This activity develops students’ flexibility in adjusting their thinking, emotions, and personal attitudes toward a given topic, while considering and adopting others’ ideas in whole or in part. Teachers can tailor this learning activity to three difficulty levels to meet students’ needs.
- Beginners (6-7 years old): – Learners with low flexibility: Students with low flexibility may struggle to accept alternative definitions or ideas from their peers. At this level: Groups should work on simple, concrete words or terms. The teacher provides structured guidance, modelling how to evaluate and discuss different entries. Teams are encouraged to identify parts of entries they can accept, even if they cannot accept the whole definition. The teacher may limit the number of alternative entries to reduce confusion and stress. Reflection and justification can be scaffolded with sentence starters (e.g., “I agree with this part because…”).
- Advanced learners (8-9 years old): – Learners with moderate flexibility: Students with moderate flexibility can handle more complex words and multiple alternative entries. At this level: Groups work independently to create entries that are consistent in form and meaning. Students can compare several entries and discuss which parts they agree with. The teacher provides prompts to support justification but encourages students to make their own decisions. Peer discussion and explanation help students practice partial acceptance and thoughtful evaluation. Teams can explore why certain entries are more acceptable than others, strengthening reasoning skills.
- Experts (9–10 years old): – Learners with high flexibility: Students with high flexibility can work with abstract or challenging words and a larger number of alternative entries. At this level: Groups can independently write and evaluate entries, justifying acceptance of others’ ideas in whole or in part. Students can reflect critically on subtle differences between entries and explain their reasoning to the class. The teacher’s role is minimal, mainly facilitating discussion and ensuring respectful communication. Teams can debate and negotiate the acceptance of entries, further developing cognitive, emotional, and social flexibility.
