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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	Forming study groups can create conflicts and make some students feel excluded. Emphasise that the activity is only supposed to facilitate discussions and that students should not be forming study groups during the activity. Read more about forming study groups and handling conflicts on AU Educate.

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	Use the activity as an introductory discussion for forming study groups. Use some of AU Educate’s other activities to form groups or make group agreements.

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
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Revised 16.04.2026

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Nina Bang Morgensol