Knowledge construction
Snowball
Goal: building knowledge
Length: 15 minutes
Group size: group of 4-6 students
Materials: pen and paper
Length: 15 minutes
Group size: group of 4-6 students
Materials: pen and paper
How to:
- Divide the group into smaller groups of 4-6 students. Provide every student with a sheet of paper.
- Every student briefly and clearly writes down a thought on the topic of the class.
- Each person gives their paper to the person sitting next to them, who adds a thought or a critical comment as a follow-up. The papers keep getting passed along, while students add thoughts to them, until everyone gets their own paper back.
- Students can discuss their thoughts and ideas with the group.
- After, the teacher can start a group discussion, to ask about interesting discussions.
Gallery walk
Goal: broadening or deepening the knowledge base
Length: 45-60+ minutes
Group size: as many small groups as there are sub-topics
Materials: Flipcharts and markers
Preparations:
Divide the topic of the class into smaller sub-topics. There cannot be more sub-topics than there are groups that can be formed.
External link: Tevere, Näyttelykävely (in Finnish)
Online adaption:
- Create an online whiteboard for each group so they can share their ideas there.
- Ask the people in the breakout room to make sure that they save their ideas and findings. Create new breakout rooms with one of the members of each group and have them present to each other.
How to:
- Introduce and explain the overall topic to the students.
- Introduce the sub-topics of the main topic. Divide the group of students according to the number of sub-topics. The division can be made randomly or based on interest or expertise.
- Each group has their own flipchart that they use to work on in their own sub-area. Students work together to gather as much information as they can on the sub-topic. Once they are done, the flipcharts are spread around the room or hung on the wall. The students are now expert in their own sub-topic.
Time: 10-15 minutes. - The students regroup, so every group has an expert from every sub-topic. The students circulate between the flipcharts, where every expert explains the findings and ideas. The other students can discuss and ask questions.
- When all the flipcharts are discussed, there will be a group discussion. Ask the students about the most important findings, ideas and thoughts. Also encourage the students to take pictures of the flipcharts so they can consult them at a later moment.
Learning Café
Goal: building knowledge, creation, brainstorming
Length: 45-60+ minutes
Group size: as many small groups as there are sub-topics, ideally groups of 4-6 students
Materials: flipcharts, markers/pens
Preparations:
Divide the topic of the class into smaller sub-topics. There cannot be more sub-topics than there are groups that can be formed.
External link: Innokylä, Learning Cafe eli oppimiskahvila (in Finnish)
Online adaption:
- Create an online whiteboard that the students can work on.
- Instead of closing the breakout rooms and opening new ones with each session, try moving the students around between the breakout rooms.
How to:
- Introduce and explain the general topic of the class.
- Divide the students into smaller groups and explain the sub-topics to them. Every group gets their own flipchart with markers. Every group elects a chairman.
- The students start conversations about the sub-topics and write down their thoughts and findings on the flipchart. The chairman can lead the discussion, so everyone contributes to the group.
Time: 10-15 minutes. - The students regroup, while the chairman stays with their own topic. New groups get explanations from the chairman about the previous discussion. In the new formation, the students can discuss and add to what is already written down on the flipchart.
Time: 10-15 minutes. - This can be done once or until every student has discussed multiple/all the subtopics. It is recommended to change the chairmen, so all students can participate in other topics.
- After the discussions, the chairmen present the flipcharts with findings to the class.
- It is recommended to have a group discussion after the presentations for general summary, but also for in-depth questions from the students.