Written by Gary Goodwin
Mr. Goodwin teaches Global Politics and Theory of Knowledge (ToK) at UWC ISAK Japan.
As students study various subjects here at UWC ISAK Japan, it is important that they learn content and also strategies that they can take with them throughout their lives. Students in Global Politics and Theory of Knowledge have been using gamestorming and visualisation techniques this year to generate and organize ideas.
Gamestorming is a set of techniques and tools used by different companies and organizations to have people think outside of the box and come up with solutions to difficult problems. In one gamestorming activity, students were asked a question about the impact of IGOs, NGOs, and MNCs on a nation’s sovereignty. In order to generate ideas students, students wrote down whatever came to mind on post-it notes. Once all ideas were out, students then worked together to group the ideas into common themes. These common themes can then be used for essay writing or presentation organization. Here is what our students came up with:
Visualisation is also a powerful tool that students have been working with to present and retain information. Visualisation involves listening, viewing, or reading information and breaking the contents down into simple images that can be quickly viewed and reviewed. Studies show that people retain 30% more information using these techniques. Here is an example of student notes using the visualisation method:
And here are a group of students working together to visualise information coming from a Global Politics lesson:
The use of games and art have really made the study of politics and knowledge accessible, collaborative and fun. It is my hope that students take these techniques into other classes, CAS Projects, and activities.
