mastermind kit.april2012

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Created on 4/12/2012 9:27:00 AM Mastermind Kit Instruction Booklet and Activity Solutions Contents of the Kit: Paper and Pen Activities (17 exercises) After Basic Counting Pie Pieces Alphabet Add Ons Squarely Box Lock Triangles Five Triangles Two Squares Volume Flex Think 1 & 2 [2 pages] Volume, Volume, Volume How Many F's Wordles New Word 301 Nine Lines 6 From 9 Hands-On Activities Porcupine Progression (wooden block and nails) Stack 21 (5 dice) Tangrams (2 laminated pages and 2 sets plastic puzzle pieces) Brick by Brick & Block by Block (stand alone activities w/ own boxes not listed in this guide) Item#71348 A NON-PROFIT CORPORATION www.pa.org 1-800-468-8898

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Page 1: Mastermind Kit.April2012

Created on 4/12/2012 9:27:00 AM

Mastermind Kit

Instruction Booklet

and

Activity Solutions

Contents of the Kit: Paper and Pen Activities (17 exercises)

After Basic Counting Pie Pieces

Alphabet Add Ons Squarely

Box Lock Triangles

Five Triangles Two Squares Volume

Flex Think 1 & 2 [2 pages] Volume, Volume, Volume

How Many F's Wordles

New Word 301

Nine Lines 6 From 9

Hands-On Activities

Porcupine Progression (wooden block and nails)

Stack 21 (5 dice)

Tangrams (2 laminated pages and 2 sets plastic puzzle pieces)

Brick by Brick & Block by Block (stand alone activities w/ own boxes not listed in this guide)

Item#71348

A NON-PROFIT CORPORATION

www.pa.org 1-800-468-8898

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Mastermind is a set of activities that focus on creative, out-of-the box thinking. Many

people might describe the individual exercises as "brainteasers."

Many people have pre-conceived notions about their own creative problem solving

abilities. Some people love these types of puzzles and problems; some people hate them.

Some people will "see" the solution to some of these exercises instantly. Others will feel

that they will never be able to find an answer. The exercises can be frustrating, even

infuriating. Yet there is often a wonderful moment of elation that accompanies the

discovery of the solution. And over the years of presenting Mastermind to groups, my

observation is that people's ability to find creative solutions to these types of problems

improves the more time they spend trying to solve them.

There are many productive reasons for presenting Mastermind to groups; some include:

• Helping people develop problem solving skills and improve their out-of-the-box

thinking

• Exploring strategies for overcoming the frustration and inertia that can occur

when you feel "stuck" trying to solve a problem.

• Practicing techniques for solving problems cooperatively in a team environment.

However, there are some groups for whom Mastermind may not be appropriate. These include:

• Groups for whom English is a second language (since many of the verbal

exercises involve puns or slang expressions which may be unfamiliar or difficult

to interpret)

• Groups with short attention spans who become frustrated easily

• Groups or individuals who may feel "dumb" if they are unable to solve the

problems

Presentation and Design Options

One of the advantages of Mastermind is its tremendous versatility.

It can be a "stand alone" activity, i.e. the group is focused only on these exercises and is

given a specific time frame to solve them.

It can be an "overlay" activity where the group has to perform the tasks without being

given a specific time frame to do the work. For example, a group is given the Mastermind

exercises at the beginning of the day and told to complete them before the end of the

training, but they are never given a block of time to accomplish these tasks.

This design idea is described in detail in the PA book, Adventure In Business (Meeting

the Atwells section - pp. 27-31).

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It can be an additional problem that is presented to a group to provide more work to be

done and hence increase participation. If you have 20+ people doing the Spider's Web,

hand out some of these exercises to occupy people who are not directly involved in

attempting the web. This option also can be helpful in engaging people who may decide

not to participate in a physical activity like the Web, yet who are very willing to

contribute in other ways to the group's success.

With large groups on a high challenge course, Mastermind exercises can be a fun way of

occupying people when they are not climbing.

There are multiple possible uses for this kit's activities, limited only by your own

creativity. And since these activities are designed to help you think out-of-the-box, don't

feel constrained by the description here in black and white. Imagine your own unique

applications and have some creative fun!

Type: Problem Solving - Creation

Group Size: 8-40

Time Frame: 20 - 45 minutes; or as an overlay activity in an all-day format

Goals

• "Out of the box" thinking, creative problem solving

• Dealing with feeling "stuck," strategies for making progress

• Decision making, planning, effective resource allocation

Materials

A selection of Mastermind activity sheets and props.

Paper activities:

After Basic Counting Pie Pieces

Alphabet Add-Ons Squarely

Box Lock Triangles

Five Triangles Two Squares

Flex Think I & II Volume/Volume/Volume,

How Many F's? Wordles

New Word 301

Nine Lines 6 From 9

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Prop Activities:

Porcupine Progression (wooden block and nails)

Stack 21 (3 dice - or more if you choose)

Tangrams (2 sets of plastic shapes - 7 pieces per set)

Briefing

This briefing would be for a "stand-alone" design where the group is focused only on

solving the

Mastermind tasks.

"This activity involves solving multiple problems. Today, there will be a total

of____problems for the group to solve. While each of you will be receiving some tasks as

I hand out the materials, the goal is for this group to find successful solutions to all of the

problems.

The problems themselves should be self-explanatory. If you have any questions about

any of the problems, please feel free to ask and an instructor will be happy to assist you.

All of the problems have solutions.

Whenever you feel that a problem has been solved, you may present your answer to an

instructor and your answer can be verified for you. If your first answer is incorrect, you

are free to continue working on that problem and you may submit as many answers as

necessary until that problem has been solved."

At this point, either hand out the activity sheets and props so that each person has

something, or pre-arrange the materials so that the group has to gather the materials and

then divide them up.

Rules 1) All the materials are prepared in advance and packaged ready for use. It can be helpful to

have pens and blank paper available if the group requests them (and you want to make

these resources available to them).

2) Handout the activities and review and clarify the rules as needed.

3) Inform the group of the time constraint and let them begin.

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Debriefing

The focus of the debrief is to examine how the team organized to solve the problems,

what strategies worked well and what processes and behaviors prompted creative

solutions.

• What strategic plan was developed by the group to complete all the exercises?

What aspects of the plan worked well? What aspects of the plan did not work

well?

• Was it difficult or easy to solve these problems? Please explain.

• Did you feel "stuck" (i.e. unable to find a solution) and/or frustrated at any point?

What was your response when it happened? How did you attempt to overcome it?

• Did this experience feel similar to or different from how you have solved

problems in the past?

• How and why?

• What insights occur to you that would be helpful to remember that could improve

your ability to think creatively in the future? .

• What ideas do you have based on this experience that could enhance a group's

abilities to work together and solve multiple tasks?

Instructor's Notes

• In working with cross-cultural groups where English is not the primary language,

some of the language-based problems are difficult to interpret and understand

because they are based on slang. This activity may not work as well for such

groups.

• As a stand-alone activity, a selection of 10-12 problems is typically enough to

engage a group of 10-15 people for 20-30 minutes (depending on which problems

are presented). For an "overlay" design scenario, it may be appropriate to reduce

either the complexity or the number of the problems. Including 2-4 prop activities

is customary since they often have more complex solutions; and they appeal to

some people who find the paper brainteasers unappealing.

Thematic Connections

In an overlay scenario, Mastermind is expanded to encompass an entire training day.

There is a specified end time, but no block of time set aside for working on the problems.

The goal is to replicate a workplace environment where people must manage many tasks,

not just one. This particular activity lends itself well to this type of overlay because the

problems are small, easily portable, engaging but at the same time challenging and

achievable in a segmented time frame.

Mastermind activities are commonly used in Site Central variations to provide the

"Management" team with tasks to perform while the Task team does its work. Again, this

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mirrors the actuality that management has other work to do besides managing a specific

work team. In this scenario, the "managers" often come to realize how easy it is to get

wrapped up in their own tasks and forget about helping the task team, and the

"employees" (i.e. task team") gain an appreciation of how critical the communication

flow is to a successful effort. This type of scenario is described in Adventure In Business

in the activity appendix - Object Retrieval, pp. 271-276.

When working with multiple groups, often you can put multiple sets together and observe

if the groups view this as competition or collaboration. To do this, assemble enough

Mastermind sets so that each group has its own materials to work with. To reinforce the

value of working collaboratively, have each group's set include a few exercises that

another group has so that if the groups communicate they can avoid repetition and work

more efficiently. This works best when there are multiple trainers assigned as well.

Activity Variations and Options

We have sometimes incorporated other, more physical types of activities into a Mastermind

initiative. Some of these options are listed below with page references to the books where they

are described.

Moonball QuickSilver, p. 176 / Silver Bullets, p. 31

Almost Infinite Circle Silver Bullets, p. 131

Traffic Jam Silver Bullets, p. 122/ QuickSilver, p. 211

Two By Four Silver Bullets, p. 123

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MASTERMIND SOLUTIONS

Solutions for paper and pen exercises are list in alphabetical order (301 and

6 From 9 follow at the end). Hands on solutions and diagrams follow these

solutions.

AFTER BASIC COUNTING

The numbers are correct because they are listed in alphabetical order.

ALPHABET ADD-ONS

Letters in the top row are made up of straight lines; letters in the bottom row

have curved lines. Letters to be added to the top row are: E, F, I, L, M, N,

V, W, X, and Y. Letters to be added to the bottom row are: B, D, O, P, Q

and S.

THE BOX LOCK

FIVE TRIANGLES

Move the five lower matches (i.e.

lowest one on each side and the

three in the base) into the

configuration shown in the

diagram (with the dark lines).

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FLEX -THINK I

1) ME + MA + NH + VT + CT + RI = New England

2) Senate + House of Representatives = United States Congress

3) 8 Days - 24 Hours = 1 Week

4) 3 Pairs = 6

5) Hour Hand & Minute Hand at 12 = Noon or Midnight

6) 4 Jacks + 4 Queens + 4 Kings = All the Face Cards

7) Sun & Mon & Tues & Weds & Thurs & Fri & Sat are Days of Week

8) 88 = Piano Keys

9) 23 Years - 3 Years = 2 Decades

10) Eight - 8 = Zero

11) Yesterday + 2 Days = Tomorrow

12) 13 = Stripes on the American Flag

13) A Year - Spring - Summer - Fall = Winter

14) 1 = Wheel on a Unicycle

15) 30 Days = Days in Months April, June, September and November

16) 90 Degrees = Right Angle

17) Nina + Pinta + Santa Maria = Ships of Columbus

18) 1 + 6 Zeros = 1 Million

19) 8 = Sides on a Stop Sign

20) A. Lincoln & J. Garfield & W. McKinley & J. Kennedy were all

Assassinated Presidents

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FLEX – THINK II

21) Nouns/Verbs/Adjectives/Adverbs/Conjunctions/Prepositions/Interrogatives = Parts of

Speech.

22) Senate + House of Representatives – United States Congress

23) Mars/Venus/Earth/Mars/Jupiter/Saturn/Neptune/Uranus/Pluto = Planets of the Solar

System.

24) 16 Ounces = 1 Pound

25) 12 = Signs of the Zodiac

26) 54 = Cards in a Deck (with the Jokers)

27) 88 = Piano Keys

28) 57 = Heinz Varieties

29) 13 = Stripes on the American Flag

30) 32 Degrees Fahrenheit = Temperature at which Water Freezes

31) 18 = Golf Course

32) 30 Days = Days in Months April, June, September, and November

33) 3 = Blind Mice (See how they run)

34) 90 Degrees = Right Angle

35) 8 = Sides on a Stop Sign

36) 4 Quarts = 1 Gallon

37) 1 = Wheel on a Unicycle

38) 5 = Digits in a Zip Code

39) 1000 Words is what a Picture is Worth

40) 29 Days = February in a Leap Year

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HOW MANY F's?

Counting the one in the title, there are 7.

THE NEW WORD

Starting in the lower right hand corner, spell the word: DISCOVERY.

NINE LINES

To the original set of six lines (dark lines), you can add five new lines in the

following pattern to make nine.

PIE PIECES

There are at least two solutions that we know of.(see below). There are

probably more.

OR

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SQUARELY

30 is the correct number of squares.

TRIANGLES

38 triangles are on the page.

TWO SQUARES

Volume, Volume, Volume

Fill the 5 gallon container. Pour 3 gallons into the 3 gallon can, then empty

the 3 gallon can. Now pour the 2 gallons remaining in the 5 gallon can into

the 3 gallon can. Refill the 5 gallon can. Pour 1 gallon into the 3 gallon can

(to fill it) and you now have exactly 4 gallons in the 5 gallon can.

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WORDLES

Double Vision That’s Right I Understand Broken

Engagement

Paint By The

Numbers

Neon Light Running Ahead of

Schedule

Ingenious

Working

Overtime

Mixed Up Kid Misunderstanding

Among Friends

3 Degrees Below

Zero

Paradox Room For 1 More Excellence Paradise

301

301

6 FROM 9

SIX

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Porcupine Progression Insert one nail into block. Put all but one nail into the diagram below. Put

last nail (in bold below) on top of criss-crossed nails, then balance on head.

Stack 21

The answer is always 21 minus the number of spots on the top of the top

die. (For example, if a six shows on the top die in the stack, the answer is 15.

Check it out.)

Hint:

If people can identify that opposite sides of any die always add up to 7, then the answer is

nothing more than multiplication. Since the sum of two opposites sides is always 7

(THAT’S A FACT!), then the total for three dice stacked would be 21. Since all you want

to know is how many spots are hidden, look at the spots on the top of the stack, then

subtract that number from 21 and you have the answer. [i.e., if 4 shows on the top, the

answer is 17].

Instructor's Field Notes and Variations

People may feel inadequate when they do not get the solution, especially if others in the

group did. When presenting this activity, be careful to make certain that everyone learns

the answer and that no-one is made to feel inferior if they do not get it quickly.

NOTE:

The key to the solution “holding” is the placement of the two nails

that run horizontally in the diagram. One nail (A) sits on the head

of the nail in the wood and all the other nails rest on top of it; the

other (B) rests on top of the criss-crossed nails. These two nails

“lock” the others in place and provide the stability.

A B

Page 14: Mastermind Kit.April2012

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TANAGRAMS