Looking for a different start or for a break in your (online) class? In this activity, students will throw an imaginary ball at each other while providing a brief answer to the question.
- Activity goal
- Activate prior knowledge | Get to know each other
- When
- In class
- Where
- Offline | Online
- Duration
- < 10 minutes
- Group size
- Small
- Materials
MS Teams, Zoom
Step 1
Ask students to enable their cameras in order to participate. Give them, if necessary, some time to appear presentable.
Step 2
State a simple question that requires a one-word answer. For example: 'What is the first word that comes to mind when talking about …?'
Step 3
Pick a random student, say their name, and pretend to throw an imaginary ball at the student (to the camera).
Step 4
The student pretends to catch the ball and answers the question by saying his or her word.
Step 5
5. Repeat until everyone has participated.
Step 6
If you heard answers that made you curious, spend some time to ask questions about it.
Tips
- Ask students to show their first names in their videostream (Zoom, MSTeams),since they need to be able to call out each others' names.
- You can make this energizer more dynamic by encouraging the students to throw the imaginary ball in a fast pace.
- Ask participants to stand up for this energizer, so they are in a different position for a while. That often changes the energy level.
- The exercise with an imaginary ball also works well in a face-to-face setting (offline) with a real ball.
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 (EUR or EMC) first to see which online and offline tools are available and how to apply them.
Online
MS Teams, Zoom
Offline
Ball