BACK-to-BACK

BACK-to-BACK

Skills
Working with Others
Thinking, Problem-Solving
What is it?
This activity encourages pupils to work together and to develop clarity in
communication and observation. It also promotes active auditory skills. It can be
easily transferred into different learning areas. Implications for classroom layout
Facilitators might wish to arrange the room in such a way that pupils are sitting
back-to-back. Alternatively, pupils may sit in pairs, although care must be taken
that they do not peek at each other’s visual! How does it work?

1.  Pupils sit back-to-back with chairs touching, so that pupils can hear each other
when the activity begins. They must not look over their shoulders at any time.
2.  One pupil (pupil A) receives a visual stimulus, the second pupil (pupil B) receives a
piece of paper and pen/pencil.
3.  Pupil A describes the visual to pupil B who must aim to draw it as accurately as
possible, taking into account size, shape detail and annotation.
4.  Pupil B may ask as many questions as necessary, although the facilitator may wish
to set an overall time limit for the activity.
5.  After the allocated time, pupils compare their drawings.
6.  Pupils might then swap roles.
7. A debrief afterwards might concentrate on the nature of communication within the
pairs and why the end product was close to the original, or not, as the case may be