CONSENSUS + COLLABORATION

ACTIVITY TIME: 1 x 45 mins

any grade (based on gr 4 curriculum competencies)

CONNECT

LEARNING INTENTION:
- to introduce the 4 Cs: communication, cooperation, compassion, and
commitment
- to build criteria for collaboration (ie. working in groups)

RATIONALE:
- encourages group work outside of usual groupings
- allows for student-guided criteria building
- introduces and reinforces collaboration as a tool for learning
- incorporates First Nations talking circles and

CURRICULUM:
DO:
- exchange ideas and perspectivesto build shared understanding (BC
Curriculum ELA)
KNOW:
- useinnovativethinking when solving problems (BC Curriculum Career
Education)
UNDERSTAND:
- recognize the need for others who can support their learning and personal
growth (BC Curriculum Career Education)

PROCESS

PREP + MATERIALS:
- you will be breaking up your class into 5-6 groups for the first activity, 2
groups for the second, and whole class for the third
- make sure you have talking sticks or talking objects for each group
- if your class hasnt already learned about talking circles or talking sticks,
mention this at the beginning of the lesson/before the lesson
- IMPORTANT: there are different protocols associated with different First
Nations/Aboriginal regions, this is a general resource with a lesson plan built
in if needed: http://firstnationspedagogy.ca/circletalks.html
METHOD:
CONNECT:
1. brainstorm about what consensus might mean
- if students know, write and explain the definition on the board, if not give
them the definition and brainstorm what coming to a general group
agreement entails and apply it to our particular activity (sample below)
- consensus: a general agreement in a group, to come to consensus you will
need collaboration, cooperation, communication, and compromise.
- IMPORTANT: you may or may not end up with compassion and
commitment as part of the brainstorm, work this into the lesson by
mentioning it yourself if necessary (to round out all 4 Cs)
- examples: compassion is necessary because we need to think about
other peoples feelings and reactions to our decisions and choices,
commitment is important because you need to believe in the decisions
you make and be committed to making good choices with everyone
2. based on the definition of consensus, brainstorm good group behaviours/
expectations, this will format your criteria
- create a T-chart for things that work and things that dont work, this will
help weed out behaviours/actions that are not helpful/acceptable for group
work and, in this specific case, consensus
3. IMPORTANT: remind students to back up their choices with an argument/
reason why their choice is the best choice, remind them to take this seriously
even though its hypothetical; explicitly tell them that they might not reach
consensus and that that is okay and is not a failure, but still encourage them
to use persuasive language and debate to TRY and reach consensus

PROCESS:
4. split class into small groups (5-6), give each group a talking stick/object and
give them the problem they will be solving
- sample question: you are ordering a pizza, as a group decide upon a single
topping
- modification: depending on the age of your group, you can give them
limited options if infinite possibilities will unnecessarily complicate the
process or make it too complex for them from the start
5. reflect on how the consensus worked in these small groups and add onto your
T-chart (if groups could/couldnt come to consensus, how/why they could/
couldnt, why they chose what they did, etc.)
6. next, split your class in half and give a second problem
- sample question: you are choosing a beverage to go with your pizza, as a
group pick one drink (options: apple juice, chocolate milk, or water) and give
a reason why youre choosing it
7. reflect on this group setting, again adding to your T-chart, asking what
worked/didnt work, was this more challenging than the last one, how/why
did you make the choice to made, etc.
8. then, as a whole class give a third and final problem
 - sample question: youre going to have ice cream for dessert, which flavour do
you choose and why? (options: chocolate, vanilla, strawberry)
TRANSFORM:
9. if your class doesnt reach consensus (which they often wont if the students
take this activity seriously) debrief and discuss what the challenges were to
reaching consensus with a large group, what worked/didnt work, etc.
10. challenge the class to think of why the 4 Cs are important to collaboration
and solidify important criteria for group work

TRANSFORM

MODIFICATIONS + EXTENSIONS:
- modification: depending on students understand of the language used, you can
simplify the definitions as you see fit
- extension: you can use real-world examples (for upper intermediate grades) to
encourage more debate and challenge

REFLECTION + PROMOTION:
- reflection: you can have students do a written or video response reflecting on
their understanding of consensus and what collaboration looks like to them
- promotion: this activity with equip students with the criteria and language
they need to work in groups and understand how to successfully and
collaboratively contribute in these settings. With this understanding of what
good collaboration looks like it will benefit them as they move into higher
grades and onto tougher real-world challenges.