Participatory Methods

Paper Airplanes

Paper Airplanes is a participatory activity in which teams design, build, and launch paper airplanes to optimize their performance in terms of distance, airtime, or accuracy. The performance of the airplane symbolizes simple strategic decisions, allowing participants to reflect on how individual and group choices impact final results.

Preparation

  1. Define the purpose:
    • Encourage creativity and innovation in decision-making.
    • Promote teamwork and strategic planning.
    • Explore how simple decisions can lead to significant outcomes.
  2. Prepare the materials:
    • Sheets of paper (preferably recycled) for constructing the airplanes.
    • Markers, rulers, scissors, and tape for customization and modifications.
    • A large area for launching and distance markers.
    • Score sheets to track airplane performance.
  3. Set up the space:
    • Prepare an area for airplane construction and a designated launch zone.
    • Place measurement lines in the launch zone to evaluate performance.
  4. To conduct the activity virtually:
    • Provide digital resources such as printable paper airplane templates for participants to build at home.
    • Use collaborative platforms to share photos, videos, and launch results.
    • Offer tools to simulate design performance, such as comparative graphs.

Step-by-step Instructions

  1. Introduction to the purpose
    • Explain that participants will design and launch paper airplanes to achieve specific goals, such as flying the farthest distance or staying in the air the longest.
    • Relate the activity to strategic decision-making, highlighting how simple choices can have a significant impact.
  2. Team formation
    • Divide participants into teams of 3 to 6 people.
    • Provide necessary materials or facilitate digital resources in the case of virtual activities.
  3. Design and construction
    • Each team designs its paper airplane, making decisions about shape, weight, decoration, and customization.
    • Set a time limit (e.g., 20-30 minutes) to encourage planning and efficient work.
  4. Launch
    • Each team launches their airplane in the designated zone.
    • Record performance based on predefined criteria: distance, airtime, or accuracy.
    • Provide feedback on how their design choices influenced the outcome.
  5. Group reflection
    • Guide a discussion with questions such as:
      • What design choices were most effective?
      • How did teamwork impact the results?
      • What would you do differently in a future attempt?
Recommendations
  • Provide basic paper airplane tutorials as initial inspiration.
  • Establish a clear and detailed scoring system to avoid confusion.
  • Introduce a discussion on how previous decisions might change with new information.
  • Reflect on how unexpected results can also serve as learning opportunities.
  • Link the activity to risk analysis and the importance of strategic planning.
Inspiration

Ideas to carry out the Paper Airplane Creation activity meaningfully:

  • Introduce specific roles within each team: designer, engineer, launcher, risk analyst.
  • Connect airplane design decisions to real-life business examples.
  • Use visual metrics (tables, charts) to compare results.
  • Offer an additional round of adjustments to apply lessons learned from the first test.
  • Reflect on how constraints (materials, time) influence strategic decisions.
  • Reward categories such as most innovative design or best adaptation to challenges.
  • Explore how airplanes can represent team values, such as trust or perseverance.
  • Link airplane outcomes to the importance of communication within teams.
  • Stimulate discussion about the relationship between creativity and innovation under pressure.
  • Reflect on how failures can become meaningful learning experiences.

Materials
  • Sheets of paper.
  • Ruler, scissors, markers.
  • Space for launching and measuring.
  • Tables to record results.
Online platforms
Purpose
The purpose of Paper Airplane Creation is to encourage creativity, experimentation, and collaboration in designing and implementing practical solutions. This activity challenges participants to solve problems innovatively and reflect on how simple strategic decisions impact outcomes. It also strengthens planning skills, teamwork, and adaptability to results.
Type of activity
Participatory InteractionParticipatory LearningParticipatory Planning
Level of participation
Collaboration, Knowledge generation, Exchange of perspectives
Target audience
Students, Community leaders, NGOs and social collectives, Business teams, Creative designers
Fields of application
Education and training, Organizational and business management, Innovation and design
Estimated duration
40-60 minutes.
Ideal number of participants
3-6 people per team, with a maximum of 30 participants in total.
Topics related to this activity
Active CollaborationCollaborative DesignCollective ConstructionCollective ReflectionCreative Problem SolvingCreative ReflectionCritical ThinkingExperiential LearningIdea GenerationStrategic ReflectionTeam CreativityTeamwork
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