Scout Leadership Course Session Activity Notes
Session activity
Solutions and Decisions: Introduction
Time to allocate for this activity
15 minutes at the start of the session
Resources required
"Task/individual/group" handout, session leader, activity cue cards for chosen activities
Activity Notes
This session is designed to give an overview of the task / individual / group model for finding and implementing solutions. This area of learning is vast and there is not adequate time to cover it on this course, nor is it relevant to the age of the Scouts participating or the course outcomes. All we are attempting to do is establish a few working ideas for solving problems.
Start with a very simple group activity, such as:
- organise the room for a meal or activity
- run a short game that requires more than one referee
- arrange the Patrols to sit in teams in alphabetical order
The object of the exercise is to show through example how the session leader analyses a problem, looks for ideas and resources to identify a number of possible solutions and then implements one of them. During the exercise, the leader should voice their thoughts and ideas to the group so they can build a picture of the processes in action.
With use of the handout "The task / individual / group model", briefly talk about the role of each person in the model. Use the example activity to identify the key components:
- The Task: "organise the room", "play a game", "arrange the Patrols".
- The Individual(s): "The leader", "Other leaders", "Scouts" - anyone who plays a part or can help.
- The Group: Everyone when they act together - not when they are a collection of individuals.
Introduce the activities - there are four to complete in rotation. At each activity, appoint a different member of the Patrol to take the role of leader. Adult leaders should monitor each group on their task to guide and advise and also to observe for later feedback. Explain that the leader must
- Identify the task - what is the expected outcome?
- Establish the facts - by asking questions, observing and discussing - not acting.
- Gather ideas - by inviting the Patrol to contribute, suggesting and discussing - not acting.
- Summarise and review the ideas - considering the consequences of each.
- Choose on solution - and communicate the choice and how it will happen.
- Do it - put the idea into action using the resources available (this is not the most important part of the task!)
- Review the results - did it work? If not, what else should we try?
Advise the Patrol they will be expected to talk about their decision making process at the end. When everyone is clear on the objectives of the tasks, organise the Patrols to get started.
Resources
Resources that can be printed or included on a disk to take home:
The task / individual / group model
