Thread by @karenraycosta

Friends: I'm at a professional conference this week. Hearing a report that when presenters use breakout rooms, people are leaving sessions en masse.

Shall we discuss?

#HigherEd
#HowToZoom
#AcademicChatter

So y'all have feelings about breakout rooms I see. Here are some of my key takeaways from this conversation:

#1 Perhaps we should build community and connection before sending people into breakouts. Sending people into a small room with strangers is awkward-sauce.

#2 Let's have empathy for our students. Many of the things our students do that frustrate us are things we do too. We're all human.

#3 Folks don't like breakouts bc they are multitasking. Maybe your students are multitasking too.

#4 Always interesting to consider that we know active learning is more effective, but so many people (students, faculty, staff) seem to want to avoid it.

#5 Just because an edtech tool offers us a bell or whistle does not mean we need to use it. Pedagogy before tech. People before pedagogy.

#6 I put people into solo breakout rooms in a workshop this week. It went okay. Need to get more feedback, but I think they can serve as quiet spaces of reflection, potentially.

Oh! And related, my #1 tool for engaging learners in @zoom_us is to get folks active in the chat. Weave questions into your workshop and ask folks to respond in the chat. The chat is where the magic happens! I'm shocked at how few people use the chat effectively.