Rationale: We each have a unique perspective of people and events. This activity explores how very different perceptions can be and questions what happens when people experience things differently in conflict situations.

Objectives:

1. To consider perspectives other than one’s own.
2. To examine the impact of multiple perspectives on conflict situations.

Materials: None

Time: 10 minutes

Procedures:

1. Point the students to a part of the classroom with a window and ask them to write one sentence about what they see.
2. Have each student read their sentence and show that many points of view enrich the picture.
   
   Alternative: If there is no window, have the students sit in a circle and place an unusual, inanimate object in the middle (or have someone pose in the middle of the class holding an object). Continue as above with everyone writing about his or her view.


3. Lead a discussion using some or all of the questions below.

• How did your view differ from others’?
• Can you accept someone else’s view as right?
• Can all perspectives be right?
• How does this exercise relate to conflict management?

Adapted from Exercise 3.3.2, Creating a Culture of Peace in the English Language Classroom by Alison Milofsky (United States Institute of Peace). 

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