What is

Four Corners

Four corners is an active learning exercise where instructors share a discipline-specific statement or question with four potential answers. An example is: ‘where does most of the mass in a plant come from?’ Students may answer with ‘soil,’ ‘air,’ ‘water’ and ‘sunlight.’ Students answer the question and go to a corner of the classroom to discuss with others who thought the same way. Consider using breakout rooms if running this activity virtually.

Four corners refers to an active learning approach that strengthens collaborative learning. Students respond in one of four ways to an assigned question. Students then meet and discuss with their peers who responded in the same way—either in a corner of the classroom or online in breakout rooms.