CPD leader resources

last updated:June 2007

The problem that needs to be solved in this particular mystery game is based in a secondary school. It will take about 45 minutes to run the different stages (or up to an hour if you have several groups, or wish to allow extra time for discussion).

In a full CPD session, you will wish to add a warm up activity and to spend a while considering how you can take the learning further after playing and debriefing the Mystery Game. Facilitators will need to familiarise themselves with the Mystery Game before playing it with colleagues.

What is a mystery game?
A mystery game is a thinking skills activity. It involves people in dealing with pieces of information from a variety of perspectives whilst they try to answer an overarching question. The pieces of information are placed on statement cards, some of which are relevant to answering the Mystery Question and some of which are not.

Participants work together to consider all the statements, decide which ones are relevant and use this information to construct an answer to the question.  They arrange the cards physically on the table to explain their solution, showing how different statements are linked to one another.

There are often three broad phases in mystery games:

• acquiring information, which involves reading and laying out the cards
• analysis, which involves moving the cards about
• reflecting, which happens without moving the cards.

Why use a mystery game?

A mystery game generates a good level of discussion in several ways.  Using statements based on problems to be resolved in a fictitious school helps users to focus on a particular context and to avoid becoming too anecdotal.  Some statements are designed to be interpreted in different ways and this ambiguity helps to extend discussion of the issues.

The small group and problem solving format also secure the active engagement of participants and this increases motivation. The use of small pieces of data on movable cards allows groups to physically manipulate the information as they work their way towards an answer. This in turn allows facilitators to observe group progress from a distance.

The second part of the mystery game is important. This is when groups of players explain their reasons for structuring their answer in a particular way.  At this stage, players discuss the various solutions and also consider additional questions.  This plenary discussion and consideration of additional questions provides facilitators with an opportunity to draw out important learning points.

Purpose of this mystery
This mystery has two aims:

• to produce a wide-ranging discussion about issues relating to different approaches to accommodating gifted and talented students
• to help participants formulate their own probing questions which will inspire and help them to explore the findings of the RfT digest more deeply.