IDEA DOMINOS: an invitation

Ideas dominos are a conversational strategy that invites creativity, critical thinking, and collaborative listening and sharing. They can be used with both young learners and adult learners.

Invite conversation participants to use the blank domino template to capture a “big idea” about assessment that is surfacing for them in their educational context(s) and or that emerged from listening to one of the Reimagining Literacies Assessment podcasts. This may be an idea that has moved them, provoked them, challenged them, and/or inspired them.

Invite conversation participants to use the blank domino template to capture a “big idea” about assessment that is surfacing for them in their educational context(s) and or that emerged from listening to one our podcast episodes or viewing the accompanying sketch note. This may be an idea that has moved them, provoked them, challenged them, and/or inspired them.

On one half of the blank domino template, participants will create a visual representation of their “big idea” about assessment in the form of a symbol, image, sketch, or scene. On the other half of the domino, participants will add a word, phrase, sentence, or quotation.

Each of domino halves can address separate or similar big ideas. Encourage participants to get creative and use whichever materials call to them (draw, paint, sketch, collage, digital art, etc.). We have designed a blank domino template for participants to create their domino.

We have also some partially-completed dominos, inspired by the podcast and webinar slides, which might inspire discussion participants to add to the other side (e.g., either the text or image).

How to use dominos to facilitate conversation:

This discussion strategy very loosely follows the rules of dominos, by placing “like” ideas together to form a “train” of ideas.

• Participants listen to Podcast Episode 5: Reassembling Assessment and then prepare for the discussion by creating a domino (or more than one) with their dominos, ready to share for the group discussions.
• Have participants form a standing or sitting circle with an open, flat space in the middle.
• Invite a participant to volunteer and begin the discussion by placing their domino in the middle of the circle and explaining both halves of their domino.
• When the first participant has finished discussing their domino, invite another participants to explain their domino and how it connects to the previous participant’s domino. Have them place their domino on the floor next to the half of the previous domino that most connects to their ideas.
• Repeat step four, having each participant explain and connect their domino to a previously placed domino.
• Once all participants have placed, explained and connected their domino, encourage participants to look at the train of ideas as a whole and consider ways in which their thinking may have been deepened, changed, challenged or affirmed.
• If time allows, give participants an additional blank domino (or one of the half dominos we have created as a resource) and have them work with a partner to create another domino that extends an idea on the train, or adds an idea that may have been missing.