Looking for a different start or for a break in your (online) class? In this activity, students will throw an imaginary ball at each other while providing a brief answer to the question.
- Activity goal
- Activate prior knowledge | Get to know each other
- When
- In class
- Where
- Offline | Online
- Duration
- < 10 minutes
- Group size
- Small
- Materials
MS Teams, Zoom
Step-by-step
Step 1
Ask students to enable their cameras in order to participate. Give them, if necessary, some time to appear presentable.
Step 2
State a simple question that requires a one-word answer. For example: 'What is the first word that comes to mind when talking about …?'
Step 3
Pick a random student, say their name, and pretend to throw an imaginary ball at the student (to the camera).
Step 4
The student pretends to catch the ball and answers the question by saying his or her word.
Step 5
Repeat until everyone has participated.
Step 6
If you heard answers that made you curious, spend some time to ask questions about it.
Tips
- Ask students to show their first names in their videostream (Zoom, MSTeams),since they need to be able to call out each others' names.
- You can make this energizer more dynamic by encouraging the students to throw the imaginary ball in a fast pace.
- Ask participants to stand up for this energizer, so they are in a different position for a while. That often changes the energy level.
- The exercise with an imaginary ball also works well in a face-to-face setting (offline) with a real ball.
Online
MS Teams, Zoom
Offline
Ball
Consider the tools and materials mentioned here as suggestions. In many cases it’s possible to use alternative tools. Please turn to the Learning & Innovation team of your faculty first to see which online and offline tools are available and how to apply them.