Start / Stop / Continue

Activity

Ongoing engagement, Reflective activities

Start / Stop / Continue

Maha Bali

Use this activity to help students to reflect on what’s working for them and how to identify actions that can be taken to make improvements.

Tech needed: Shared online space, Polling tool, Cameras off option

Asynchronous

Accessibility: Text-based

Duration: 5-30 mins

Student preparation: None

Educator preparation: Minimal

ACTIVITY PURPOSE

Encourage students to look at what’s working and what can be changed in a constructive manner that can lead to action.

USEFUL FOR

Can be used for student self-reflection on their own practices, for reflecting on the course or for giving peer feedback.

PREPARATION

None.

INSTRUCTIONS

Choose a prompt such as:

At the beginning or middle of the semester: What would you continue, start, stop doing this semester in order to be successful in your courses?
In the middle of the semester: What should I (the teacher) continue, start, and stop doing this semester in order to make this course a good learning experience for you?
After learning about something related to course content (e.g. about how to improve digital security, or about bias/othering), encourage student reflection on their own practices beyond theory: what would you stop, start and continue doing in your own life/profession after learning this?

DURATION

This can be done in 5 or 10 minutes during class, or as a longer reflective assignment. It can be done individually at first and then in small groups.

ADAPTATIONS AND EXAMPLES

This activity is flexible and works well in both online and face-to-face settings. You can adapt it based on whether you want student responses to be visible to others or kept private.

If you want students to see each other’s input:

Online: Use a shared Google Doc or Google Slides. Each student can have their own space, or you can create a table with sections for “Start,” “Stop,” and “Continue” so students can add their responses under each heading.
Face-to-face: Use sticky notes or paper slips that students post on a board or wall under the three categories. This allows for visual grouping and discussion.

If you prefer private responses:

Online: Use a Google Form or another anonymous polling tool. You can choose whether to share responses later.
Face-to-face: Students can write their responses on paper and hand them in, or use anonymous slips for collection and discussion.

Students can start by reflecting individually and then share in small groups or with the whole class, depending on the context and goals.