Enhance Engagement With Four Corners Discussions

Finding ways to incorporate kinesthetic learning into academic courses can be challenging, but the good news is that holding a Four Corners Discussion is a fun, engaging, low-prep solution! Plus, this activity can take place within class subject and grade level!

 

What is a Four Corners Discussion?

A Four Corners Discussion is a kinesthetic activity that allows students to move from one corner of the classroom (or outdoor space) to another, based on their responses to the provided questions/prompts.

The content can be anything from ethical scenarios pertaining to a unit of study, review questions for an upcoming exam, or even fun, personality-based questions to get to know everyone in the class.

After the teacher (or a voluntary student) reads a question/prompt, students move to the appropriate corner. Students in each corner briefly converse, for about 20 seconds or so, about why they selected that corner.

Next, a whole class discussion takes place where one or two spokespeople from each corner explain their answer.

The process repeats to have conversations about all questions/prompts.

 

Low-prep Set-up

Four pieces of paper, a pen/marker for writing, and scotch tape will be used to label each of the four corners of the classroom.

·         Ethical scenarios – Each paper will be labeled either Agree, Disagree, Strongly Agree, or Strongly Disagree

o   A slideshow (or papers to position under a projector) presenting each scenario

·         Exam review or personality questions – Each paper will be labeled A, B, C, or D for multiple choice responses

o   A slideshow (or papers to position under a projector) presenting each question and the letter associated with each answer

 

Before officially beginning the Four Corners Discussion, it is important to introduce the ground rules. These expectations should include respecting one another’s opinions and perspectives (especially about questions involving morality, since responses to these questions will likely stem from personal experiences and family values), one person speaking at a time, actively listening to others, and appropriately debating classmates’ responses.

An optional part of the set-up can include creating a graphic organizer with a list of the prompts. Students can spend a few minutes filling out all of their answers before the first question is read aloud, rather than determining their responses on-the-spot.

When to Use the Activity

The start of a unit is a great time to host a Four Corners Discussion, as the activity gets students in the frame of mind for what is to come in the following weeks. Imagine that an English class will be reading The Crucible by Arthur Miller. Before even introducing the play, a Four Corners Discussion can take place involving statements about topics such as reputation, mob mentality, and justice. Students will respond to each statement with “Agree”, “Disagree”, “Strongly Agree”, or “Strongly Disagree”.

 

The beauty of presenting students with ethical scenarios, such as the ones listed above, is that it allows students to learn different viewpoints and perspectives from one another. Plus, since students will be explaining their stance for each question, it helps everyone understand the reasoning for an individual choosing the answer that he/she did. For an extension activity, students can be challenged to the pick the scenario they feel most strongly about (where their answer was “Strongly Agree” or “Strongly Disagree”) and write a paragraph explaining why. This act of thinking deeply and communicating those thoughts on paper allows students to self-reflect and then evaluate and comprehensively explain their personal beliefs, which is a valuable life skill.

 

When statements about morality are used, such as in the example above, the activity can be revisited at the end of the unit. After several weeks of reading one or more texts, completing writing assignments, and creating projects, students have had ample time to dive deeply into the unit of study. Because of this, some students may have a change in perspective, which is great, since life is about embracing new experiences, which may change one’s view of the world. Revisiting the same questions at the end of the unit will allow students to participate in self-reflection about their stances to see which one changed and which one remained the same, while also examining why.

Another way that a Four Corners Discussion can be applied to the start of a unit is to gauge students’ prior knowledge and/or to have students make educated hypotheses about content that will be covered. For example, before a math unit about graphing, students can be presented with multiple-choice questions (with corners of the room labeled “A”, “B”, “C”, and “D”) about the x-axis and y-axis, coordinates, slope of a line, etc. to examine their prior knowledge about this topic. When it comes to making educated hypotheses about content in upcoming lessons, a history class could be given multiple-choice answers about a series of happenings leading up to one monumental event, such as a particular bill being passed. In either scenario, students will chat with others in their selected corner about why they selected that option before all responses are shared in a whole-class discussion and the correct answer for the question is revealed and explained, clarifying any uncertainties, before moving on to the next question.

 

As a unit comes to an end, a Four Corners Discussion can be used for exam review. Even if the assessment that students will take is composed of open-ended responses or a visual project to demonstrate learning, participating in a Four Corners Discussion with four possible answers provided allows both for review of content and of course movement during the class.

 

At the beginning of the school year or a new semester, use a Four Corners Discussion about personality-based questions to build a sense of community by getting to know everyone in the class. This activity is especially great in helping new students build relationships with others through common interests. Some questions can include “What’s the best…” such as season, ice cream flavor, movie genre, iconic duo, the list goes on. Multiple choice answers will be provided to ignite conversation. Another option for when to implement this activity, rather than at the beginning of the year, is before a school vacation when students are feeling antsy are not in work mode. There is no way better to spark engagement before a holiday recess than with movement, opinion-based topics, and conversation.

Recap of the Benefits of Four Corners Discussions

One of the wonderful aspects of a Four Corners Discussion is that it can be used with any grade level and subject. There is so much freedom regarding the statements and questions that can be created – the options are endless!

 

The skills of active listening and accepting different viewpoints are so vital to all aspects of life, and facilitating a Four Corners Discussion is an effective way to have students enhance those abilities. The significant life skill of communication is practiced in this activity by first having the ability to self-reflect and then being able to effectively explain the rationale for responses.

 

Finally, the kinesthetic element. Movement is so important to physical, mental, and emotional health. Incorporating a Four Corners Discussion even if only for a portion of a class period can make a positive world of difference to enhance students’ stamina in regards to attention span, as well as their enthusiasm for staying focused on the class content. Plus, since students are likely sitting put for anywhere from 40 to 60 minutes in most classes, having a few minutes of movement will be greatly appreciated.

 

Do yourself and your students a favor by incorporating Four Corners Discussions into class!

 

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💗 Miss M