Looking at the Dimensions of a Topic

• Forming a line in the room: one end represents (…), for example the individual, one end the opposite, for example the social
  • Situate yourself in the line – do you want to go to one end or somewhere in the middle?
  • Do you feel more comfortable in the individual or in the social?
  • Embody your position, not being fixed but able to move
  .
  • Is this the right place? Do you want to move still? Is this where you want to be?

• The dimensions:
  • Past – Future (tradition – innovation)
  • Individual – Collective/society
  • Subject-oriented – Cross-curricular 
  • Recognition – Alienation (Affirmation – Provocation; Affirmative – Destructive)
  • Learner-driven – Curriculum-driven
  • Discipline – Freedom (Expression – Impression; Divergent and Convergent thinking)
  • Engagement – Entertainment

Purpose:

• To look at a certain dimension of a topic, for example individual – social experiences
• To position a thought in space
• Standing up and moving, not only sitting at the table and discussing
• A good start for conversation
• This exercise can be fast and then move on to discuss the experience and insights
  • In the exercise, one has to seize agency, to make choices.
  • It is an opening to talk about topics.
  • Multi-voicedness, different ways to approach the task.
  • Combinations of embodiment and language.

Who with:

• May be used with people of different ages and backgrounds.
• May also be done as a team: How does our team position itself in relation to a topic?

Variations:

• Different themes and questions may be selected, suitable for the group and the aims

Author: Gudrun Beckmann, Hanze University of Applied Sciences, Groningen, Netherlands.