#30 Explain it to me!

Today's idea is a small but effective method that you can quickly implement yourself in your educational programs. All you need are pens and index cards.

You are probably familiar with card games such as Activity or Taboo. Basically, terms are written on individual cards and then individual participants describe them verbally, pantomime them or draw them. The large group tries to guess the respective term in a time span of e.g. one minute. It is also possible to divide the group into teams for this game. Our idea: there are political terms on the cards, which can vary depending on the content of your offer. This method is perfect for people who like to play games!

However, we would like to focus the spotlight of our pool of ideas on another aspect of this method: For political educators, the use of this method can be particularly useful with regard to the following question: What concepts (whether in the form of words, movements or drawings) do participants first and foremost fall back on when playing to make a concept understandable? What preconceptions and attitudes do your participants have towards certain topics and what central ideas do they base these on?

With good observation, you will get clues about which concepts are obviously the most accessible and meaningful for the participants in this game format and which are not.

Political educators can use this information to better assess the group, e.g. with regard to their prior knowledge and explanatory patterns, and to adapt the further design of their educational program to the group.

Possible terms: power, parties, elections, freedom, human rights, constitution, alliance, minister, parliament, demonstration, Brexit, EU, strike, terrorism, rule of law, justice, peace, revolution, petition, democracy, minimum wage, monarchy, separation of powers, work, migration, social welfare, freedom of speech, civil servants, tourism, competition, chancellor, globalization, asylum, environmental protection, climate change, equality

Further diagnostic questions that could be answered:
1. How does the participant:s (TN) react in certain situations (exclusion, injustice, joy)?
2. How does he/she deal with success/failure?
3. What kind of communication does the participant prefer?
4. How does the participant communicate (verbally/nonverbally)?
5. What strengths and weaknesses does he/she have in social interaction?
6. What previous experience does the participant have (positive, negative, reference)?
7. What ideas does the participant have about certain basic political concepts?
8. What general ideas do the participants have about the subject matter?
9. Which topics are linked to the participants' lifeworld?
10. What consequences do sanctions have for the participant?
11. How does the participant react to rejection and stress?