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Pro and con grid

Students make a list of advantages and disadvantages of a certain issue.
  • Individual
  • Pairs
  • Small groups (3-10)
  • 5-10 minutes
  • 10-30 minutes
  • Creative Thinking
  • Analyse
  • Create
  • Evaluate

When to use it?

  • When you want to encourage students to look beyond their own point of view.
  • When you want to promote the critical thinking skills of students.

Activity instructions

Preparation

  • Formulate a statement on a topic for which students can list advantages and disadvantages (or pros/cons).

Activity steps

  1. Make groups
    2. Divide the students into pairs or small groups (or let them work individually).
  2. Pros and cons
    Give the students 5-10 minutes to make a list with at least three advantages and three disadvantages (or pros/cons).
  3. Discuss
    Discuss the advantages and disadvantages (or pros/cons) during a plenary session.

Tips for implementation & variation

  • Online teaching: The subgroups can work in breakout rooms.
  • During the plenary session, you can write down the advantages and disadvantages (or pros/cons) in a grid on the (online) whiteboard to create a clear overview.
  • This teaching format can also be used as a pre-session activity, to let students prepare for a class debate.

Supporting tools

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