Feb 17, 2021 Group Drawing: A Favorite Collaborative Reflection Activity for Online or In-Person Experiences

Group Drawing is my favorite reflective activity to close a group experience, lesson, or workshop. I made it up on the fly with an in-person group more than twenty years ago when I had just a few moments left in a session and wanted to end with something quick but positive, collaborative, and reflective. I had lots of flip chart and markers around, so divided the group into smaller teams of four to five people and asked them to collaboratively create some kind of symbolic or pictorial representation of our time together.

As someone who is not comfortable with my own drawing skills, I emphasized that because we only had five minutes and large markers, these weren’t going to be detailed artistic masterpieces but rather a playful, lighthearted collaboration. I was thrilled with the engagement, compelling imagery, laughter, a sense of camaraderie, and celebration. Since that time, I’ve used it with hundreds of groups of all ages over the years with positive outcomes. I have a fun collection of these collaborative drawings in my office. 

I believe what has made the activity so accessible in my in-person groups is the limited time, the large markers or crayons, and the reflective prompt’s participant-centered openness. I am thrilled to find that online whiteboard tools such as Jamboard (an interactive whiteboard that is part of the Google workspace) are the perfect online medium to bring this activity to remote learning and team-building experiences.

Just like an in-person group would be spread out in smaller groups across a classroom space with their markers and flip chart paper, in Jamboard and other whiteboard apps smaller breakout groups can be assigned their own page within the whiteboard for their collaborative drawing. The Jamboard drawing tools are rough and playful, like markers and crayons, so participants don’t get caught up in artistic perfection. They also can import images into Jamboard if they aren’t feeling comfortable with drawing.

Group Drawing Reflection Activity for Online or In-Person Experiences

Materials: For in-person groups, large pieces of flip-chart or butcher paper, colorful, fat markers or crayons; for online learning, a Jamboard or other whiteboard app page for each breakout group.

Facilitation Suggestions

• Divide participants into small groups or breakout groups online. I like to use one of my favorite choice-centered breakout methods like “which one,” “sole-mates,” “playing cards,” etc. (see August 2017 blog post). I regularly use these grouping techniques online, too, now that Zoom offers choice-centered breakout features.

• Give each group a piece of flipchart paper and a selection of colorful fat markers. For online learning, a Jamboard or other whiteboard app page for each breakout group

• Ask them to reflect upon their day, class lesson, experience, or work together and create a pictorial or symbolic representation of their experience. I emphasize that this can be any kind of symbol, picture, or group of pictures that represents their time together. It is not meant to be an artistic masterpiece— it just should involve each group member’s creative input in some way.

• I usually only give them 5 to 10 minutes, so they work quickly and collaboratively and don’t get too caught up in or intimidated by artistic detail.

• Invite each group to present their drawing to the larger group. *This is where the laughter, celebration, and compelling metaphoric reflection dialogue come in.

• Often, participants take away photos of their group drawings. I have found them hanging in offices months after an experience. I’ve kept a collection of my favorites over the years and am finding this is true in my online workshops. I’ve started a folder on my desktop of fun collaborative drawing images that are fun reminders of the fantastic groups I work with. For more on art and creative expression in reflection, see my 2018 Inspired Educator Blog post

References:

My original version of this activity is described in A Teachable Moment (Cain, Cummings, Stanchfield 2004) and other versions in Tips & Tools for the Art of Experiential Group Facilitation. A classroom-specific version, “Draw Your Ideal School,” can be found in this blog post or in the Inspired Educator, Inspired Learner book. For more ideas on using Jamboard and other whiteboards in facilitation, stay-tuned for an upcoming collaborative “Inspiration Evening Session.” Or join one of the upcoming Inspiration and Support Series.