Ice breakers
Talk to your students a little bit about yourself and your background experience. Ask your students to say their names individually.
Connie,
I think ice breakers like this are very valuable to get the students settled in and forming a relationship with them. I find that after the ice breakers and introductions I have a group of students are ready to focus on the course requirements and what it is going to take for them to be successful.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I have done similar activities with my new students. Sometimes I have them tell why their parents gave them the name they have. This can be funny. It might be a movie character or a past lover! Sometimes a combination of 2 or 3 different names, but we get some interesing conversations going that way.
Megan,
Thank you for sharing this ice breaker with us. This is a good one that gets the students talking and sharing as you mention. I have found that starting a class with an ice breaker helps to get everyone settled in and prepared for the class sessions to come. Not to mention they are a lot of fun to do.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
For breaking the ice, I usually have students say an adjective describing themselves that starts with the first letter of their first name. Then, I have all of the students recite everyone's adjective and names. I find this to not only be a great way for learning names, but it becomes somewhat challenging, and competitive, which seems entertain the students. This also encourages them to converse with one another.
Melissa,
This is a relaxed and comfortable way to start a class off. I like to follow this model as well. We do an ice breaker so we get to know each other a little better, share a laugh or two and then focus on the requirements of the course.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Yes, I like to start a new class by handing out a welcome packet, introducing myself, have to the students introduce themselves, and explain why they joined this course and what interests them.
Belinda,
Knowing why they are in the class is a good starting point for the earning of student respect and developing rapport with them. This is a building process that benefits everyone.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
This is usually how I start class. I ask the students why they decided to join the class or program as well as stating their name.
This is a good ice breaker - I've heard it as "Two True, One False" - give three facts.
Earl,
This type of class opener is important to get everyone settled in and comfortable in the class and familiar with each other. Then you can start the building process in terms of moving the learning forward for the students.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I always start off the first day by introducing myself and giving a little of my background experience. I also like to have each student introduce theirself and tell of their goals. This is a great ice breaker and dialog opener.
April,
I like this one a lot as well. We have a lot of fun in the first class playing it while we get to know each other and get settled into the class.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Another great ice breaker I love is playing a game where each student must tell us something outragiously and/or hilariously true coupled with something subtly false, and the class decides which is true or false. Trust me....it is hilarious!!!
