhere on the Continuum Map drawn on the floor, ready to move.
Step Two: Choose Positions - Lightning Round (5 min)
As the facilitator, read statements that indicate two very different positions on one topic, for example:
What would you rather eat for lunch? A) a burger or B) a veggie wrap
Development is about: A) the alleviation of poverty, or B) increasing people’s capabilities
Freedom means: A) having choices, or B) being left alone to do as you like
As each statement is read, ask participants to take a moment to think about where they want to stand and then indicate their position on the continuum by physically moving. They can choose any position between the two extremes.
Try to encourage participants not to pick a position directly in the middle line, i.e. have no view or claim they are neutral on a topic.
Participants will not be asked to justify their positions, yet. Instead, ask them to remember their thoughts about the statements for the next step of the activity.
Step Three: Choose and Discuss Positions (10 min)
The next set of statements should be tailored to the area of concern for the group. For example, take the topic of “development.”
Read a more complex statement, such as:
If you were the head of the United Nations, would you A) prioritize projects focused on the provision of medicines, OR B) prioritize the education of young girls and boys?
Invite participants to think about their opinion and choose a position on the continuum. Invite participants to discuss why they are standing at a particular spot. Even though they are sharing a location, they might be there for very different reasons.
Step Four: Share and Reevaluate Positions (10 min)
Select representatives from each spot to share their thoughts. Engage in a discussion, switching back and forth from one end of the continuum to the other, as opinions and responses are shared.
If participants feel swayed by an argument on the opposite side from where they are standing, they can switch positions. For those who switch, invite them to offer a brief explanation of what persuaded them to move on the continuum.
Step Five: Practice Perspective Taking (10 min)
Repeat the activity with another statement, for example:
If you were a starving and politically oppressed citizen, would you rather be given A) food daily or B) the right to vote?
Ask participants to think about their opinion and choose a position on the continuum.
This time as participants discuss with their new group, ask them to develop an argument for the opposing view. Ask them:
What are people on the other end of the spectrum thinking?
What argument would they put forth to explain why they are on this end of the spectrum?
Participants will have to think from the other side’s perspective and put forth the strongest argument for the opposing view.
Step Six: Discuss with the Full Group (10 min)
Take turns sharing between groups. Make sure the full group takes the discussion far enough to come to a conclusion about what they believe as a group and/or individually. Clarity-seeking questions and examples can aid in this.
Step Seven: Debrief as a Full Group (10 min)
Which place on the continuum was easiest for you to occupy and why? Extreme ends or middle spaces?
When imagining what other groups thought or believed, which spaces were easiest/hardest to imagine?
TIME
60
min
MODULE
Culturally Responsive Collaboration
This activity can be completed by any discussion group.
This activity might be considered high energy or more playful than other activities.
This activity can be easily modified to serve as an introductory exercise and completed in less than 10 minutes.
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0 Comments
YD
December 2, 2022 at 9:07:26 PM
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 2, 2022 at 9:04:00 PM
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 2, 2022 at 9:01:34 PM
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.
YD
December 2, 2022 at 8:58:08 PM
Activity 4.8 provides useful phrases and techniques, as well as helps participants develop their own, to join in during discussions and express their views according to the goals they choose for themselves on what they want to offer to the discussion and how they want to be perceived.
YD
December 2, 2022 at 8:52:48 PM
Activity 4.7 uses a tactile and fun method, like a bag of beans, to have participants experience what it is like to have different amounts of power in a conversation. This activity also highlights how we base our ideas of how power is distributed on stereotypes.
YD
December 2, 2022 at 8:48:29 PM
Activity 4.6 employs useful tools like the Question Chart to help participants learn how to craft "good questions" that move beyond any assumptions they have about the views of others based on stereotypes or third party descriptions, and unearth their true views on the issue.
YD
December 2, 2022 at 8:45:08 PM
Activity 4.5 uses visual aids like the Emotion Wheel to push participants to move beyond just cognitive empathy and shows how to reflect back the emotions and understand their source through dialogue. It also helps participants differentiate between messages of intentional empathy and problem-solving.
YD
December 2, 2022 at 8:39:46 PM
Activity 4.4 uses both individual written reflection and discussion in small and large groups to explore the which aspects of a person's identity we use to determine if they should be included in the conversation on a particular issue. This activity also give participants to practice explaining and negotiating who is chosen.
YD
December 2, 2022 at 8:33:37 PM
Activity 4.3 uses physical movement and both lighthearted and serious topics to help participants see how positions on different topics lie on a continuum and how positions can change as one is exposed to new information or perspectives. Participants also flex their imaginative and creative muscle by arguing for the position opposite to theirs.
YD
December 2, 2022 at 8:28:28 PM
Activity 4.2 breaks down the individual aspects of active listening into separate rounds/steps to help participants consciously and methodically learn and practice this skill.