Ice Breaker Suggestions
From my past educational and teaching experiences, here are a few different approaches to ice breakers that I utilize in my classes:
1) Note Card--on a 4 x 6 index card, have the students answer a series of questions on the card (e.g. why are you taking this class?, what are your career aspirations?, what are your hobbies?, etc.) in order to get to know your students a bit better. You can go around the class and have students answer the questions, but make sure to collect the cards at the end of the class to be able to reference.
2) Circle Introductions--go around in a circle (just as the module indicates) and ask the student to introduce herself, say what brought them to that particular class, a hobby or unique quality, or any other question that you find fitting (this is ideal for smaller classes).
3) Name in a Bucket--have the students put their names on a piece of paper and crumple it up and put all of the names in a bucket. Have each student draw a random name out of the bucket and after all of the names have been picked, have the student pair up with the student on the piece of paper and learn three facts about them. After a designated amount of time have the student introduce their partner to the class.
There are tons of classroom icebreaker activities on the internet. I use different ones each month. My classes are wheel based and there are new students entering at each class start date. This allows the older students in class an opportunity to learn new things about their classmates.
I like to get the students to tell the class a little abou themselves and why they have chosen this class
I like to use the very simple shapes/personality test and just draw the shapes on the white board - circle, square, rectangle, triangle and squiggly lines to ask student which shape are they most attracted to. This is a great tool in the supervision class because it give students an idea of the different personalities and approaches that we all have and knowing these can be very helpful in team building on the job!
I like to use the icebreaker technique in my classes. It allows students to get to know each other better but it also encourages participation in the classroom. Students learn in different ways and their comfort level in the classroom may also vary. Having an icebreaker activity can encourage them to open up and share information. Once they do this many of them find it easier to participate more in lesson questions and discussions as well.
