Reaching Group Consensus

Session One

Introduce the idea of a summit

• Ask students what they know about a summit. Where have summits been held?  Who attended? What are the topics? To enhance their general understanding of summitry, mention and discuss well-known summits. Summaries of past summits, such as those held by the UN, the G-8 or between the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. during the Cold War, might be particularly informative, whether they have been successful or not at attaining consensus.

Explain the theme of the summit

• Explain to students the purpose for holding summits: to bring together delegates who represent differing interests to discuss, negotiate and reach agreement on an issue of mutual concern. Introduce the theme for the summit. Explain that students will represent an assigned perspective in proposing solutions and negotiating two rounds of talks aimed at reaching consensus on the issue.

Identify the delegations

• Divide the class into groups according to the appropriate areas or interest groups, either by assigning students a role or allowing them to choose one after they have had time to think about the topic. Depending on the topic and/or the regions or interest groups, consider establishing differing group sizes according to the population or perceived “power” of the group. For example, at a G-8 summit, the wealthier countries, such as the U.S.A. or Japan, might have a larger group size than Canada since they wield more power. Similarly, in a Canadian summit, differences in population may mean that the group representing Atlantic Canada might have half the number of members as the group representing Ontario.

Introduce the requirement of consensus

• Explain to students that the summit represents an ideal opportunity to learn about and develop their ability to reach consensus on contested issues. Distribute the sheet Consensus Decision Making (Background Information), discuss the meaning of the concept and review the strategies for trying to bring about consensus. Introduce the criteria and procedures for involving students in peer- and self-assessment outlined in Assessing Consensus. Discuss the form that student will use to record their assessments (Assessing Consensus: Peer- and Self-assessment) and the rubric that you will use to asses how fairly and conscientiously students have completed their peer- and self-assessments (Assessing Consensus: Assessing Student Assessments). Conclude with a discussion of the following questions:
• What is the value of trying to reach consensus?
• When is consensus necessary? When might consensus not be needed?