Your Own Mess

Goal

Find and justify which design and refactoring patterns best fit a real piece of student code — and reflect on how you recognize patterns (or messes) in your own work.

Setup

• Each team gets a full deck of pattern cards (design + refactoring).
• The tutor projects or displays a short code chunk from one of the projects.
• Each team uses cards and markers to show their picks.

Play

1. Observe: Study the displayed code together.
2. Select: Each team secretly picks
   • 1 design pattern card and
   • circle 1 refactoring pattern on one card they think apply best.
3. Hide & Reveal: Teams place their cards face down on the board (or hand to the tutor).
4. Discuss: The tutor flips the cards, compares answers, and leads a short discussion:
   • Why that pattern?
   • What signs support your choice?
   • What alternatives might work better?

Scoring

• +1 point if two teams suggest the same pattern.
• +1 point if the code’s author team and one other team suggest the same pattern.
• +1 point if at least half of all teams + 1 choose the same pattern.
• +1 point if the tutor’s choice matches your team’s.

Points add up — reasoning and shared insight matter more than luck.