Four Corners
Group of students collaborating in a library (monkeybusinessimages, iStockphoto)
Group of students collaborating in a library (monkeybusinessimages, iStockphoto)
Format
How does this align with my curriculum?
PE
9
Science Grade 9 (revised 2018)
Decisions and Perspectives
PE
10
Science 421A (2019)
Decisions and Perspectives
PE
12
Chemistry 621A (draft 2021)
Decisions and Perspectives DP1
PE
11
Chemistry 521A (draft 2021)
Decisions and Perspectives DP1
PE
5
Integrated Curriculum Grade 5: Science (Draft 2023)
IS 1.4: Collaborating with others effectively can help us to share meaningful explorations in impactful ways.
PE
6
Integrated Curriculum Grade 6: Science (Draft 2023)
IS 1.4: Collaborating with others effectively can help us to share meaningful explorations in impactful ways.
This learning strategy helps students to make decisions about a problem or question.
Why use it?
- To empower students by providing the opportunity to have their voices and perspectives heard.
- To identify and consider different perspectives on a topic.
- To stimulate learning through movement and discussion.
Tips for success
- Allow time for students to independently think about an answer to the statement/question.
- This strategy works best when the possible answers could all be considered correct as it provides students with the opportunity to use verbal communication to explain their reasoning and understand different viewpoints.
How do I use it?
- Create a statement or a question related to a particular topic.
- Write four different choices (e.g., “Strongly Agree,” “Agree,” “Disagree,” and “Strongly Disagree”) related to the statement on paper.
- Post the different opinions in four different areas of your classroom.
- Read the statement or problem to the class and allow time for students to independently think about a response to the statement/question. You can ask them to write down their answer and reason for their choice if you’d like.
- Direct students to gather in the corner of the room that corresponds to their response.
- In each corner, students form groups to discuss the reasons for selecting a particular choice. If groups at a particular corner are very large, it’s recommended that you put them into smaller groups of 2-3 to facilitate better discussions.
- Allow two or three minutes of discussion and then ask students to present a group summary of their responses through either an oral presentation or as a written statement.
Variations
- You can also ask multiple-choice questions using this strategy, with corners being marked as A, B, C or D or with symbols such as a square, triangle, rectangle and circle. Students can then move to the answer they believe to be correct and work in groups of 2-3 at each corner to discuss why they chose the answer they did.
Extensions
- In virtual settings, consider using 4 breakout rooms, each one corresponding to one of the four different opinions/options.
Using this Strategy
- Four Corners Written Response Template Reproducible [Google doc] [Word] [PDF]
Create Your Own
- Four Corners Written Response Template Reproducible [Google doc] [Word] [PDF]
References
- Adapted by: Bennett, B. and C. Rolheiser. Beyond Monet: The Artful Science of Instructional Integration. Toronto, Ontario: Bookation, 2001.