This learning activity focuses on developing students’ ability to adjust their thoughts, emotions, and personal attitudes toward a given topic to meet new demands or circumstances, while being able to adopt others’ ideas in whole or in parts.
How we implement it:
Each group writes an entry (definition) for a given word. After reading the entries aloud, all teams vote on which definition they believe is the correct one.
Skill focus
Primary Skill Focus
- Flexibility
Complementary/Secondary Skill Focus
- Emotional awareness (emotional regulation and communication)
- Creativity
- Problem-solving
- Critical thinking
- Curiosity, sense of wonder, and openness
| Age group | Student number | Duration |
| 7 + years old | groups of 3 to 6 students, whole class | 20-40 minutes |
Proposed step by step implementation of the learning activity
- Words selected from a dictionary. Each group writes an alternative entry that is identical in form and meaning to the word selected by the teacher.
- All completed entries, together with the official dictionary definition, are collected and mixed.
- Each group selects one sheet and reads the text on it.
- After reading, each group explains why the received entry can be accepted and which parts of it are agreed with, either in whole or in part. Learners are not required to accept definitions that are completely incorrect.
- The essence of the activity is that students must accept and justify their peers’ opinions.