Breakouts

What is it?

Breakout rooms are meetings that are spilt from the main session.  They allow participants to meet in smaller groups and with a separate audio and video setup

Why is it important?

Benefits/Uses/advantages 

They can support equal talk time which is important for psychological safety 

They can be used for ice breakers 

They are useful for smaller group discussions, evaluation and idea generation 

Better engagement 

Risks/disadvantages 

Requires more technical skills and facilitation 

More challenging to share ideas with the wider group 

How can you use breakouts for your students learning encounters?

Create breakout groups at the start of a meeting eg kettle boiling sessions 

3-4 participants is a good number for small groups 

5 minutes per person 

Allow time for initial introduction 

Create and share instructions for the breakout group - use chat, ask them to take photos