If two teams are evenly matched, what’s the deciding factor that separates the winner from the loser?
After two weeks of workshops with teachers in South Australia, we had time to enjoy the Grand Final of Aussie rules football, with each of us “barracking” for a different side. It promised to be a closely fought match, and indeed it was tied at the end of the second quarter. We posed the question above to fans from both sides and as you’d expect got a variety of opinions. What do your class think? Bonus question for extra time: Is there a deciding factor that decides what the deciding factor will be?
In the second half, the Brisbane Lions roared ahead of the Geelong Cats, so it’s a good job we asked our questions earlier!
Don’t be afraid of “it depends” questions
An adult in a dismissive frame of mind could respond to this question along the lines of, “It depends on the context and the individual game so I can’t answer it.” But really this question is just a way of making, “What are the elements of successful teamwork?” more compelling. It dramatizes that discussion by pushing for competing answers. You could ask, “What’s the deciding factor in…
…whether two countries go to war.
…whether a story grabs the reader’s attention.
…whether you can solve a particular maths problem in a short time.
…whether [historical figure] can be considered a success or not.
What’s on in the Philosoverse?
We’ve just left Queenscliff, Victoria, after a mini-conference of FAPSA, the Federation of Asia-Pacific Philosophy in Schools Associations. We met colleagues from this quarter of the globe, shared our practice and also got to be participants rather than facilitators for a change.
Jason is expecting to be back in South Australia for workshops in schools between November 24th and December 5th – with the option to extend for a few days. There might be an opportunity for schools in Victoria and New South Wales to get in on the action too. If you’re within travelling distance of Adelaide, and haven’t already expressed your interest in a workshop day, just reply directly to this email to open a conversation. Longer term, we’ve got some big plans for developing our work in Australia, watch this space!
Back home, Hidden Leaders were back at The Cottesloe School running communication workshops for Year 12 for a third successive year.
“What a fantastic TEAM TALK day. Charlie and Imogen were both fantastic at getting the students involved and engaged. The Egg-Drop Challenge was another success with some very creative designs. As expected, after initial apprehension, the students immersed themselves in the activities.
Thanks to you all for your organisation and we look forward to working with you again next year.
Deputy Head of Sixth Form, The Cottesloe School
Do you work with Sixth Formers and are curious about how we could help? Visit www.hiddenleaders.com/impact for to learn more.
Best wishes,
Jason and Tom