Speed Dating
Activity Summary
This activity is a quick and effective way to share, revise or explore students’ previous understanding/knowledge of a topic. as students quickly ask each other questions / answer questions – just like in a speed dating set-up.
This activity is student-centred and engages all students at the same time.
Activity Plan
1
2 min
Classroom set up – pair students up and number them #1 and #2.
Student number 2 will be the student that moves after each round (opportunity here to give energetic students a chance to burn off some energy).
2
3 min
Prepare the students for this activity by discussing the types of questions they should ask. You can have these questions prepared yourself or you could co-create the questions with your students.
The question(s) can be written on the board. Possible questions for this exercise could include: What do you know about…? What do you remember about…? What’s the most important/interesting thing you’ve learned about…? Adjust these questions to suit your subject topic.
3
3 min
The activity starts with the no #1 students asking their partner a question, and student no #2 starts answering and discussing the question.
4
3 min
After 2 minutes student no #2 moves on to a new partner. This time student no #2 has the opportunity to ask student no #1 question. At this stage it is an opportunity for student no #1 to share what their previous partner told them and to add any additional information they might have. In this way information is built up during every round.
5
3 min
After 2 minutes student no #2 moves on again to a new partner. This time it is back to student no #1 to ask questions. Remind the students to answer the questions by stating what they remember from their previous partners and any additional information they might have.
6
Contextual
This process is repeated a number of times – four rounds are usually enough so that each student asks and answers the question(s) on two occasions.
Tips & Tricks
- Have a fun alarm sound at the end of each round to create a positive atmosphere.
- This activity is a great opportunity to mix and match your students to allow for differentiation and ensure that energic students have the opportunity to get up and move around.