BLIND NEGOTIATION
GOAL & METHOD
GOAL#1 : LEARNERS AUTONOMY AND SELF-DETERMINATION
METHOD#3: encourage communication skills.
Advised Age Group
11-15 year-old
Target
ALL LEARNERS
Subject
ALL SUBJECTS
Requires
Eye covers – Plasticine – Timer
Length
SHORT
Pairs of students
With eyes covered and without any verbal communication the learners form pairs. The pairs face each other. Give each pair a large piece of plasticine to mould.
Creation time
Ask the pairs to model something together within a fixed time (generally not more than 10/15 minutes).
When all pairs are done or when time is over, ask learners to remove the eye covers and observe the sculpture they moulded.
Explanation
Ask each pair to explain how they felt and what they moulded. Give them the opportunity to share their experiences within the large group.
In the group discussion, they should be able to describe:
a. how they decided what to do;
b. how they negotiated;
c. who took the decision;
d. how the communication came about;
e. were the results and process satisfactory or not;
f. how they think it could be improved;
g. what similarities exist between this activity and real life; etc.
Repeat and add “difficulties”
Make the learners repeat the exercise two or three times, adding each time new obstacles or limitations to their work, such as giving them topics for their sculptures, working with only one hand, talking to each other without using words, etc. Repeat the sharing of experiences every time.
SUMMING UP
As learners repeat the activity, you should notice improvement in the models, as a result of an improved communication between them.