Trolley Dilemma Learning Kit

Designed to help conceptualize the challenges of making a decision when trade-offs need to be made in weighing up the factors involved.

Components include:

• The track (base structure and additional blocks used to extend the track); used to represent the path that the trolley takes in favor of one option or the other
• The trolley (the round token); used to represent the scenario that triggers a decision to be made
• The stakes (the square token); used to represent the stakes that are lost based on the decision to be made

Using the Trolley Dilemma Kit to teach/learn about difficult of a decision making process (often involving the assignment of moral values to things)

First, set up the track with the base block and any number of extension blocks to either the top or bottom lane.

Second, pick a token to represent a type of scenario, and tokens to represent factors that add to the entities that will be sacrificed in the scenario.

Finally, based on the scenario created, ask the child to pick a particular lane and explain their rationale.

Example

A storm is about to hit the neighbourhood and everyone has been evacuated safely. You have enough time to get your parents to drive by your grandparents' house or your best friend's house to save some items. In your grandparents' house there are (x, y, z) and in your best friend’s house there are (a, b, c). Which house would you ask your parents to drive to?