Any Suggestions for Good Ice Breakers for first class room meetings?
Does anyone have any good ice breakers for first class room meetings?
Hi Nicole,
I think this is a great idea. The key to using an ice breaker is finding one that works with your students. You have found one that is silly, fun and really gets the students talking with each other.
Gary
I know this will sound very silly to most of you but during my first day of class I talk about the importance of getting to know classmates and working together. So to get everyone comforatable with talking to their neighbor or classmate. I ask everyone take out a pen and draw two dots on the inside of their index finger (like 2 eyes) then to draw a smile underneath the two eyes. Then I merely ask everyone to turn to their neighbor and say HELLO with their finger! It sounds so corny, but you as the instructor has to act it out as well and you would be surprised how it gets everyone talking in class!
In group settings, i like to have students "interview" the person next to them and then take turns introducing them to the rest of the class. It gives everyone a turn to get to know at least one other person on the first day and introductions are still made.
I would have to agree with Lorraine, having been a student for 5 years I have seen a lot of different Ice Breakers and I don't like the 3 truths and 1 lie or where you have to pair up with another student. To me that's wastfull of class time and not what I wanted to spend my money on.Students know who's in their class or not when they are out and about and I have never had a problem walking up to someone and saying "hey were in this class together I got a question maybe you can help me with.
I like this suggestion. I have little time to cover the topic in the course time allotted, so I have wondered how to include introductions in class, while covering all the content. A short introduction that spurs some conversation is perfect for my classroom setting.
Hi Lorraine,
Each person reacts to strategies in different ways and I can really appreciate your comments about icebreakers.
I use icebreakers in my classes that are directly tied into the subject matter they are going to be studying. We do a problem solving activity that has a success rate of about 20 percent, then I show them a group sharing activity which then results in 100 percent success. During this time I put them in competitive groups where they get to know each other, work together and then compete with other groups. The students really like doing this because it is fun and they learn a problem solving technique which they can use throughout the course.
You don't have to use icebreakers to start a class you can use anything that makes you and your students comfortable in terms of getting settled into the course. So go with what works for you. Enjoy your teaching!
Gary
I have been a student many times, and I really dislike icebreaker activities. It makes me feel insulted, like I am in grade school or something. Those icebreakers, make me feel so embarrassed that I dont even want to be there in the class! But...thats just me I guess.
Hi Traci,
Thanks for sharing this ice breaker with us. We instructors are always looking for additional strategies we can use to get classes off to good starts.
Gary
Hello Everyone!
An icebreaker game I play with my students, I call it 3 truths and a lie. I have the students each right down on a piece of paper 3 facts and one lie about themselves. I then have them all go around the room and read off what they wrote, and the other students have to guess which statement is a fact or a lie.
Hi Lisa,
Thanks for sharing this ice breaker with us. This is a great way for instructors to get a class started and students talking.
Gary
What I do that the students tend to have fun with is to pair up with someone in the class and to interview him or her by asking five questions. I encourage them to throw in a fun question, or something unexpected such as if you were to have a super power, what would it be? Once everyone is done, the two paired students come up in front of the classroom and introduce each other from the information that they shared in the five questions asked.
Lisa
Hi Sabrina,
Thanks for sharing this ice breaker idea. I know many of our instructors can use this when starting a new course.
Gary
I have my students break up into groups of 4 or so and come up with 3 or 4 things they all have in common. A representative of the group shares this information with the rest of the class. It's a great ice breaker, especially if you have a diverse group.
I enjoyed an ice breaker once where we were put in small groups and had to answer a couple of questions on our cards, including the first car you owned and an event or situation you have experienced in your life that was unique. I thought it was a great ice breaker for in class.
I think these suggestions will work best for my setting, as my students travel to courses as a group and already know each other when they reach my class. The initial ice-breakers in this case will be for my info & to ease/relax any tension the students may have regarding me.
I usually find that relating to my design students, I ask them their name, what their favorite design application is, and their favorite band. Music and a design tool in our field seem to be unifying elements despite our age gaps, without the muss and over-formality of games or rules.
I go around the room and have the students introduce themselves one by one and give a bit of their background. I pick up on one or two things they say and make some comments or start a mini discussion. Pretty quickly other students start chiming in and do the same.
That's a great idea. In my critical thinking class
I use something similar, also in groups, they first exchange contact information and then come up with a group definition of what they think critical thinking is about. Each group shares their definition with the class.
Some other good ice breakers are people bingo, two truths and a lie, and connections.
