Setting the Procedure for the Cooperation Challenge
Watch this video of a class being introduced to Phase 1 of the Cooperation Challenge:
The game begins with students standing in a large circle.
The script to set up the procedure is below. The words you will say are in italics.
The Cooperation Challenge: Phase 1.pdf
Embracing Failure
When students begin to play this game, you are in direct control of their success or failure. You can ensure their success if you slow your count or if you pause your counting until everyone has joined a group. Conversely, if you count quickly, without being responsive to what you see happening in front of you, the overly quick pace probably will ensure their failure.
The art of facilitating this game is to know when to create failure and when to create success. Too much success will make the game boring and will not reshape behaviors. Too much failure will result in burnout and make the students feel too defeated to continue trying. However, in the beginning, do not shy away from creating failure. Failure in the beginning will make the group try harder and focus faster.
When energy is too high – Because the Cooperation Challenge is a fast-paced game, the students’ energy level can get very high, very quickly. If you need to temper the physical energy, simply count faster so that the students will fail at the exercise. Once they fail, you can move them to the Observation Deck, where you can reflect on the reason for the failure. Ensure that the students understand that the reason for their failure was their excess of energy.
It is not effective to tell students to calm down, because then they will associate high energy with a punitive discipline response. Instead, ask:
“When your energy is up here, what happens to your listening?” [Students should respond: You can’t hear me.]
“To your eyes?” [Students should respond: You can’t see what is happening.]
“To your brain?” [Students should respond: You can’t think.]
Help the students construct the understanding that high energy makes them “black out” and makes them unsuccessful. If they want to be successful, they must lower their energy level.
The Cooperation Challenge teaches students to communicate with one another in a high-pressure environment while keeping their energy level under control. The end result, ideally, is the creation of an ensemble.
The script for setting up Phase 2 is below:
The words you will say are in italics.
The Cooperation Challenge: Phase 2.pdf