Application of Theory to Practice - The Use of Trivia in Counseling
The application of trivia to counseling to children
in a group is an ideal method for applying cognitive and humanistic theories
into practice. Trivia is a tool to get people thinking about the unit that
you are meeting for. Trivia is an enabling tool and allows creative thinking
to take place.
Techniques
Trivia is a form of question and answer session.
Trivia can be played with a pen and paper, a
computer
, NTN
, or by just asking out load. The subject matter could be directly related
to the subject of the counseling session or indirectly related through
the use of such items as acronyms, synonyms, or palindromes. A trivia session
includes a series of questions to which the student needs to answer. Answers
can consist of multiple choice, true/false, fill in the blank, or matching.
The session can be done with individual counseling or in a group session.
In a group session, you split the members into smaller groups of two or
three players each and have them compete against each other. After the correct
answers are given, the counselor can either ask the students how they think
the trivia questions were related to the unit or else they can link the
answers to the unit themselves.
Relationship
Individual counseling and trivia are related
because both use questions asked by the counselor to the student. The student
provides answers, but the counselor provides answers and links the questions
to the relevant problems the students are facing. Group counseling and
trivia have a slightly different relationship. This is due to the fact
that every participant will produce different reasons as to why they think
the questions and answers pertain to the counseling session. Also, group
sessions tend to promote more interest in the trivia process because each
student is competing against other students.
Examples
There are several ways Trivia can be applied
in a counseling session. The first example would be if the counseling unit
was based on divorce, you could ask the student the following:
Question Set 1:
1. This couple was married for 10 years.
2. He was a high profile actor and she was an actress.
3. They adopted two children.
4. They both played in Days of Thunder.
Answer 1:
Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman
Question Set 2:
1. This couple was known for being in the public eye
all over the world
2. He left her for another woman.
3. She died in a car accident.
Answer 2:
Princess Diana
After the answers are given, the
counselor can connect the answers by saying "how would feel if everyone
knew about your divorce or your parent's divorce?" The counselor could also
ask " do these people feel any differently than you do about your parent's
divorce?"
Another example would be if the
counseling unit was based on death, the counselor could ask the following
questions:
Question Set 1:
1. He was the first president to die in office.
2. He was one of the four president's to die naturally
at a young age.
3. He was the ninth president.
Answer 1:
William Henry Harrison
Question Set 2:
1. Teddy Roosevelt became president when he died.
2. He was assassinated while in office at a young age.
3. He was the 25th president.
Answer 2:
William McKinley
Question Set 3:
1. He won seven Wiston Cup Championships.
2. He is called the "Man in Black".
3. He has a son that also races.
Answer 3:
Dale Earnhardt
After the answers are given, the counselor can connect
the answers by saying "Does it make a difference that relatives of famous
people have to deal with death in the same way you do?" They may also ask
"How does it make you feel that other people have died young?"
Advantages
There are several advantages to using trivia in counseling:
1. Allows for interactive question and answer sessions
2. Adds an element of competition to the question and
answer session.
3. Allows for enhanced group discussion.
4. Provides a gaming environment to promote responses.
Recommendations
There are recommendations which must be observed:
1. Ask questions which the students can easily answer
to achieve satisfaction.
2. Provide a high level of correlation between the
subject matter, the questions, the answer, and post discussion.
3. Use clues or hints to enhance the responses.
Limitations
However, there are limitations that must be addressed:
1. If the counselor doesn't apply the questions
to the session properly then the sessions will not be productive.
2. If the students can't answer the questions
then they might not be able to relate the answers to the session.
Cautions
In addition, several cautions must be observed:
1. Make sure trivia questions are age appropriate.
2. Keep the group on the session, especially
after the high level excitement produced by the questions.
Conclusion
In conclusion, trivia can be an effective tool
for individual and group counseling. The application of this technique
will spark significant discussions as the relationship between the subject
matter and answers become clear. Trivia bridges the gap between general
matters and specific problems. This allows the counselor to lead into the
details of the session.
