Spatial Requirements: Regular classroom setup: little or no space required
Activity Type: Movement/group
Grades: 2-12
Group Size: 2 or more
Time: 5 minutes

Introduction: Gaining a new perspective helps us see over the wall.  This activity illustrates that solving a problem can be easier when looked at from different perspectives.  It also shows how a situation can change completely when we learn to see it in a different light.

Materials:

• None

Activity: 

You may want to demonstrate how to do this activity before beginning. Have the students stand up and hold one hand at waist level.  Have them hold their hand in a fist, palm up, with their index finger pointed towards the ceiling.  Tell them to move their finger in a circle in a clockwise direction without stopping.  Then instruct them to raise their heads and look straight ahead, without looking up or down.  Explain that during the whole activity, they are to continue to circle their finger in the same clockwise direction.

Next, have them slowly move their hand upwards, while continuing to make circles.  They should continue to move the circling finger upwards until it is well above their head. At this point, have them look up and see what direction their finger is rotating.  They will notice at waist level it was clockwise, and that above their head it becomes counterclockwise. By moving their hand to a different level, students will see the opposite action, just by changing perspective.

Processing the Experience:

• In what direction was you finger moving at waist level? In what direction was it moving when you raised it above your head?
• Did you stop rotating your finger one direction and start rotating it the other direction?
• How do you account for the apparent change in direction? 
• How does moving your hand from waist level to above your head change your perspective?
• How does perspective relate to climbing the wall?
• How does your perspective change as you climb the wall?
• What problems in life might be easier to solve if we look at them with a different perspective?