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 Activities What do we have in common?

What do we have in common? 

Short description

Students get to know each other by finding things they have in common. 

              

Objective

OBJECTIVE

ICE BREAKER
  • The activity is a good icebreaker for students to get to know each other at the beginning of their studies or when interacting with students from other programmes in elective courses. 

FORMING GROUPS
  • Use the activity prior to forming study groups so that students get to discuss what is important for them in a group. 

Execution

How does the activity take place?

PLENUM

(5 minutes)

  • Introduce the activity 

  • Divide students into groups of three to five. Each group should sit together. 

IN GROUPS

(10 minutes)
  • The students find three things they have in common. You can mention different topics to help them, such as hobbies, interests, music, idols, favourite food or favourite colour. 

IN GROUPS

(10 minutes)
  • In the same groups, students discuss what is important for them in a study group. They should also find three things that they have in common, such as their opinions on who gets to speak, how to divide the readings and how many hours of work to put in. 

IN GROUPS 
  • If the class has many students, consider repeating the exercise so that the students get to talk to more of their peers. 

PLENUM 

(5 minutes)

  • Ask the groups what they talked about. 

    • Were there students who had something curious in common? 

    • What can we highlight as being important in a study group? 

Considerations

CONSIDERATIONS

Vulnerability when forming study groups 

Options to vary the activity

OPTIONS TO VARY THE ACTIVITY

ONLINE 
  • Conduct the experiment online by putting students into breakout rooms. When time is up, gather students in the main room and share what was discussed.  

THE NEXT STEP

Overview

Time frame 15-20 minutes
When will the activity take place? In class
Format Group
Teaching format Classroom instruction
Main type of activity  Communication and discussion
How will the activity take place? In person, Online
Technology

Contact

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Revised 12.03.2024
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Nina Bang Morgensol