Participatory Methods

Concept Route

The Concept Route is a participatory activity that involves building a visual journey that connects key ideas related to a topic. Participants work together to identify central concepts, establish relationships between them, and represent them graphically as a map or narrative line. This activity helps organize ideas, deepen understanding, and visualize connections between them.

Preparation

  1. Define the purpose:
    • Establish the objective of the activity: Is it to organize concepts, explain a theory, plan a project, or explore a problem?
  2. Select the topic:
    • Identify the main topic and the basic concepts that will be explored during the activity.
  3. Prepare the materials:
    • Large paper, posters, whiteboards, or digital tools.
    • Markers, sticky notes, and tape to connect concepts.
    • Optional: Images or graphics related to the topic.
  4. Physical or virtual space:
    • If in person, set up large tables or panels for comfortable collaboration.
    • If online, use collaborative platforms.

Step-by-step instructions

  1. Introduce the purpose
    • Explain the objective of the activity and how the Concept Route will help visualize and connect ideas.
    • Provide a simple example of what a concept route might look like.
  2. Identify key concepts
    • Facilitate a brainstorming session to identify the main concepts related to the topic.
    • Write each concept on sticky notes or digital elements.
  3. Organize concepts
    • Participants group the concepts into categories or related thematic areas.
    • Guide the group in identifying central and secondary concepts, prioritizing their relevance.
  4. Establish connections
    • Invite participants to connect the concepts using arrows, lines, or visual narratives.
    • Guiding questions:
      • How are these concepts related?
      • What depends on what?
      • What are the most important or critical connections?
  5. Build the visual route
    • Design the final route by organizing the concepts in a logical or narrative flow.
    • Participants can add labels, colors, or symbols to highlight specific relationships.
  6. Presentation and discussion
    • Each team presents their concept route, explaining the connections and their significance.
    • Encourage questions or reflections on the presented routes.
  7. Group reflection
    • Facilitate a discussion on the process:
      • What did they learn by connecting the concepts?
      • How can they use this tool in future projects?
      • What unexpected insights emerged while creating the route?
  8. Closing and key takeaways
    • Summarize the key learnings and how concept routes can be applied to analyze and plan other topics.
Recommendations
  • Encourage creativity: Motivate participants to use colors, symbols, or unique diagrams to express their ideas.
  • Simplify relationships: Help the group prioritize the most relevant connections to avoid unnecessary complexity.
  • Engage everyone: Ensure each participant has a role in constructing the concept route.
  • Document the results: Photograph or digitally save the routes for future reference or implementation.
Inspiration
Examples of Concept Routes to Work On:
  • Product Life Cycle: From ideation and design to recycling or final disposal.
  • Key Stakeholder Map: Identifying how people, groups, or organizations interact within a system or project.
  • Decision-Making Process: Representing the stages of analysis, evaluation, and alternative selection.
  • Path to Sustainability: Connecting individual, community, and global actions for a positive impact.
  • Workflow Diagram: Visualizing tasks, roles, and connections within a team or organization.
  • Implementation Strategy: From initial planning to execution and evaluation of results.
  • Cause-and-Effect Relationships: Showing how specific actions or events lead to concrete outcomes.
  • Path to Meaningful Learning: Connecting activities, reflections, and practical applications.
  • Stages of Change: From recognizing the problem to adopting new practices or habits.
  • Ideation Process: Representing how ideas emerge and evolve from an initial concept to full development.
  • Connections Between Scientific Concepts: For example, how energy, motion, and force are related in physics.
  • Evolution of a Social Problem: Analyzing its roots, development, and potential collaborative solutions.
  • Network of Opportunities: Identifying how resources and skills can be connected to achieve common goals.
  • Value Chain: Showing how value is added at each stage of a production or service process.
  • Path to Educational Innovation: Representing how new technologies, methodologies, and approaches can be integrated into teaching.
Materials
  • Sticky notes, markers, whiteboards, or large paper.
  • Adhesive tape, sticky notes, and poster boards for physical connections.
  • Optional: Digital tools for creating digital concept routes.
Online platforms
Purpose
Type of activity
Participatory InteractionParticipatory LearningParticipatory Planning
Level of participation
Collaboration, Knowledge generation, Exchange of perspectives
Target audience
Educators, Facilitators, Students, Community leaders, NGOs and social collectives, Business teams, Government, Creative designers, Researchers
Fields of application
Education and training, Community development, Urban and rural planning, Health and social well-being, Sustainability and environment, Innovation and design, Research and evaluation, Technology and digital environments
Estimated duration
From 25 to 120 minutes, depending on the group size, format, and complexity of the topic.
Ideal number of participants
From 8 to 20 people, divided into small teams of 3 to 6 members.
Topics related to this activity
Active CollaborationCauses and EffectsCollaborative LearningCollaborative Mind MapCollaborative OrganizationCollective AnalysisCollective LearningConcept MapCritical ThinkingGroup CreativityParticipatory AnalysisParticipatory LearningParticipatory StorytellingProblem SolvingProject ManagementTeamworkVisual CommunicationVisual CreationVisual DiagnosisVisual DocumentationVisual MapsVisual MethodologyVisual NarrativeVisual ReflectionVisual ToolVisual Tools
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