"Four Corners" Strategy

How it works: Choose four aspects of a topic that your class is currently focusing on. Assign each of these aspects to a corner (or an area) of your room. Present the topic and the four related aspects to the whole group and give the students some "think time." Students can then choose a corner to discuss the topic. Representatives from each corner can share what their respective groups discussed. Why I love this: Student Choice: Students LOVE when they are given an opportunity to choose. They feel more empowered and respected, and thus take far more ownership over the outcome of the assignment. Various Perspectives: The students are exposed to many different view-points in their corner, which can lead to great discussion. Easily Prepared: This activity requires very little preparation on the teacher's part. The teacher simply needs to think of four (+/-) areas that he/she would like the students to discuss and then send them on their way. Easy Implementation: This activity can take as little as five minutes and requires no advanced set-up (e.g. chairs set up, group formations, etc.), so teachers can use it instantaneously and then quickly return to the lesson.