Yes, But vs Yes, And
Social
Author: Aleix Barrera, Diego Castro & David Rodriguez-Gomez
Facilitated by the teacher
The aim is to warm-up and set the tone of the meeting.
10-20 mins
16 students
Whiteboard, pen & post-its
Steps
- The students work in pairs (labelled A and B) to complete this activity.
- Student A suggests doing something with Student B, who has to answer with a reason not to do it, starting with “Yes, but …”
- Student A responds with a counter-suggestion also using “Yes, but …” For example:
- Student A: “Let’s go to the grocery store.”
- Student B: “Yes, but our refrigerator is broken.”
- Student A: “Yes, but we still need to eat.”
- Student A makes a suggestion, but now Student B answers with “Yes, and …” For example:
- Example: Student A: “Let’s go to the grocery store.”
- Student B: “Yes, and let’s get avocados.”
- Student A: Yes, and let’s make guacamole.”
- The students form a group and discuss what they have learned from the activity.
Reflection
The activity could be done using online tools such as Padlet, Miro, Mural, virtual whiteboard and breakout rooms in Teams/Zoom.
Inspiration
Inspired by: https://voltagecontrol.com/blog/the-best-design-thinking-exercises-for-any-phase-of-a-project/