Objectives
Have each participant think in depth about their ideas of what Europe is
Description
During this activity, participants will express their conception of Europe using an image-based brainstorming technique called Photolanguage.
Major Skills Aquired
- Expression opinions on a subject
- Listening to others
- Participating in a group thought process
Core Competency Areas
Area 1: Using language to think and communicate
Understand, and express oneself in written and spoken language
Area 3: Personal and civic growth
Thinking critically
Duration
Resources
Selection of photos available in the appendix.
Required Materials
- Several photos or images, presenting different situations that could evoke the idea of Europe (a selection of some possible photos is included in the appendix). Warning: If you plan to make 2 or 3 groups, remember to print a set of photos by group.
- An exercise sheet per group
Suggested Method
BEFORE YOU BEGIN (5’) :
Set up
Present the objectives of the activity to participants, as well as how it will work and explain what Photolanguage is: a technique used to help participants express themselves using photos and images.
Depending on the number of participants, form several groups (ideally, no group should have more than 10 people). Designate a moderator per group, whose role will be keeping the debates moving along.
Each group also should choose a secretary, who will be given the Exercise sheet.
STEP 1 (-5’) :
Choosing the photos
Spread the photos on a table or wall display for all participants to see. Ask each participant to choose the photo that best represents ‘Europe’ for them.
Each participant chooses silently and looks at the photos that they find the most interesting. Then each participant takes their photo. If a participant takes a photo before another can take it, the second participant doesn’t have to choose a new photo, they will be given the photo after the first person speaks.
STEP 2 (20’) :
Debate in groups
Each participant is asked to explain the reasons for their choice to the rest of the group. After going around the group once, a debate can begin between the members of the group. For example, if two people have chosen the same photo but for different (even opposing) reasons. The moderator concludes the exchange by summarizing in a few key words the points of consensus and the points of contention in the debate, using the table on the Exercise sheet filled in by the secretary.
STEP 3 (20’) :
Defining and concluding
Use the last step in the activity to try to come up with a collective definition of Europe within the group (10 minutes).
The secretary of each group presents this definition to the whole class (and if the group never managed to come up with a definition, give reasons). If you have the time, ask participants what surprised them in the discussions that took place in their group (10 minutes).
Variants and Extensions
If you have a sufficiently large selection of photos, you could ask students to choose two images: one which represents to then ‘Europe’ and the other which doesn’t.
Discussions and Perspectives
Group work analysis:
- Do you feel that you listened, were heard and understood?
- Were you interested in what was said? When?
Appendices
Want to chat about this lesson plan?
Why not talk about this lesson series with our community! Share your experiences and your questions, chat about the changes and improvements that you've made. Find us on our Facebook page (in French).