Group Memory

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Recently I ran across the activity, Team Memory in, Playing with a Full Deck: 52 Team Activities Using a Deck of Cards, by Michelle Cummings. It's a cousin to Flip and Find where a small team of 4 to 6 players are trying to solve a task with the help of collective memory (click HERE for the Flip and Find video). Then getting better over several rounds as they improve their strategies. Flip and Find and Team Memory are good small team process improvement activities. And multiple small teams can play at the same time.   

An idea popped into my head to make Team Memory more collaborative – using the collective efforts of multiple teams in play at the same time. Hence, Group Memory.

Needs & Numbers:
1 - 50-foot Activity Rope (or four cones to mark the corners of a square)
1 – Deck of Standard Playing Cards ('Jumbo' Cards are my favorite)
4 – Game Spots of some sort (e.g., poly-spots, carpet squares, a piece of paper)
[If playing cards are not appropriate, make your own set of numbered cards with index cards – use two different colors when numbering the four sets of 12 or 13 cards. HERE'S a set of print-n-play cards. Be sure to use thicker paper so numbers don't show through.]

I believe this can work with one small group of six up to a larger group of 16 players. With smaller groups (six to 11 players), consider taking out the Face cards. This will limit the number of cards to turn over, saving some time to completion. 

Set Up:
Above is a graphic of my initial thinking about the set up. The activity rope circle (it could be a square) is filled with a full deck of playing cards placed face (rank side) down. The four grey circles (Game Spots) you see I call 'tables' – they will be used as a place for the collected cards.

Process: 

• I would use this one with no less than six players, no more than 16 in the 'group', on three or four 'teams'. For example, three teams of two, up to four teams of four. Teams do not need to be equal sizes. There could be two teams of four and two teams of three.
• The Objective The group (the collective of teams in play) is challenged to collect pairs of cards equal to the number of people in the group. For example, if there are 12 people in the group (four teams of three), collectively they need to bring out 12 pairs of cards. When there are six players, they need to bring out six pairs. A Pair: Two cards of the same rank. For example, two Aces; two fours, two Kings.
• The Tables and the Rope may not be reconfigured. 
• Only one member of each team is allowed to be inside the (rope) pool of cards at a time. 
• After entering the pool of cards, a player is allowed to turn over, face up, two cards. Cards are turned over and placed down in their same location (i.e., cards may not be relocated within the pool).  
• After turning over two cards, a player is allowed to either 1) pick up a pair to take out of the pool, OR 2) flip two cards back over face down in their same location. Then they can exit the pool. 
• After a pair of cards is taken out of the pool they are placed on one of the tables.
• ​The group time will start when the first player crosses the line of the pool of cards. Time stops when 12 pairs of cards are resting on the tables.
• If any of the guidelines are violated, the round is stopped, cards are collected and then redistributed inside the pool for a restart. (Example: Reaching over the line, pointing at a card, will often put two players from the same team 'inside' the pool of cards – if this is defined as such.)  
• Allow for enough program time for at least three rounds to explore improving the process and strategies in order to clock a fast time. 

Facilitator Notes: 
I have yet to try out this idea. I'd love to hear from you if you do. I'll let you know how it goes when I get the chance. 

Right now, there is no rule about 'taking turns' going into the pool of cards. I want to explore/observe how teams decide to share roles and responsibilities. I'm guessing, first it will be within the teams, then (I'm hoping) it will be across the group (e.g., some players will be in charge of memorizing cards). 

As for the 'team' and 'group' dynamic, I'm only emphasizing that the goal is to bring out 12 pairs, then the time stops. If they ask me, "are we working together" my response will be (like other activities of this nature), "I'll leave that up to you." I would like them to discover collaborative behaviors on their own, if, in fact, they find the need to be collaborative. 

Here is the BIG DISCOVERY IDEA in my head. There is nothing in the guidelines that stipulates how long someone can stay in the pool of cards. My guess is, a player will flip over two cards. If they are not a match they will flip the two back over and exit. Now, this will give the teams/group data, for sure, so helping others can come into play. What if, best case, four players initially went into the pool, one from each team, and each flipped over two cards? That's eight cards up. The possibility of pairs showing are increased. Some players can take out the pairs, other players will need to flip over two cards before exiting. Then, another four enter the pool. Now, we also have some 'team memory' in play. Players can take turns flip two cards each – with the help of memory these flips can be more calculated, increasing the chance of turning up pairs. This might be the most efficient way (??) to reach the lowest time. We won't know until we go...

The Things I Like About This Kind of Activity

• The activity is adjustable to different sized groups.
• The degree of difficulty is adjustable: Take out some of the cards (eaiser); require less than 12 pairs to be collected (easier & fast); require more pairs (takes longer, more challenging; require pairs of cards to be the same color (more challenging). 
• There is the potential for at least two mental model shifts: From 'teams' to the 'group' and 'when' to leave the pool of cards. 
• There are enough discoverable roles and responsibilities to keep everyone engaged. 

Possible Discussions:

• In what ways did your 'team' work well together? What were you doing and saying? What could have been better about your team work? 
• In what ways did the 'group' work well together? What led you to the idea that the teams could work together to accomplish the task? Who was all for helping each other? Who wanted to just focus on the efforts of their team? 
• What roles and responsibilities evolved over the different rounds of play? What was important about each role and responsibility?
• What ways of thinking, or mental models, changed during the different rounds? How did these changes influence your outcomes? What do we know about 'mental models'? What are some of the pros and cons of mental models? 
• What do we want to remember about mental models as we continue our work together? 

Let us know how Group Memory goes for you. Changes? Additions? Leave a Comment below.

​All the best,

Chris Cavert, Ed.D.