Transcript PREPARING TO TEACH N TH ELIFELONG LEARNING SECTOR (PTLLS)

On-line Topic
ICEBREAKERS
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Often when people are joining a new group or
class they are nervous and don’t know what to
expect
Icebreakers are designed to begin to help your
learners to get to know each other (& you) and
to help you to get to know them.
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Icebreakers can:
- Help to create a positive group atmosphere
- Begin to break down social barriers
- Help people to relax
- Help people to get to know each other
Icebreakers can also help to energise and motivate
people so, although they’re called ‘icebreakers’ and
are often used at the start of a course or session,
you can use them at any time when you feel that
the group needs a lift e.g. to get people to refocus
after a break.
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One icebreaker will not fit all learning
situations or groups. You may need to collect a
portfolio of them to use in different situations,
or with different age groups.
However there are some common factors that
you should consider when you are choosing
an icebreaker.
Spend a few minutes now thinking about what
you would want your icebreaker to achieve
before moving on to the next slide.
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Obviously we may all want our icebreakers to
achieve different outcomes. Some of the aspects
you may have considered include:
Does it help learners to find out each other’s
names?
Does everyone get to talk to everyone else or
just to a few people?
Is it inclusive?
Are there any aspects that might cause offence
or upset anyone?
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One quite common icebreaker is for the tutor to put learners
into small groups and then ask them to each talk about three
items that they have in their bag, folder or pocket that mean
something to them.
With this one you need to be aware that learners,
particularly at the beginning of a course, may often feel that
they have do what the tutor tells them to even if they are not
comfortable with it.
Many people carry very personal items or memorabilia with
them & I have seen learners reduced to tears by talking
about items that bring back painful memories. Learners may
also carry items that reveal something about themselves that
they are not comfortable with strangers knowing. Not at all
what we want to achieve here!
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There are literally hundreds, if not thousands,
of icebreakers out there and, on a later slide,
you’ll find some useful web addresses to locate
them.
The next few slides give some examples of the
most common & popular ones
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This activity was voted the most popular icebreaker in 2010 and
can be used in a generic form or contextualised to any learning
area.
Learners are each given a ‘bingo’ card & need to move around the
room finding someone who matches each of the boxes on the
sheet.
They should then note that colleague’s name in the appropriate
box.
Once a reasonable number of learners have completed their forms
(or after a set time) learners feedback on their answers.
This icebreaker encourages people to meet more of their
colleagues than just those on either side of them, facilitates
learning names &, as learners often share their answers, it begins
to foster group cohesion & co-operative working.
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One of the most common & still one of the most popular
icebreakers. This one needs very little preparation.
Pair up learners (it’s a good idea here to split any learners who already know each
other) and ask them to spend 2 minutes finding out about their
neighbour & making notes
They will then be asked to introduce their neighbour to the rest of
the group.
You need to be aware that some learners may find it
uncomfortable or intrusive if asked about children, partners,
work. So, in the interests of equality & diversity, you might want
to suggest the basic minimum level of information they should
find out e.g. name, how did they get to the class, any previous experience of the subject or
other appropriate topics for questions.
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You could ask the group to agree on topics beforehand if you felt
this was appropriate but many people may be shy about putting
their views forward this early in the course.
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In this icebreakers, participants first need time to think
about two truths and one lie about themselves e.g. I have two
children (true), lived for 5 years in Dubai (true) and like hang-gliding (false).
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Everyone will also need a recording sheet which can be
divided into sections as in the example on the next
page.
Once everyone has decided on their lies/truths,
members of the group should move round the room
talking to as many people as possible & trying to
decide which of their three ‘facts’ is the lie.
After a given time the group as a whole should share
their thoughts &, finally, the person in question reveals
which is the lie.
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This icebreaker again encourages people to
move around & meet more of the group than
their immediate neighbours.
It can help people to identify shared
experiences
Although people may reveal personal
information here, this is entirely within their
control
RECORDING SHEET
Using this sheet try to talk to as many of your colleagues as you can in the time
allowed. For the ‘facts’ they tell you that you believe are true, just tick the column.
For the ‘truth’ that you think is actually a lie, put a cross in the column & make
notes to remind you what the topic was. The first line is completed as an example
NAME
TRUTH 1
TRUTH 2
TRUTH 3
EXAMPLE:
/
X tightrope walker
/
Jane
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Just as we use icebreakers to begin to help a group to
get to know each other & to support collaborative
working, so it is often important to help a group
actually leave.
This is particularly important for some longer courses
where learners may have been together for a
substantial length of time and where individuals have
now become supportive and collaborative colleagues
The idea here is to focus on the positive aspects: what
students have learnt and what they will take away
with them.
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This is the closure activity we actually use on the ‘face to
face’ PTLLS courses.
Learners are provided with a sample of leaf shapes from
which they should choose one.
They are then asked to write on their leaf the one most
important thing that they have learnt from the course. This
could be something important for their teaching, something
about group or collaborative working or something about
reflective practice.
Once the leaves are completed they are all displayed in the
class and everyone is allowed time to share them
A the end of the course, each learner is able to take their leaf
away with them.
I change the colour of the leaf cut-outs depending on the time of year.
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An acrostic is where we use the letters from a word in
order vertically to think of words we associate with the
overall word. e.g.
S – silvery, shiny
T – twinkling, tiny
A – astral
R – radiant, reflecting
Some learners may be able to make these into poems
but this is a step too far for most
Small, silvery shape in the sky
Twinkling so brightly as clouds go by.
An astral body we see from afar
Radiant and lovely; a wonderful star.
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This activity can be used to help your learners focus on
the most important things they are taking away from
the course– especially if you think they won’t be able to
decide on only one!
Example:
P – people centred learning
T – time for reflection
L – learning journeys
L – learning should be fun
S – supporting all learners
Again learners should be encouraged to share their
acrostics with the whole group (anonymously if they prefer!)
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http://adulted.about.com/od/icebreakers/tp/Top-10-IceBreakers-Of2010.htm
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http://www.icebreakers.ws/
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http://www.funandgames.org/games/GameIcebreakers.htm
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http://www.mwls.co.uk/icebreakers/
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http://www.recreationtherapy.com/tx/txclose.htm
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http://www.ehow.co.uk/info_7873943_classroom-closure-activities.html