Towers

Overview

The Why

Reinforced Values
Be Principled
Freedom
Knowledge
Opportunity
Sound Judgment
Win-Win

Towers is a game that demonstrates the importance of both doing business profitably and also doing it “the right way.” In the real world, customers generally can choose not to do business with your company for any reason. Regulators can restrict or shut down your business if you don’t follow the rules. Doing business “the right way” matters. After completing Towers, students better understand the importance of conducting business using the Foundational Values to create long-term value.

Intro

Before you begin, announce the goals:

1. Build the tallest tower.
2. Build the most beautiful tower.
3. Do business in accordance with YE Foundational Values.
4. Maximize tower height for the whole city.

Student-Facing Tip: This activity can also be done independently with supplies, instructions, and debrief questions provided to students. If not doing it live as a class, consider having students take pictures of the towers they built and submit their pictures and measurements along with responses to the debrief questions.

Social and Emotional Skills

1. Students in this activity will exercise skills related to Self-Management as they will be working with team members to build a tower over a virtual computer screen. For students that are do-ers but do not have the tape measure or were not determined as the builder for the group, this may be a difficult activity for them! Students will practice impulse control related to their tone of voice, commands/demands, and desires to take over or opt-out. Students that are builders will practice organizational skills as they will manage time, materials at hand as well as receiving direction advice from their team members. It will be up to them to stay focused, motivated, and on task to complete their groups’ tower in time.
2. Students in this activity will also exercise Relationship Skills. As mentioned with self- management, students working together in teams will need to have quality communication that is both directive but compassionate while the time is ticking and only one student can be building within the group. If students opt to trade materials, relationships are also important as in this activity, members of the market have freedom and choice to trade or not. Relationship building and social engagement strategies may increase the student’s ability to make a successful trade with win-win value in mind.

Preparation

• Determine which platform you will use to engage students in the activity.
• Review this activity information to ensure understanding of activity instructions and debrief.
• Purchase materials needed for activity and have them shipped or delivered to students. Another option is to have students use the materials they have around the house.
• Determine how you will have students respond to debrief questions after the activity.
• (Instructor note) All information and materials needed to complete the task at hand are distributed to students before engaging in the activity.

Directions

• For this activity, you can virtually group students into teams of 4-5 or have students work individually.
  • If working in a team, groups will need to select a Builder – The Builder is the only one who is constructing a tower during the round. The Builder also will need to have a measuring tape available.
• Tell individuals/teams they will have 5 minutes to build the tallest free-standing tower possible utilizing materials you sent or materials they found at home.
  • If you are allowing them to use materials at home, consider setting some parameters. For example:
    • The tower must be built starting on the floor (not on a table top or other raised surface).
    • No furniture can be used as part of the construction materials (couches, tables, chairs, etc.).
    • You cannot leave the room you are in to find materials.
• After the 5-minute building round, each individual/team will quickly present their tower for measurement (10 minutes). At this time, you can award virtual YE dollars for the tallest tower or those that had towers taller than the average height of tower for the class.
• Debrief with students on what was challenging about the activity. What would they do differently? What would make it more productive?
• Now tell students they are going to try building a tower again, but this time they can find 1-2 additional materials in their homes from other rooms. Give them 10-15 minutes to build.
  • Remind them of the goals (1. Build the tallest tower 2. Build the most beautiful tower 3. Do business in accordance with YE Foundational Values 4. Maximize tower height for the whole city)
  • Ready to level up the challenge? Tell students they cannot use any materials from their first tower in building their second tower – Those construction materials have been used up.
• After the second building round, each individual/team will quickly present their tower for measurement.
• The total number of YE Dollars distributed to the winning team will be based on the average tower height in the room.

Debrief

Students can complete the debrief in many ways. Some options include on paper, in a group setting via any virtual call platform, or by recording their feedback using EdTech tools and sharing with their classmates.

• Was trying to build the tallest and most beautiful tower difficult?
• Was it more difficult while trying to do it in a principled way?
• Was it difficult to keep ALL four goals in mind while participating in the Towers activity? Why or why not?
• What about trying to maximize tower height for the whole community was difficult? What made that harder or more difficult?
• Is trying to maximize tower height for the whole community something that happens in the real world? (Don’t limit this to charity. Businesses have to cooperate with one another. Vendors, suppliers, and partners are all businesses with whom an entrepreneur must cooperate to build and sell her product. Doing business in a principled way is critical to these relationships too, not just to customer relationships).
• How did you display the Foundational Values while completing the activity?
• Which Foundational Values did you see a lack of while participating?
• In this activity, participants apply a few very important aspects of Foundational Values:
  • Sound Judgment or Be Principled — doing business “the right way”
  • Knowledge – engaging in knowledge sharing and trading on an open market to get the materials they need.
  • Opportunity or Win-Win Focus — deciding what to build and how to build it. Deciding whether to focus on the tallest tower, the most beautiful tower, or both.