Duration: 10 to 25 minutes
Things you need: Pen and paper for each participant. Or a whiteboard (or virtual whiteboard if being conducted online).

A student writes down a list of items on a notepad.
A student writes down a list of items during a mind sweep.

Instructions: Make sure each participant has a pen and a piece of paper (a notepad or post-it notes work best). If conducting the activity online, we recommend using a virtual whiteboard, such as Google Jamboard or Miro (the Technology-Enhanced Learning team can train you on these two tools).

Ask your participants to write down no more than ten things that currently hold their attention (most people will struggle to think of more than five). Only give them five to ten minutes to do this. Let them know that they do not need to share what they've written down if they are uncomfortable doing so.

Of course, we'd like these items to relate to the topic at hand in some way. But, it is often unhelpful to limit their thinking to this single topic. So, instead, let people include anything on the list; for example, when looking at student outcomes you never know what might be influencing a student's ability to study successfully.

Allow each participant to share three things from their list by writing them down on the whiteboard that they think are interesting or illuminating. If working with students, you might also ask participants to select any items from their mind sweep that they think might distract them from their studies.

Purpose of activity: This is a warm-up activity and encourages students to think about the factors in their life that affect their performance as a student. There is also a possibility that the process unearths issues related to teaching and learning, learning spaces or the support and resources your school or department offers to students.

Last modified: Monday, 21 March 2022, 12:13 PM