Agree or Disagree

The activity used in class on Wednesday involved a group of two or three discussing whether or not they agreed with statements presented to them by the teacher.  In the group, the students had to agree, disagree or place themselves somewhere on an imaginary continuum between the two.

I would consider using this activity in class, but only with the following considerations:

• The statements would have to be explicit.  When the statements are vague, those completing the activity may not know to what exactly they are responding.  There is some reservation to participate when the statements are confusing.
• The continuum really is advisable.  To think that statements can be answered in a black-and-white agree-or-disagree way really ignores the nuances that go into people’s philosophies and ideologies.  We found ourselves defending our answers to ourselves and bringing up “What if?” scenarios to counter our own decisions.  There needs to be gray area.
• Grouping is so important.  I realized that my group was actually very pleasant. If I had been asked to choose two people from the room, the people I had worked with could have been two people I would have personally picked.  That was great, because I felt free to discuss my opinions openly. I would have felt the need to conform to the opinions of others if I did not feel so comfortable discussing my personal philosophy.
• Discussion of what to do upon consensus.  We froze when we all agreed. Do we share the reasons why and discuss if our reasons are the same? Do we say we agree, and then in explaining our rationale actually begin to disagree? Does someone take the position of the devil’s advocate just make conversation and feel like they are most greatly participating to the letter of the activity.  Our group in fact did each of these, and we were anxiety-ridden at each turn.  The decision of what to do upon consensus should be decided in advance.  

Variations on how I would use the activity in a classroom setting:

• Use this activity with a physical continuum within the classroom’s physical space.  Make one end an agree end and one end a disagree end.  The physical space allows for the shades of gray, but also gives a definite kinesthetic value to the decision making process.  The sight of the students along the continuum is actually a quick summation of the final consensus, and could be quite interesting to take in as both a participant along the continuum and as a view of the continuum.
• Use this activity as a whole class activity.  Inviting the whole class to move along a physical continuum takes some of the pressure off of one’s decision, and also allows all of the students to participate more comfortably and even anonymously.   It may be easier for some to silent move to a different location than it would be to voice an opinion to two people.  When used for the whole class, this can be an excellent break in desk work and a quick assessment for a teacher to use on the entire class.  The teacher can use this as a quick gauge of understanding of any topic, so long as it is placed in the agree/disagree model.  
• Use this activity to teach persuasion.  Make the students agree with an idea they would not normally defend.  This eliminates the personal attachment to the opinion, which makes disagreements sound less like refutations.  Additionally, the defense of one’s decision when given a side cannot be “because I think so,” or “because I always have.”   The need to defend a new idea may encourage critical thinking and teach viewing an idea through another’s perspective.