Buzzgroups
The instructor introduces a question or assignment, which the students will answer or solve in groups of two or three in a short amount of time, such as 5 minutes. Students are given the opportunity to process or apply the course material individually and after they discuss their ideas with their peers. Afterwards students share their answers in a plenary discussion to provide a complete answer collectively.
On-campus
The activity takes about 10 minutes and could be done with more than 60 students.
It could be used as a blended learning activity, when students have to answer the questions at home and share their answers in class with their buzzgroups.
Manual
Supplies needed
- Questions to provide to students
- A place to write down answers.
Set-up Classroom
Students work together in groups, so a classroom with tables grouped together could be suggested.
Optionally: using a Learning Plaza or the Teaching & Learning Lab could be suggested, due to its extra flexibility in set-up.
Step 1. (Preparation)
Come up with questions to provide to the students. Open-ended questions are suggested, so students have to elaborate on their answers.
Step 2. (During Class)
Create groups in which students have to work together. Let students sit together in these groups.
Step 3. (During Class)
Provide the questions to the students and inform them on the time they have per question.
Step 4. (During Class)
Students work together to find an answer. When students already answered the question at home, let them share and discuss their answers and write down a group answer.
Step 5. (Evaluation)
The answers are shared in a plenary discussion. Teacher provide key-notes to take home.
Online
The activity takes about 10 minutes and could be done with more than 60 students during an online tutorial session.
It could be used as a blended learning activity, when students have to answer the questions at home and share their answers in class with their buzzgroups.
Manual
Supplies needed
- Questions to provide students
- Microsoft Whiteboard
- Microsoft Teams
Set-up Classroom
Create a Teams in Microsoft Teams to function as a classroom. Create a ‘general’ channel when having plenary meetings. Use extra channels or the break-out-room function when students work together in groups.
Optionally: Using a Virtual Classroom could be suggested, due to its elaborate technical options.
Step 1. (Preparation)
Come up with questions to provide to the students. Open-ended questions are suggested, so students have to elaborate on their answers.
Step 2. (During Class)
Create groups in which students have to work together. Students will work together in these groups in their own channel or break-out-room.
Step 3. (During Class)
Provide the questions to the students and inform them on the time they have per question before letting them leave the general meeting.
Step 4. (During Class)
Students work together in their channel or break-out-room to find an answer. When students already answered the question at home, let them share and discuss their answers and write down in a Microsoft Whiteboard.
Step 5. (Evaluation)
The answers are shared in a plenary discussion. Teacher provide key-notes to take home.
Tools
Hybrid
The activity takes about 10 minutes and could be done with more than 60 students during an hybrid tutorial session.
It could be used as a blended learning activity, when students have to answer the questions at home and share their answers in class with their buzzgroups.
Manual
Supplies needed
- Questions to provide students
- Microsoft Whiteboard
- Microsoft Teams
Set-up Classroom
Using a hybrid learning classroom could be suggested. Create a Teams in Microsoft Teams to function as a classroom. Create a ‘general’ channel when having plenary meetings. Use extra channels or the break-out-room function when students work together in groups.
For the on-campus group, grouping tables together could be suggested.
Optionally: a Hybrid Active Learning Classroom is suggested to use, due to its extensive capability of hybrid interaction between on-campus and online students when working in groups.
Step 1. (Preparation)
Come up with questions to provide to the students. Open-ended questions are suggested, so students have to elaborate on their answers.
Step 2. (During Class)
Create groups in which students have to work together. Keep the online and on-campus students seperated. Students will work together in these groups in their own channel or break-out-room or in campus by sitting together.
Step 3. (During Class)
Provide the questions to the students and inform them on the time they have per question before letting them leave the general meeting.
Step 4. (During Class)
Students work together in groups to find an answer. When students already answered the question at home, let them share and discuss their answers and write it down.
Step 5. (Evaluation)
The answers are shared in a plenary discussion. Teacher provide key-notes to take home.
Tools
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