GIFTS: Learning Supportive Communication Through an Adaptation of the Board Game, Apples to Apples

• In Event: HIGH-DENSITY: Great Ideas for Teaching (G.I.F.T.)

Abstract

People who receive supportive communication when they are distressed benefit from a series of advantageous outcomes. We designed the following activity based on the popular board game Apples to Apples to provide students with an experiential understanding of different types of social support: (1) emotional, (2) esteem, (3) network, (4) informational, (5) tangible, (6) celebratory, (7) social presence, and (8) nonverbal, as well as to illustrate the concepts of support matching and person-centeredness.

Authors

• Kristina M. Scharp, The University of Washington

• John S. Seiter, Utah State U

• Timothy Curran, Utah State U

• Megan Chandler, Utah State University