Connect, Extend, Challenge
Connect, Extend, Challenge is a three-question reflection routine from Project Zero at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, used after a group has taken in new information. Participants say how the new ideas connect to what they already knew, how the ideas extended their thinking, and what remains challenging or puzzling. It links new input to existing knowledge and leaves the group with a clear list of open questions.
Facilitation script
- 1
Show the three questions and the chart, and explain that the Challenge column will shape what happens next.
2 min - 2
Silent individual writing: at least one note for each of Connect, Extend and Challenge.
5 min - 3
Share in groups of three or four. Each person reads their notes and the group picks the points worth bringing to plenary.
8 min - 4
Post the notes in the three columns and read the Challenge column aloud. Cluster similar questions.
5 min - 5
Agree what happens with the challenges: answered now, taken to an expert, or scheduled for the next session.
3 min
Tips
Announce the three questions before the input so people listen with them in mind.
Push for specifics in the Extend column, since 'it was interesting' says nothing about what changed.
Take the Challenge column seriously: it is the most useful output, and it makes a ready agenda for a follow-up discussion or the next session.
Common pitfalls
Rushing or dropping the Challenge question to end on a positive note. The group leaves with unresolved confusion that nobody recorded
Skipping the individual writing. The first speaker's connection frames everyone else's answers and the columns fill with echoes
Accepting vague Extend answers. Without a concrete 'this is new to me because', you cannot tell whether the input changed anything
Collecting the challenges and never returning to them, which teaches the group that raising questions is pointless
Running it after an input that was too thin. People strain to find extensions and the routine feels like a ritual
Variations
For a quick check in a meeting, ask for one note per column and collect them without discussion. In a longer training, keep the chart on the wall and add to it after each module, so the group sees its understanding develop. Online, use three columns on a shared board or three questions in a chat, answered one after another. With an expert present, hand over the Challenge column as the brief for a question-and-answer round.
Where it fits
When to use it
The group has just received a lot of new information and would otherwise move straight to the next agenda item
You want to know what actually landed after an expert talk or a research readout
Participants come with very different prior knowledge and need to place the input in their own context
A follow-up session is planned and you need its questions now
A training module ends and you want more than a satisfaction rating
When not to use it
The group needs to turn an experience into actions. What, So What, Now What? ends with next steps, this routine ends with questions
There was no new input to process. For a review of the team's own work, use a retrospective format such as Start, Stop, Continue
You want to capture how opinions changed. I used to think... But now I think... asks for that directly
The input was controversial and people need to argue positions. Use a structured dialogue format instead of three columns of notes
Related methods
Frequently asked questions
What is Connect, Extend, Challenge?▾
Connect, Extend, Challenge is a reflection routine developed at Project Zero, Harvard Graduate School of Education. After new input, participants answer three questions: how it connects to what they already know, how it extends their thinking, and what they still find challenging or puzzling. It helps a group process information and surfaces the questions that remain.
When should you use it?▾
Use it straight after a presentation, reading, video, site visit or training module, while the content is fresh. It needs 10 to 25 minutes and works with any group size if sharing happens in small groups. It is less useful when there was no new content to respond to.
How is it different from What, So What, Now What?▾
What, So What, Now What? moves from facts through meaning to action and suits debriefs of shared experiences. Connect, Extend, Challenge relates new ideas to prior knowledge and ends with open questions. Choose the first when you need next steps and the second when you need understanding.
What do you do with the challenges?▾
Cluster them and decide on the spot how each will be handled. Some can be answered by the presenter immediately, others go to an expert or become topics for the next session. Treating them as an agenda is a facilitation choice that keeps the routine from ending in a list nobody owns.
Is it related to the 4Cs?▾
No. Project Zero has a separate text-discussion routine called the 4 C's, and Gamestorming has an unrelated 4Cs exercise for exploring a topic. Connect, Extend, Challenge has three questions and is meant for reflecting on new input.
Plan your next workshop with AI
Workshop Weaver helps you combine methods like Connect, Extend, Challenge into a complete, timed agenda in minutes.
Try it freeMethod descriptions on Workshop Weaver are original content written by our team, based on established facilitation practices. This method was inspired by work from Project Zero, Harvard Graduate School of Education.