Send a problem

This strategy will help students to:

develop problem-predicting and problem-solving skills
build empathy and experience a variety of perspectives on ‘real life' situations
plan effective strategies for managing ‘real life' situations.

Implementation

Place students in small groups.
Ask each group to think of a relationship and/or sexual health-related situation and write this on a card or piece of paper. The problem is attached to the outside of a folder and swapped with another group.
Give groups three to five minutes to consider the problem and brainstorm a range of solutions to the problem. The solutions are listed and enclosed inside the folder.
The folder is then passed to the next group and the process repeated. Remind groups not to look in the folders or read the solutions identified by previous groups.
Repeat this process until groups have completed several problems.
Groups should be given their original problem to review all the suggested ideas and develop a prioritised list of possible solutions. This list is then presented to the class to discuss and decide which solution would be the most effective or one that they would feel confident to use.

Example: Problems and solutions

Divide the class into small groups. Provide each group with an envelope and a number of strips of paper.

Each group decides on a relationship problem they want some solutions for and write this on the outside of the envelope.

The envelope is then passed to another group. This group records a few solutions to the question and puts these inside the envelope.

The envelope is again passed to the next group to complete the same process; without reading the previous solutions.

When the original groups get their envelopes back, they read through all the solutions. The group then organises the responses and brainstorm possible outcomes and feelings for each solution and decide on the best solution for their problem.