GAME-BASED LEARNING II: LINES OF COMMUNICATION – Celestine Chime

Being one of my favourite Get Global activities, Lines of Communication is an activity used in training kids on the essence of teamwork, effective communication and attention to detail.

How the game is played:

Items needed

A drawing board and drawing pen

A diagram of an SDG

A time keeper

Activities

• Lines of communication is played using two or more teams depending on the size of the class.
• For each team, there are three communication levels: the headteacher, teacher, students (including one or two people selected to draw).
• Each team is to draw the diagram which is only shown to the headteacher (or students if we use a bottom-up communication approach).
• The headteachers of the various teams are allowed to view the diagram which is hidden in a place only accessible to them.
• They are then required to describe what they saw only to the teachers who serve as an intermediary between the headteachers and students.
• The teacher also describes what he was told to the students who are required to draw it on the drawing board.
• The teams have a set time to complete the task and a winner is adjudged.

Being a global citizen means understanding that different people from different parts of a community, a country, or the world can come together as one team to effect change in the world. Creating change requires that we channel information from bottom-up or top-down depending on which position or situation we find ourselves. The Lines of Communications thus explain these communication processes in a more practical way to students.