Ice Breakers
What is a good Ice Breaker for novice learners in the healthcare industry?
Robin,
This is such a fun and relaxing way to help your students as they take their tests since they already are tense as a result of taking the test. I try to keep in mind that adults are just taller children in so many ways so sharing some gummy bears with them I know encourages their best efforts.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I love this technique. The students engage well and have fun with it. I use a stuffed animal instead of string. When I give them a test I bring in a huge bear that is my daughters and sit it in a chair in the front of the room and give each student a packcage of gummy bears to eat during the test. It seems to help them relax and decrease test anxiety.
Shannie,
I know you are going to like the results you get when you use this ice breaker. Students love it and really get to know others as a result of playing it.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Since my class is modular, we have a small number of students rotating in and out, with the majority of them remaining when new students start the program. I use to use the "self-intro", but found some people too shy to speak to a group of new people, so I switched to having an existing student sit with a new student to get to know them. Then the existing student would "introduce" the new student.
However, I am really liking the Bingo thing, and am going to put this together for my next start. This sounds like a lot of fun, and will get the new student in front of the other students a lot quicker!
Thanks for the great ideas!!
Gary,
Sounds like a ice breaker activity I would like to participate in. It is these kinds of openings that get students engaged and focused on the upcoming course content.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Love it!
I teach in the automotive field and I start the class by showing pictures of older models and asking students to share what they know about the motors, chassis, and any misc. info they might have. it really gets the class in a sharing mood and lets me know where we are in terms of the level of knoledge.
James,
I have heard about people like you and this is from the person that has trouble figuring a 15% tip. This types of activities are a form of edutainment and are so valuable for getting students engaged and focused on learning. Sounds like your students have a lot of fun as a result of your abilities.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I am a math wiz and I use a math exercise where the students give me a set of numbers and I can figure out the total before they add it up on the calculator. I always get a big "wow" from someone in the class. They want to know how I did it.
Regards
James
Kenisha,
You and your students are going to have fun with this activity plus you are going to like the results.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I normally have my students get with a partner and converse for about 3 minutes. Then they come up and introduce each other. However, I really like the Bingo idea because it makes them have to converse with everyone. I will definitely use this idea. Thanks for Sharing!
Jennifer,
These are great. Thanks for sharing them with us. I know they will be valuable to instructors that are looking for ice breakers to use in their courses.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I love this idea! I've never read about this icebreaker before. I love the visualization it offers and the symbolism of the spiderweb needing multiple threads to maintain its integrity. I definitely need to find a way to work something like this in. Thanks so much!
I use two icebreakers in my Success Skills class. The first involves asking my students to write some of their information on an index card--name, program, work history, special talent(s), and one interesting fact about themselves. I collect them all and then read the interesting fact aloud after stating that they can self-identify but the facts will otherwise remain anonymous. I love getting the really interesting ones because they often spark discussion.
The second icebreaker involves setting up groups of students who must pretend their ship is sinking next to a deserted island and they must choose a limited amount of items from it based on what would most likely help them survive. I love this icebreaker because it encourages debate, discussion, humor, and well-articulated positions. Students bond, share a lot about themselves, show their personalities, and (perhaps most importantly) show a lot about their motivations and needs, like competitive spirit or a nurturing streak. This also doubles as a way to touch upon the looming fear of "survival" in the college world, allowing students to see that they can work together and utilize tools to make the process easier for themselves.
I like a simple What do you expect to learn in this class, how do you think that will prepare you or give you a "leg up" on others. How will you show what you have taken away?
Carolyn, I use this icebreaker for my classes as well. However, in order to get the class to really mingle, I make it a coverall bingo. Based on the amount of students, I determine up to how many squares another person can sign to allow them to get to interact with as many people as possible. I award the winner a small prize. I then debrief by asking who signed a particular square. I have them elaborate on what they signed on (or tell what else they signed on), and then have them introduce themselves. They are really open at this point, and seem to bond really quickly as a class.
Cameron,
I like the way you start new classes. This gets everyone talking and learning about their classmates early on in the class. As you say this exercise gives you insight into the composition of the class and how you can best approach it.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
My instruction has nothing to do with the health community, but I believe this technique is universal to any program. I start every new class by introducing myself, my hobbies, my aspirations (both professional & personal), & my past professional experiences that placed me in the instructor seat. Then, I have each student do the same with their own stories. Although many of my students use blanket statements like "I want to be an engineer," others, especially older students, will go into more detail about their aspirations, which seems to motivate the younger, less confident students. This practice is a great tool for demonstration the class dynamic to me early on so that I know which students are more motivated & which are less confident. I find that if a student appears unmotivated, it is either because of laziness or shyness. I cannot battle laziness, but pairing a shy person with a confident person normally bears great fruit.
Carolyn,
I am sure they do. This is a very good ice breaker to use in starting a class. Thanks for sharing it with us. I know it will be a resource for other instructors.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
I play icebreaker bingo with my students. I give them a bingo card and on the bingo card has personality traits such as, owns a cat, and they have to go around the room finding things out about one another in order to get a bingo. They seem to enjoy this activity.
