The Volcano of Change

Finding broader perspectives and deeper meaning within the group and yourself

Understanding complex societal issues requires openness, collaboration and a willingness to engage with multiple perspectives. Inspired by interactive methods from the field of International Conflict and Security, particularly the Technology of Participation (ICA-UK), the Volcano of Change fosters structured dialogue, visual facilitation and shared insight, making complexity more accessible and actionable.

Using the volcano metaphor, students map societal challenges and/or other umbrella themes—such as a specific academic discipline or shifting paradigms—based on urgency and visibility: Which issues rumble beneath the surface, erupt into view, lie dormant or are considered extinct? How are students connected to these issues?

This process encourages meaningful dialogue on personal and collective thoughts, emotions and interpretations. It builds a foundation for collaboration and links individual concerns to broader societal themes.

Learning outcomes

The student is able to consider multiple perspectives openly and to challenge their assumptions by showing willingness to be vulnerable and embrace change and growth
The student is able to formulate patterns in complex realities and translate them to stories, theories or ideas for change

Students explore, visualise and categorise societal issues and have meaningful dialogue and engagement by reflecting on their deeper thoughts, feelings and perspectives.

1.Mapping Societal Issues

30 mins

Choose a central topic or umbrella issue relevant to your course. Using the Volcano stages handout, present the Volcano Metaphor as a tool to help the class visualise and categorise societal issues according to the four volcano stages.

Ask the students: “What do you notice in society, or in your field of study, related to [insert umbrella topic]?”
Then give them 15 minutes to reflect quietly and write their thoughts in their journal or on paper.

Encourage them to consider trends, challenges, conflicts or themes, and list 3 to 7 issues. For each issue, ask the students to reflect on:

Observations: What do you observe happening around this issue?
Feelings: How do you feel seeing this issue?
Thoughts: What meaning do you give it?
Response: What is your personal reaction to this issue?

Then, in small groups of two or three students, ask students to spend 15 minutes sharing the issues they identified. For each issue, they write a keyword or short phrase on a separate sticky note. If similar issues come up, they can merge them into one shared sticky note.

2.Categorising Issues by Urgency

20 mins

Explain the four volcano stages (dormant, active, erupting, extinct) and show the Volcano poster displayed on the wall.

Ask the students to consider: “Are the issues you identified dormant, active, erupting or extinct?”

Instruct the students to work in their small groups to:

Review their sticky notes and discuss which stage of the volcano each issue belongs to;
Place each sticky note on the corresponding part of the shared Volcano poster;
Add extra sticky notes if an issue fits into more than one stage.

As all notes are placed on one shared Volcano poster, the group can gather around and view the full landscape of issues. This visualises how concerns differ or overlap in urgency and visibility.

Tip: for larger groups (20+), consider displaying four separate volcano posters on the wall, each representing one stage. This allows more space and better access for everyone.

3.Making Sense of the Volcano Map

20 mins

Encourage the students to move around the room and read the poster individually. Afterwards, facilitate a discussion with the whole group, using the Volcano poster now filled with sticky notes.

Guide the discussion through three phases:

Clarify: Ensure shared understanding of the issues placed on the poster;
Reflect on group perspectives: Discuss patterns, tensions and surprises;
Identify key themes: Highlight overarching insights or recurring topics.

Tip: refer to the teacher discussion guide for sample questions and discussion points to support the discussion.

4.Group Reflection and Meaning-Making

20 mins

Ask the students to form new groups of three or four, based on a common one societal issue they feel drawn to and want to explore further.

In their new groups, have students:

Share their individual journal reflections in Step 1 related to the chosen issue (observations, feelings, thoughts and response);
Deepen the discussion by exploring observations, emotions, interpretations and possible actions;
Analyse the issue by identifying advantages, disadvantages, threats and opportunities;
Reflect on the group dynamics during the discussion.

Tip: depending on the available time, you could also each group to focus on one or more of the aspects listed on the teacher discussion guide to explore the issue at a deeper level. These different approaches can later be synthesised and discussed at the group level in Step 5 and revisited during the assessment.

5.From Awareness to Action

15 mins

Bring the group back together for a plenary discussion to share insights and reflect on the session:

Raise awareness: Lead a discussion around similarities and differences in perspectives across the group, and how it felt to share and listen;
Explore possibilities for change: Invite students to consider how they might use these insights moving forward, both personally and professionally.

End the session by asking students to write a short reflection in their journal. Optionally, ask the students to submit a detailed self-reflection for assessment.

Tip: refer to the teacher discussion guide for guiding questions to support the discussion.

Students write a short self-reflection during or after class to monitor their openness and learning mindset. This can be a one-time self-assessment or part of a continuous feedback cycle to strengthen these skills through practice. For deeper learning, students can submit a more detailed reflection in their online learning journal via the university’s platform, supporting both internalisation and personal growth.

Purpose

Assessment of learning (summative assessment) aims to evaluate the extent to which students have achieved the intended learning outcomes.

Roles

Self-assessment

Characteristics

Portfolio

Materials

Reflective questions

Download Reflective questions

Download Criteria for evaluating reflective writing

The Volcano stages handout (Step 1), Vulcano poster (Step 2) and teacher discussion guide (Steps 3, 4 and 5) can be downloaded below.

Keep students actively engaged by varying their working modes: begin with individual reflection and journal writing, move into small group discussions, then have students stand up, walk to the Volcano poster or posters to discuss and place their ideas, return to their groups for further dialogue and, finally, conclude with a full-class discussion.

This tool is typically used to explore societal change. However, it can easily be adapted to other umbrella themes, such as a specific academic discipline, shifting paradigms or broader dialogues around a chosen topic.

Download Volcano Stages handout

Download Volcano Poster

Download Teacher discussion guide