Debriefing and Reflection questions

  1. About the chosen format
  • Why did you put these things together?
  • What feature do these things have in common?
  • Was it easy or difficult to make groups? Why?
  • Did you think first or just try? Which worked best?
  1. About alternative possibilities
  • Could you have grouped these things differently?
  • Can you give an example of something that could fit into two groups?
  • What would happen if we sorted by a different characteristic, such as colour/size/function?
  1. About cooperation (in group work)
  • How did you decide on the classification together?
  • Did you have different ideas? How did you solve them?
  • Did anyone come up with an idea you didn’t have yet?
  1. About language and reasoning
  • Can you explain why you did it this way?
  • Which category did you find most difficult to name? Why?
  • What words do you need to explain well what you mean?
  1. About learning
  • What did you learn from this assignment?
  • What would you do differently next time?
  • What did you like most/most about this activity?

General tip: You can also let students think up questions for each other – that stimulates even more thinking and language.