Color, Symbol, Image
Color, Symbol, Image is a thinking routine that encourages participants to synthesize their understanding of a concept by associating it with a color, symbol, and image. This method promotes deeper engagement and diverse perspectives by tapping into visual and emotional connections.
Use this method when you want participants to quickly and creatively reflect on a topic, share their initial impressions, or explore different facets of a complex idea.
Solves: Surface-level understanding, lack of engagement, difficulty connecting with abstract concepts.
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Step 1: Introduce the topic or concept to be explored. (2 minutes)
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Step 2: Individually, participants choose a color, a symbol, and an image that represents their understanding of the topic. (5 minutes)
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Step 3: Participants write a brief explanation of why they chose each element. (5 minutes)
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Step 4: In small groups or as a whole group, participants share their color, symbol, and image and explain their reasoning. (8-10 minutes)
- Encourage participants to think beyond the obvious and explore their personal connections to the topic.
- Create a safe space for sharing diverse interpretations.
- Use different categories instead of color, symbol, and image (e.g., metaphor, analogy, question).
- Have participants create a collaborative color, symbol, and image representation as a group.