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Introduction
The marshmallow challenge is a simple design technique and team building activity for small groups, in which teams must compete to build the tallest free-standing structure using different materials.
Marshmallow Challenge
The marshmallow challenge is widely recognized solely by its name.
Description
What is this technique/tool about
The Marshmallow Challenge is a team challenge activity in which teams must compete to build the tallest free-standing structure using different materials: 20 sticks of spaghetti, one metre of tape, one metre of string, and one marshmallow. The marshmallow must be placed on top of the structure.
It is quite a challenging activity, because it brings people in a condition where they need to collaborate and to cope with the problems arising from the tower construction.
Students can analyse effective strategies and how their mode of communication has influenced their work.
For which purposes is it used (why in your secondary school teaching)
The exercise helps explore cooperation dynamics and reflect on the processes of mutual influence. It also helps explore dynamics of group support and group learning.
It facilitates solution focused thinking, as participants need to develop solutions on how to create a tower that remains standing on its own in a limited period of time. In doing this, participants need sometimes to deconstruct their way of thinking and develop or embrace alternative strategies in the tower construction. Consequently, this activity helps practice the solution focused mindset in real life situations, where sometimes you need to make decisions very quickly.
Finally, the challenge emphasises group communication, leadership dynamics, helps to explore cooperation dynamics and innovation processes within the group.
Limitations
Active listening requires active participation and can be difficult to do consistently. It may also be challenging to maintain focus when there are distractions or if the speaker is not engaging.
How to implement these technique/tools
Preparation, before the session:
- First, you need to create a marshmallow challenge kit for each team. Each kit contains 20 pieces of spaghetti, 1 metre of masking tape, 1 metre of string and 1 marshmallow.
- Organise the group into teams of 3 to 6 people. Each team should sit around a table or on the floor. The whole group should work in the same space.
- Explain how the activity works and its aims. The activity consists of building the tallest free-standing structure. The tower is made of 20 spaghetti sticks, while the marshmallow must be positioned on its top. The activity must be done in a given time. The authors suggest 18 minutes, as they say that with little time, in urgent situations, group dynamics are more easily to emerge and be evident both to the facilitator and to the participants.
- The marshmallow functions as an element that can put the tower balance in jeopardy. It is light enough to be sustained by the tower but can destabilise it as well.
- The team that builds the tallest structure measured from the tables or floor’s surface to the top of the marshmallow wins the challenge. The tower must stand on its own at the end. It should not hang or lean on any other objects.
- Each team can use the materials at their disposal in the construction kit in the way they prefer, to build the tower (they can also cut them). However, the marshmallow must be positioned at the top of the structure, and it is the only thing that cannot be broken into smaller pieces.
During the session:
- Deliver the materials to each team and, when they are ready to start, start the countdown clock. As they need to feel a sense of urgency, remind them of the time passing by periodically.
- The authors suggest the time can be called out 12 minutes, 9 minutes (halfway), 7 minutes, 5 minutes, 3 minutes, 2 minutes, 1 minute, 30 seconds and a ten-second countdown.
Follow-up up the session:
- Measure each structure and call out the heights as you measure.
- Once you collected all the measures, proclaim the winner of the contest.
- 20 Sticks of spaghetti (per group) (uncooked)
- 1 metre of string (per group)
- 1 metre of tape (per group)
- 1 paper bag or envelope (per group)
- 1 marshmallow (per group)
- Measuring Tape
- a pair of scissors
Resources
Links:
Videos:
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