GUESS THE NEXT STEP

 "One of the activities developed during the Mobility to Romania within the scope of the Erasmus+ Project KA210 “Invisible Face of Media” was “Guess the Next Step”.

The activity was presented by the teacher from Turkey, Serife Seyran and the teacher from Portugal, Benjamim Sampaio and began with some warm-up suggestions among the participants.

The activity aimed to analyze two media situations in Turkey and Portugal and to involve students and teachers from the partner schools in international working groups, with each group consisting of students from different countries and a tutor teacher.

The situation in Turkey was related to a famous reality show that analyses real cases.

This case presentation was divided into 3 parts. We read each part and asked the international teams to 'Guess the next step'.

At the end of the whole case, we asked the different teams to draw conclusions about what they learned from this case. The main conclusions were related to being more secure on the internet and not trusting online friends. All participants achieved these goals with this activity.

The Portuguese case was related to a news story in a sports newspaper about the signing of footballer Ronaldo by a Portuguese team.

We developed this case by asking questions that appealed to critical thinking. Each group analyzed, discussed and put their conclusions on a poster. At the end of the activity, the participants shared their findings with the other groups and the posters were displayed in the auditorium. The objectives were met and allowed a critical analysis of the news to be made, allowing us to conclude whether it is true or false.

At the end of each case, the working groups were asked to draw conclusions and define some rules for the good use of social networks and to be careful with the media.

The participants' opinion was very positive and everyone realized the importance of collaborative work in analyzing and discussing news together before believing whether it is real or fake.

After the presentation, it was time to evaluate the activity by placing post-its on the wall and displaying posters with the conclusions of each group. This initiative was a huge success and allowed participants to participate collaboratively, develop English language skills, interact with teachers and students from other countries in the analysis of specific situations related to the project theme, and become more aware of the need to make good use of the internet and social networks, and to be critical of news in the media."

THE IMPORTANCE OF THE ACTIVITY ON OUR  STRENGTHS

• Engagement & interactivity: The “Guess the Next Step” format is inherently interactive and prompts participants to think ahead rather than react. That’s a strong start.

• Relevance to social media usage: If the scenarios used are realistic (i.e., situations students actually encounter on social media), then the activity will resonate more and foster deeper reflection.

• Variation in scenarios: Different scenarios (privacy, bullying, misinformation, digital footprint) help cover a wide spectrum of social-media risks and behaviours.

• Clear outcome or learning point: Each scenario should end with what should happen (best practice) and why. That helps consolidate learning.

• Facilitation & discussion: If after the “guess” step there was a facilitated discussion (why participants chose a step, what the consequences might be), that helps deepen the impact.

• Visual & design quality: Since you used a presentation (via Canva), things like readability, visuals, scenario-clarity, and consistent layout matter—they help engagement.

  What to check / possible areas for improvement

  • Scenario realism vs abstraction: Are the situations relatable to the actual participants (age, digital usage habits, regions)? If too abstract, might reduce relevance.

  • Diversity of responses: Are there multiple plausible next steps (so participants have to think) or is it obvious? More ambiguity can foster richer discussion.

  • Feedback on participants’ guesses: It’s important not just to tell them the “right” answer, but to explore why other choices were made and what the implications might be.

  • Measuring impact: Was there a pre-/post-survey or some measure of change in awareness? Without this it’s harder to know the activity’s effect.

  • Follow-up / transfer to real behaviour: Did participants reflect on how they will change their behaviour? Were there commitments or action plans?

  • Cultural/contextual sensitivity: Since this was during a mobility in Romania, did the scenarios reflect local/European digital usage norms and risks?

  • Technical/design clarity: Presentation slides must be visually clear—large enough fonts, minimal text, strong visuals, avoid clutter. If not, participants may lose attention

  • OUR PRELIMINARY EVALUATION

  • We believe the activity has strong potential: the “guess the next step” design is an excellent way to engage people in critical thinking rather than passive receipt of information.

  • If well executed (good scenarios + good facilitation), it likely increased awareness of social media behaviours and risks.

  • However, its impact will heavily depend on how relatable the scenarios were, how well the discussion was facilitated, and whether there was follow-up or behaviour change components.

  • Also, in a mobility context (participants coming from various places, maybe different languages), clarity of language and cultural relevance are key—they might limit effectiveness if not addressed.

  •                            ŞERİFE ÜNAL SEYRAN-ATAYURT ORTAOKULU SİLİFKE,TÜRKİYE