Tug of War
Two sides of a dilemma; participants 'pull' with their reasons.
Considering perspectivesReasoning with evidenceUncovering complexity
What is Tug of War?
Author labels two opposing positions. Participants submit reasons ("tugs") for either side and any "What if?" questions that arise.
Setup: What's the dilemma?.
The prompts
- 1A 'tug' for the LEFT sideOne reason that pulls you that way.
- 2A 'tug' for the RIGHT side
- 3A 'What if…?' questionA question that complicates the dilemma.
Good moments for Tug of War
- Classroom warm-upSurface what students bring before introducing new content.
- After a reading or videoConsolidate big ideas without testing recall.
- Discussion starterResponses become the seed material for the room conversation.
- End-of-session reflectionCapture how thinking changed.
About Visible Thinking
Visible Thinking Routines were developed by Project Zero at the Harvard Graduate School of Education (Ron Ritchhart, David Perkins). They are short structured protocols for surfacing thinking, not assessments.
Project Zero website