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EGGWARD’S PROBLEM Age group: 14-18 Keywords: Creativity, Problem Solving, Group Work, Negotiations, Planning, Entrepreneurship, Science, Marketing, Engineering. Time required: 90 minutes Number of people: 8-30 Materials: Eggs, paper, pencils, scissors, tape, newspaper, toilet paper rolls, cardboard tubes, plastic bags, balloons, carton boxes, straws, rubber bands, string, sponges, glue, etc.. Space: Middle-sized or spacious enough room (to display all the materials and allow several groups to work at the same time). Activity explored and suggested by: Zaklad Doskonalenia Zawodowego w Kielcach - Poland.
Aim of the method: To promote creative thinking, to develop problem solving skills, and to support key competences development, especially entrepreneurship, innovation, and the basics of engineering. It also focuses on promoting teamwork and collaboration, improving negotiation and presentation skills, and developing competences on effective planning in a fun and non-threatening way. Preparation: The room should be arranged in such a way as to ensure effective teamwork. For instance, the tables should be pushed together or taken out of the room altogether if the participants feel comfortable working on the floor. One row of tables should be aligned by one of the walls acting as a counter, in order to display all the materials available to “purchase” to make the projects. Price tags should be attached to each type of supplies. The tables’ arrangement should enable the facilitator to move freely among the groups and offer individual help whenever it’s needed. It’s both important to support participant interaction and enable participantfacilitator communication. The facilitator should bring the eggs and all the materials to the session. Alternatively, he or she can ask the participants to provide them (eg. each participant brings one thing).
DESCRIPTION INTRO The facilitator welcomes the group. CREATING COMFORT The activity starts with the facilitator presenting the following statement: “Customers don’t buy products, customers buy solutions to problems”. This opens up a discussion, in which the participants talk about what they think is meant by the statement, whether they agree with it or not, and give examples of products that illustrate it, referring to both the problem that’s addressed and the way a given product solves it.
