Suggested course level

To be determined

Activity purpose

• Students will explore Gestalt Theory by finding real-world examples of Gestalt Theory principles in action.

Materials required

• Scavenger hunt handout
• Pens
• Small prizes
• Cell phones

Activity instructions

1. Either deliver a lecture on Gestalt Theory or have students do a reading on it.
2. Then, explain the rules of the Great Gestalt Scavenger Hunt.
3. Break students into groups of 4 or 5 and give them one handout per group.
4. Students will be given 15 minutes to go around campus and find good and bad examples of Gestalt Theory principles. Most students will use posters/signs, but architecture also counts.
5. When they find an example, they must take a photo with a cellphone.
6. Tell students that they should use the scavenger hunt sheet to note what example represents what principle, since it’s easy to forget. For example, if they wanted to use a poster advertising an English class on Shakespeare to represent a good example of Figure-Ground Segregation, they would write “Shakespeare English poster” under that category on the sheet.
7. They must find a unique example for each principle. (For example, you couldn’t use the same poster to represent both Figure-Ground Segregation and Closure.)
8. Students will get a bonus for finding something that showcases all of the principles we discussed.
9. Make sure to remind students to be respectful of other classrooms going on when they are moving through the hallways.
10. When a group is done, they will return to the class and you will look at their examples and score them.
11. The first team to find all good and bad examples of Gestalt Theory principles gets a small prize.
12. You may also choose to have an additional prize for the team that finds something that represents all principles.

Debrief questions / activities

• What was the hardest principle to find?
• How can you apply what you just learned to your resume/report/other upcoming assignment?
• How did your group work together?

Additional resources / supplementary resources

• Cruthers,Arley GestaltTheoryScavengerHunt Handout PDF
• Cruthers,Arley GestaltTheoryScavengerHunt Handout WORD

Tags: document formatting, visual communication, communication models, small group, game, Gestalt Theory, scavenger hunt, communication theory