As many of you know I'm a fan of Chiji Cards. I love their versatility. They started out as a "picture processing" tool. Now, they can be used in a variety of activities. (See The Chiji Guidebook HERE.)
One of my favorite activities is using the cards to prompt "Personal Stories" that participants share with each other at different times throughout a program. I will use "happy moment" stories at the beginning of a program. I will use "challenging moment" stories after the group has some time to get to know each other. And, I will use "learning stories" at the end of a program to discuss important moments. In each case, participants pick a Chiji image card that prompts a story for them related to the theme.
In an earlier FUNdoing Blogpost, I shared about how I've been using Dixit cards to tell stories and create story lines (find it HERE). You can also create story lines using Chiji Cards (or your favorite image cards). Recently I found that the Dixit cards are a bit too complex for some of my younger groups (decoding the Dixit images takes more cognitive time), so I've gone back to using the simpler image Chiji Cards with them.
Story Line Processing with Chiji Cards
At the end of a program scatter all the Chiji Cards, image side up, on the floor/ground/table. Then ask your group to choose images that highlight different moment in times from their program. The timeline story can begin from before they even arrived at the program site to the point they are now, or even beyond - what will it be like once they leave the program site?
As the facilitator, use probing questions related to their overall program objectives to remind them of certain experiences within the sequence of the day. For example:
At the end of a program scatter all the Chiji Cards, image side up, on the floor/ground/table. Then ask your group to choose images that highlight different moment in times from their program. The timeline story can begin from before they even arrived at the program site to the point they are now, or even beyond - what will it be like once they leave the program site?
As the facilitator, use probing questions related to their overall program objectives to remind them of certain experiences within the sequence of the day. For example:
- Before you arrived today, what were some of the feelings you were having? Find an image or images that represent those feelings.
- Once you arrived and we started the program, what images represent how your group was interacting with each other?
- During the Whale Watch (for example) what image best represents the way you were communicating with each other? Come to a consensus on just one image.
- After the Team Wall, what image(s) best represent how you were doing as a "team"?
- Looking back on the day, what image(s) best represent how you are feeling right now as a group?
- Looking ahead, after you leave here today, what image(s) will best represent the things you want to remember to do when you go through the challenges ahead?
As the group chooses specific images, place them down in sequence to represent their timeline of work together. As they move down the timeline there will be fewer images to choose from. I like this consequence because it forces a little more creative thinking and image interpretation. After the timeline has been created, provide a brief summary of events for the group so they can hear "their program story" one more time before they go.
Be sure to get a picture of the timeline you can send them (e.g., multiple shots that can be cobbled together or a panorama) so they can print and post it as a reminder of their experience and learning.
Do you have a fun way to use Chiji Cards (or other image cards)? Leave us a comment below.
All the best,
Chris Cavert, Ed.D.
Chris Cavert, Ed.D.
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