Broken Squares: A Simulation Exploring Cooperation and Competition

Single Lesson18 pagesGrade Level: Middle School – Community CollegeIncludes simulation Broken Squares provides an excellent opportunity for introducing the concepts of cooperation and competition and exploring positive models for problem solving. In this activity, participants are confronted with a group task and provided with guidelines for accomplishing the task. Through their own experiences at solving the group "problem," participants will increase their awareness of how individual attitudes and behavior affect group achievement. Participants may also gain a better understanding of the way in which their own attitudes and behavior affect group interactions both in and out of the classroom. Following the activity, participants will engage in a general discussion of the role cooperation and/or competition played in the simulation and then apply their experiences to real life situations. During the debriefing session, participants will first air their feelings concerning the eve