The students are the experts on what they have just done. Our debrief strategies provide some tools to help them contribute to the conversation in a meaningful way. We may start with talking about what happened but we aim to dig deeper to build meaning and add value. Sharing their perceptions of the experience really helps in developing empathy and building a sense of team.
A good model to explain the structure of a debrief is the
Playing Card (PDF, 163KB) model.
When it is getting hard to get them to talk the
spokes debrief (PDF, 186KB) can help build engagement.
The
Horseshoe (PDF, 168KB) debrief gets movement first before asking for a view.
A
Snowball (PDF, 173KB) can deliver a message.. Once out in the open it can be discussed.