Image credit: Marta Rusek

Overview

Practice seeking to understand one another with this activity.

30 minutes Middle School and Up Listening
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Materials & Setup:

Room set up to allow for participants to sit in two concentric circles. If there are not enough participants for two concentric circles, two lines facing one another also works.

Some example “answers.” Some examples can be found in instructions.

Instructions:

Wagon Wheel

When we use discernment, we are thinking deeply about our idea. “Am I speaking or acting for myself, or for the community?” We can develop that deep thinking muscle with practice.

Sometimes we don’t connect with something someone says. We may wonder, “How can that person think or say that?” We are wondering about the source of another person’s thinking. This activity helps us explore different ways of thinking with each other.

Have the participants sit in two circles, with the inner circle facing out and the outer circle facing in, with everyone facing another person. One partner tells the other an “answer,” as in “The answer is four. What’s the question?” Or, “The answer is a stoplight. What’s the question?” It’s not a guessing game, where one partner has to guess the question exactly. Instead, it’s about finding a question that fits the answer. After one minute (facilitator can adjust timing to what fits her/his class), then say “rotate,” and the outer circle rotates so they are sitting in front of the next person, and we repeat the process.

Questions for reflection:

  • What surprised you about this activity?
  • Did this help you consider someone else’s thought process? How?
  • What helps us consider other people’s perspectives?
  • What did you learn from this activity?
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