ECCAY RESOURCES
Exercise nr. 13
DIAMOND RANKING
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Minimum number of participants |
Average time length | Individual setting |
Group setting | Special Equipment | Unit | Online | Challenges/ competition |
| 2 | 60-90 min | no | yes | no | 3-4-5 | yes | no |
This exercise for pairs and groups helps to explore and clarify value positions and feelings towards a particular theme or issue.
Diamond ranking (also known as “Diamond 9”)enables the equal, inclusive, participation of a diverse group of involved internal and external community members. It helps to explore and clarify value positions, feelings and thoughts regarding a particular theme, issue or idea. It is usually carried out with nine written statements. When working with low literates or illiterates use drawings, photographs or objects.
While the resulting ranking provides already a source of data in itself, the annotations and explanations and dialogue when interpreting the ranking provide and even richer source of interpretation and meaning. Again, stories will emerge. It can also be used as a preparation for drawing a problem tree (see exercise) analyse the causes and effects of a particular problem, and how they relate to one another.
Aim / Benefits
By ranking items, statements, objects or images the participants discuss the ranking and express why they feel this particular item, statement, object or image is more or less important or has less or more priority.
By discussing their choices with others the participants are forced to make explicit and obvious to the rest of the group the over-arching relationships by which they organise knowledge, and hereby voicing their understanding of the topic or issue to others, so these can be analysed and compared.
The method can be used in a wide variety of settings, with participants of any age and level of education. The possibility of using images, photographs or even objects allow the exercise to be conducted also with persons with low literacy levels, or insufficient knowledge of the local language (e.g. refugees).
UNIT(s) related
As such it is related to Unit 3: Building the relationship: as it can be used for a better common understanding of the other person(s).
Unit 4: Solution focussed group: as it can be used to gain insights into the values, thoughts and feelings of a participant, with regards to a particular set of solutions.
Unit 5: Self reflection: as during the discussion and analysis one questions one's own values, thoughts and feelings
How to do the exercise
(MANDATORY to explain how to prepare and introduce the exercise to the participant)
The professional introduces the issue which will be the topic or subject of the exercise.It can be a question or a statement, and additional context material can be presented, e.g. newspaper clipping.
The professional explains the purpose of the exercise and instructs participants to rank a set of 9 statements and arrange them in a diamond formation. The criterion for ranking can be simple and general like “importance, relevance, significance” or can be detailed and content specific.
In case the statements are defined by the group itself, the professional gives instructions on how to elaborate the statements.
The rules of play with regards to discussions are presented, and the emphasis is placed on the fact that the pairs or threesomes should reach a consensus with regards to the ranking.
Step 2
Define the statements you want the group to reflect about. The statements can be defined by the facilitator , but also by the participants themselves. Alternatively to written statements, one can also use drawings, photographs or (small) objects.
In case the participants are to define the statements, each participant should be given sticky notes and asked to write a maximum number of important problems and reasons for the issue that the professional wants to address with them.
When identifying the statements to be used in the ranking itself, when working in small groups, it is recommended to have maximum 3 to 5 statements per participant. so to reduce the time needed by the professional to revise and analyse these statements and decide which to include in the next steps (depending on the size of the group), bearing in mind the topic or issue for which the exercise is designed.. In this case the professional will group them into 9 groups or bring it back to 9 overarching statements before moving to the next step. If one works with pairs or threesomes, one could even ask up to 9 statements.
Each statement, drawing photograph or object is then given a short title or number for ease of reference. Each statement is to be provided on an individual paper or sticky note, and stored in an envelope
Step 3
Separate the group in pairs or threesomes, and ask them to rank the statements using the diamond formation. They need to agree among themselves on the ranking and the reasons behind it. After the ranking they have to explain why a certain statement was ranked one the scale of most to least.
The criteria used for the ranking are very much related to the issue which the professional wants to address, but the top row refers to the item considered “most”, the descriptor to be used can then be “interesting (i.e. most interesting”; “most important”; “most significant” or even “better”. The top row only allows for 1 single statement, drawing, photograph or object to be ranked.
The next and second row, reflect the next most interesting, important, significant, etc., and puts 3 statements, drawings, photographs or objects on the same and equal level. The third row repeats this but reflecting those 2 items which are considered “less” when compared to the second row. This row normally represent the items which are considered more “neutral”, i.e. not important nor important, medium significance, etc. The fifth and final row represents the item considered the least important, significant, etc.
Once the pairs (threesomes) have agreed on the ranking, they are asked to annotate their diamond with
comments and explanations, (based on the discussions that have taken place).
Final step / Conclusion:
(MANDATORY to explain what to do in order to conclude the exercise)
At the end of the ranking exercise the professional can ask the participants to present their diamond ranking to the rest, share the ranking with group (but without explanations) or use the ranking for their own analysis (and not share with the group).
The main sources for analysis and discussion are the completed diamonds with the annotations and notes of the conversation elicited between the participants. The rankings can be analysed within and across the completed diamonds and the positioning of the statements, drawings, photographs or objects can be explored.
Debrief
- On the level of individual pairs or threesomes;
- On group level.
The professional him or herself can analyse the annotations and reflect upon them and ask the pairs/threesomes to add on their own reflections, this can be done on the level of individual pairs/threesomes as well as on group level.
When working in a small group, another option is to ask the pairs/threesomes to present the ranking to group, and explain their ranking and annotations. In this case the professional can reflect first and ask the group to do so afterwards, or first ask the group for their reflections, thoughts and feelings and then analyse him or herself the ranking and the reflections, thoughts and feelings of the group.
The questions which are relevant in this process are:
● Why were the statements, drawings, photographs or objects ranked in this way? What are the reasons to rank them like this?
● What ideas/thoughts/feelings do you have after the process of reaching an agreement about the ranking
● Did the process change the ideas/thoughts/feelings you have on the topic, problem, challenge or solution?
● What did you learn from filling in the raking?
Specific materials
You will need to have
- A3 paper
- Sticky notes
- Pencil/pen
And the template for the diamond ranking such as the one represented below
Tips and Tricks
- Adapt the use of written statements, photographs, drawings or objects according to the type of participants you will be working with, i.e. if you are working with a heterogenous group with low levels of understanding of the local language, the use of objects or images is more appropriate. However if you work with participants from different cultural be aware of the interpretations different images can have for different cultures and bear this in mind when selecting them.
- You must remind participants that the statements, drawings, photographs or objects do not need to be ranked in numerical order in the second, third of fourth rows.
On-line version
Pour l'utilisation du modèle de ratissage en diamant, afin de s'assurer que tous les participants peuvent interagir avec le modèle, il est recommandé d'utiliser un outil qui permet le brainstorming et le travail collaboratif, par exemple Google Doc, Google Presentation, Miro Board, Lino, en bref tout outil qui permet le travail collaboratif. La seule chose que le professionnel doit faire est de créer le modèle.
Bibliography - Sitography
Clark, J., Laing, K., Tiplady, L. and Woolner, P. (2013) Making Connections: Theory and Practice of Using Visual Methods to Aid Participation in Research. Research Centre for Learning and Teaching, Newcastle University.
Collaborative redesign with schools: https://www.ncl.ac.uk/mediav8/cored/files/diamond-ranking/Diamond%20Ranking%20Instructions%20English.pdf
Professional Development Service for Teachers (2015 ) Active Learning Methodologies
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