Snowball (1-2-4-All)
Start: begin immediately. Prepare: save your settings for reuse.
Start individually, combine in pairs, merge in groups of four — and build shared insight step by step.
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Step-by-step instructions
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Steps
- Show one central question or theme.
- Individually: everyone first generates ideas alone.
- In pairs, share and add; then merge into groups of four.
- Clustering: organise the ideas into groups and name them.
- Optionally: prioritise the most important ideas together.
Settings
- Question / theme — required. You can't start without a question.
- Time per phase (minutes) — optional; each phase has a default time.
- With prioritising — optional: add a closing phase to prioritise.
Tip: craft a good question with AI
Out of ideas? Ask Microsoft Copilot: “Write an open, thought-provoking central question about [topic] for a brainstorm with students aged [age].” Put it in the Question / theme field.
Tips for the facilitator
This activity helps gather ideas from the whole group — from individual reflection to a shared result. Each participant first thinks independently, then shares in a pair, then in a group of four — so ideas are gradually built up and enriched. Choose it for a brainstorm, finding and solving problems in the class, team or group, identifying the strengths of a project or community, setting priorities — or when it is important that every voice is heard before the plenary discussion.
Paper or sticky notes for individually writing down ideas.
Enough space to work in pairs and groups of four.
A prepared question or task — clear and open-ended; enter it into the system so it remains visible on the screen throughout.
A timer for each phase — available in the system.
Stop at the groups-of-four stage — without clustering, if time is limited.
With prioritisation: each group of four chooses one key idea before the plenary discussion.
With posters: groups of four write their clusters on a large sheet and present to the group.
Digital variant: ideas are entered into a shared document or whiteboard instead of sticky notes.
Social studies: «What can we do to reduce inequality?»
Literature: «Which character traits of the main character are most important?»
Natural sciences: «What factors influence climate change?»
Training and teams: identifying shared values or priorities within the team.
Start of a new topic: gathering participants' prior knowledge and associations.
The activity is also known as Pyramiding or Think-Pair-Share in its extended form. Used in cooperative learning and facilitation as a structure for gradually building shared knowledge.
Pairs well with
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