Articulate then answer

About this activity

Give students the opportunity to articulate their thinking before answering:

• 30 seconds silent thinking before any answering
• Brainstorm in pairs first for 2-3 minutes
• Write some thoughts down before answering
• Discuss with your neighbour first.

Why use it

• Encourages reflection on learners’ gaps in their knowledge or understanding. 
• If students write questions for their peers to answer it can deepen their own understanding and that of peers. 

When to use it

• To build confidence; 
• To encourage reflection; 
• To foster a sense of community;  
• To share different perspectives on the same topic; 
• To recall knowledge;
• Possibly more feasible in smaller groups or with a seminar type setting.

When to use it

Depending on purpose: 

• at the beginning as a way to recall existing knowledge 
• in the middle to clarify points or formulate questions 
• at the end of the question to check understanding and outstanding points 
• as a reflective tool 

Digital tools that might be used

Synchronous and asynchronous: 

• break-out rooms (with some preparation) 
• Moodle chat 
• Teams meeting 
• share document (for the entire group) 
• whiteboard 
• Mentimeter (open questions) 
• annotation software.

Speed of set up time 

10-30 minutess depending on tools being used.

Workload

Depending on resources involved and planning the structure: 

• To define the activity 
• To prepare questions 
• To establish an etiquette with the students

This activity may become easier and more spontaneous if repeated throughout the modules/the sessions.

Other resources

Shared whiteboards (Zoom or Blackboard Collaborate). 

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