In this teaching activity, students indicate their opinion or preference non-verbally by literally taking a position relative to each other in the virtual or physical space.
Suited for an endless number of topics; from getting an idea of how your students are feeling (tired, energetic) to finding out which philosopher they feel most connected to!
- Activity goal
- Activate prior knowledge | Exchange knowledge | Recap / Summarize | Reflect
- When
- In class
- Where
- Offline | Online
- Duration
- < 10 minutes| < 30 minutes
- Group size
- Small | Medium
- Materials
Mentimeter, Kahoot, Miro
Step-by-step plan
Step 1
Consider which questions you want to ask the students. You can find examples in the 'variations' section below.
Step 2
Produce a slide with the layout of the (virtual) space (eg a line with left ‘for’ and right ‘against’).
Step 3
Explain the different positions in the (virtual) space the students can choose from.
Step 4
Ask your question and give students time to consider where they want to stand.
Step 5
After your starting signal, they move to the place they had decided on.
Step 6
Afterwards, hold a discussion on the choices they made.
Consider the tools and materials mentioned here as suggestions. In many cases it’s possible to use alternative tools. Please turn to the Learning & Innovation team of your faculty first to see which online and offline tools are available and how to apply them.
Offline
- Use masking tape to make a line or another partition on the floor
Online
- This activity can be used online with e.g. Mentimeter, Kahoot of Miro
Variation 1
The line:
- Have students respond by standing on a line that has a scale of 1 to 10 (to measure their level of prior knowledge, opinion about a statement)
- Have students respond by standing on a line that has variable scales for such things as age, length, travel time, average alcohol consumption per week, how tired-energetic they are, etc.
Variation 2
- Divide the space into corners or sides for choices A/B/C/D, true/false, agree/disagree, etc. An example: you want to know the philosopher with which your students feel the most connection. Divide the virtual or physical space into 4 sections, with each section designating a philosopher and have the students choose.
Variation 3
- Icebreaker: with which cartoon figure/activity/pronouncement do you identify the most? Sweet or savoury? Outdoors/indoors? etc.
Variation 4
- Other shapes can be used with comparable applications including: grid, circle, matrix. Or online using a map with the question, where were you born? Or, where do you want to go on holiday?
