Appoint a Devil’s Advocate
This protocol invites divergent thinking in a group and works to facilitate a culture where different ideas are viewed as collaborative rather than combative.
Preparation
- Prepare discussion questions.
- Make groups ranging from 3-5 students.
Process
- Provide students with discussion questions, matching the number of discussion questions with the number of people there are in the group (i.e., 3 people, 3 questions). Put each question on a different strip or card and number them.
- Appoint a devil’s advocate. This can be done using a grounding activity (youngest, alphabetical by favorite flavor of ice cream, etc.)
- Ask students to start with the first question. Give them 2 silent minutes to think about their response to the question. They may write down some notes if they wish.
- The person in the first position clockwise from the devil’s advocate shares their ideas first, continuing the clockwise rotation until everyone has had a chance to share. (1-2 minutes per person)
- After everyone has shared their thinking in response to the question, the group may engage in discussion about the question and the ideas presented. During this time, the “devil’s advocate” purposely pushes back against and challenges the dominant ideas by asking questions, offering counter evidence from the work, or challenging ideas and understanding the group might be taking for granted.
- Complete the same process with a new question, rotating the role of “Devil’s Advocate” to the next clockwise position.
- Ask students to reflect in pairs, small group, as a class, or in their portfolios: What effect did the role of “devil’s advocate” have on your group’s discussion and thinking? Did you like being the devil’s advocate? Why or why not?
Credits
Adapted from: “The Adaptive School: Strategies and Moves for Facilitating Groups”. Thinking Collaborative, https://www.thinkingcollaborative.com/as-resources
