Comments on: Creating Connection via Zoom: Better Breakout Rooms

By: Linda Stewart

Linda Stewart — Fri, 27 Nov 2020 20:04:04 +0000

Hi Megan,

After some so-so breakout room experiences, I tried a couple of your ideas. Students renamed themselves to indicate their interest in discussing specific aspects of our topic, and I placed them into groups according to that. I also assigned leader/note-taker roles to each group. Success! Thanks for this helpful post!!

By: Megan Savage

Megan Savage — Fri, 20 Nov 2020 18:24:30 +0000

Thanks for these great suggestions, Susan! I appreciate your important point that it can be helpful to have student in the group handling technology when there are accessibility and internet issues. It sounds like that’s worked so well for you.

Also, I agree that it’s important to rotate roles every time. I do that too!

By: Susan Scott

Susan Scott — Fri, 13 Nov 2020 00:53:34 +0000

I like a lot of your points but I would like to share a job that I give my students that others might find helpful. I put one person in charge of online sharing of presentations, documents or links if a student who wants to share but can’t get their computer to work or cell phone.
I also select a student to be a person to get others engaged by calling their name in the small groups.
Change these jobs up all the time so everyone gets a chance to be ain a different role.
* on a sidenote today I actually had two different students who couldn’t be the online helper due to internet issues and two other students immediately stepped up. I work hard to build community in the class snd today was a great example of it at work.

By: Megan Savage

Megan Savage — Tue, 10 Nov 2020 22:03:34 +0000

Thanks so much for your comments, and Elise, thanks for passing along another excellent strategy! Looks like you may have a blog post to write yourself… ;)

By: Bryan

Bryan — Tue, 10 Nov 2020 21:48:12 +0000

Thank you, Megan! I’ve been shying away from breakout rooms this term, because the first couple times I used them they were total disasters. You’ve given me inspiration!

By: Christine Weber

Christine Weber — Tue, 10 Nov 2020 18:02:10 +0000

These are fantastic ideas, Megan! I could see these strategies working in the context of Studio Art critiques, along with a variety of other disciplines.

By: Debra Lippoldt

Debra Lippoldt — Tue, 10 Nov 2020 17:06:23 +0000

Many thanks for sharing, Megan! These are great ideas.

By: Elise McLain

Elise McLain — Tue, 10 Nov 2020 16:56:10 +0000

Megan, these were excellent suggestions. I especially like the modeling idea.

Another great idea that I use (but cannot claim as my own) is one developed by Kenya Zappa, ESOL. The instructor creates a “task sheet” on google docs that students must complete during breakout sessions. One student shares their screen and shares the doc with other group members so they all can work on it together. On the sheet, I can include links to videos, grammar games, vocabulary flashcards, and/or they can share their essays and write suggestions. They turn in the doc at the end of class and this contributes to their participation points. Jennifer Snyder, ESOL, does something similar but uses Google slides.