The 5 Boxes

The 5 Boxes

The aim is to identify the problems behind a challenge and to create a targeted solution for it.

1. The students, or the teacher, define a problem with a product, process or an idea.  The students use The Five Boxes to create a solution to the problem.  The teacher draws 5 boxes on the whiteboard – one below another.
2. The teacher explains the 5 Boxes to the class and creates 5 boxes on the whiteboard.  The teacher puts the students into pairs - A and B.
3. The students go through the 5 Boxes process:
   • Student  A describes the problem  to student B
   • Student B asks ‘why’ to the problem.
   • Student A writes the answer in the first box.
   • This process is done 5 times with each answer refining the cause of the problem. 
4. All the students review all the answers to the ‘Why’ questions and then decide the best solution that will solve the challenge.
5. Students explain their solutions to the rest of the class.

This activity forces students to examine and express the underlying reasons for their behaviour and attitudes. This can help them to discover the hidden problems that need solving by reformulating the question.
The activity could be done using online tools such as Padlet, Trello, virtual whiteboard and breakout rooms in Teams/Zoom.

Inspired by: Sakichi Toyada – the inventor of Toyota Industries- https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newTMC_5W.htm