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LEADERSHIP TRAILS

“Portal Jump”
Academics

Right after your brainstorming session, lights start flashing and alarms start sounding. “Alert, portal containment system offline”, a robotic voice informs you. You suddenly see a blue portal open next to you and an orange portal appear across the room.

You take the portal containment emergency kit you carry with you everywhere and heft it onto your back. Be prepared, that's the lab director’s motto!

Table of Contents

  1. Goal
  2. Purpose
  3. Materials
  4. Setup
  5. Running the Game
  6. Debrief

Goal

Find as many ways to complete the challenge as possible.

Goal

Find as many ways to complete the challenge as possible.

Purpose

Consider multiple solutions to a single problem and challenge the group to search for multiple “right” answers.

Materials

A hula hoop, a 20-foot rope tied in a knot, a stopwatch

Setup

Place the rope on the ground in a circle and put the hoop on the ground in the middle of the rope. Have the team stand around the rope, bend down, and pick the rope up. The team should be evenly spaced around the rope.

Purpose

Consider multiple solutions to a single problem and challenge the group to search for multiple “right” answers.

Materials

A hula hoop, a 20-foot rope tied in a knot, a stopwatch

Setup

Place the rope on the ground in a circle and put the hoop on the ground in the middle of the rope. Have the team stand around the rope, bend down, and pick the rope up. The team should be evenly spaced around the rope.

Table of Contents

  1. Goal
  2. Purpose
  3. Materials
  4. Setup
  5. Running the Game
  6. Debrief

Running the game

This game is simple to execute and its goal is to have the team consider as many solutions to a simple problem as possible. The objective is for team members to switch places with the people across from them in the circle, stepping one foot in the hoop as they cross the circle. There are two rules they must follow:

  • The rope cannot touch the ground
  • The hoop cannot be moved.

Other than these two rules, the team can do whatever it takes to solve the problem. The goal is to find and execute as many solutions to the problem as they can while still following the rules. The team should make a timed attempt for each solution and find the fastest possible solution.

Debrief

The following debrief questions are meant to give you an opportunity to discuss with your patrol mates and reflect on the game. You can have one leader ask the discussion questions or you could take turns asking the questions, making sure everyone’s voice is heard.

This activity is all about considering multiple solutions and using the team to develop ideas.

  • What skills did you have to use to discover multiple solutions?
  • Were all ideas in your group heard? Why or why not?
  • When you are in a difficult situation, do you usually take time to come up with multiple solutions? Why or why not?
  • Which solution produced the best result?
  • How would a conflict benefit from the technique of considering multiple solutions?
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
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