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ICE BREAKERS ************************* This file is from the archives of the TESL-L Electronic Discussion Forum for teachers of English as a second or foreign language. If you print out or otherwise distribute this file, we would appreciate your leaving this note at the top of it, so that our colleagues can know where it came from and how they can get further files from the archives. Access to the TESL-L archives is limited members of TESL-L. To become a member of TESL-L (which will not only give access to the complete archives, but also the chance to participate in online discussions and to join the TESL-L special interest branches) do the following: Send a message to [email protected] sub tesl-l firstname lastname
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We hope you enjoy and benefit from the file you have chosen. **************************** ICE BREAKERS: A TESL-L discussion file
Date: Mon, 11 Jul 1994 From: Deborah Sinnreich-Levi
Shirly Scott asked about icebreakers. My favorite (yes it's old and worn and students grumble initially when asked to participate) is to ask the students to stand up, pick out any person in the room they have never met, sit with that person, and find out enough about him or her to introduce him or her to the class. I ask that certain hackeyed information be avoided; for example, when all the students are from one area, they shouldn't say, "This is Fred. He went to Bay Shore High School and now wants to major in computer science." Of course, with less advanced classes, the restriction should come off, but I think the ice melts faster as students reveal more details: favorite color, sport, celebrity, dance.... Why they are in the class, even the angry "because it's required", gets student attention, too. I think it's worth the initial student grumbles because the ice really does melt in the 10-15 minutes I give them for the interview. They can grouse about the school, the dorms, me....
Deborah
Deborah M. Sinnreich-Levi Internet: [email protected] Stevens Institute of Technology Tel: (201) 216-5403 *************************************************************************** Date: Mon, 11 Jul 1994 From: Tim Cleary
I don't know the nature of the class(es) you are teaching or the time constraints but I have found (I teach Czechs) that though initially the students don't seem happy about being forced to meet each other, after a while they understand the need and appreciate the teacher's effort in requiring that they do so. In a conversation class I have recently done, I required a sort of warmup/get to know the others game or different sorts at the beginning of more than half the class sessions. I got a really good response from them by the end of the course. I don't know if this is of any interest or use to you, but perhaps if the process is lightened up a little or made purposely a little silly or funny, it might be better received.
Comments?
Tim Cleary, [email protected], Rohnert Park, CA *************************************************************************** Date: Mon, 11 Jul 1994 From: Nicole Keshav
With the heatwave we've been experiencing out here on the East Coast, maybe we need "icemakers." Tim Cleary is right- a relaxed attitude and sense of fun make the introductions needed to get a class to work together far easier.
I've had success with the 10-minute "Find Someone Who..." activity. I either hand out a sheet or write something like the following on the board:
Find someone who... - speaks three languages - likes coffee - has a typewriter - has visited more than three states in the U.S. - likes pets - has never tried pizza
Make sure students write down the names of students they meet (this game also helps me learn names on the first day...)
Nicole [email protected] *************************************************************************** Date: Tue, 12 Jul 1994 From: Bill Purcell
Regarding the question about Icebreaking activities that came around a few days ago, one I use with my students (low-intermediate) is something I call TWO-MINUTE Drills. Although I am sure I didn't originate it, the idea first came to me not from an ESL class, but from the "randori" in judo practice.
First split the group in half. If you have an odd number, just assign two people to function as one. Put the two groups in lines facing each other. They begin by shaking hands, introducing themselves to each other, and asking/answering any and all questions they want or can think of for a period of two minutes. When time is called, one line stays stationary, while in the other everyone moves one person to the right, with the person at the head of the line going down to the end. Continue the rotation until everyone in line A has talked to everyone in line B.
In the first one or two drills, there may be a lot of silence here and there, but as the repetitions continue, the learners often begin to think of new things to say/ask, and the output generally increases. My students have generally found it fun, though it can also be tiring. With very low-level students it is also possible to "prime" them with sheets that gives hints or even specific questions to ask. Bill Purcell Nanzan University Nagoya, Japan [email protected] *************************************************************************** Date: Tue, 12 Jul 1994 From: Robin
I like to use icebreakers at the beginning of my classes, as do many teachers, but I also like to incorporate exercises that allow students to get to know eac h other throughout the course or semester. I once discovered, to my horror, tha t even though students were attending an intensive English class every day, at the end of three weeks (out of a four week course), there were a good many stud ents who didn't know each other's names. This was partly due to the fact that t he group was of mixed nationality, and the Europeans had trouble with Asian nam es, as did the Asians with European names.
To prevent such a problem from recurring, I like to address students by name as much as possible, and during the first week of class, when correcting homework or taking turns in other activities, I have the students "pass the turn" to ea ch other, tossing a "koosh" ball to the person they want to speak, and saying t heir name. If students pass the turn to people they know, I make it a competiti on, to see who can remember the most names. (You'd think that lots of pair- and small-group work would make this a moot point, but lots of students are conten to talk to each other without knowing each other's names!) How have others on t he net addressed this issue, if it's come up?
Cheers, Robin Longshaw
Hi. *Icebreakers* can be very good for calming the class. When I took a seminar on Teaching Enhancement Techniques, it was pointed out that *passive* teaching (teacher=facilitator; students=clients) can be risky. I was thinking about this all during the give-and-take of this topic over the net. I feel certain that it may be risky MORE for NON-ESL classes because students in ESL are not always aware of classroom techniques in the USA cultural setting. If you don't expect it, it will not seem *out-of-the- ordinary*. I have not enjoyed so much freedom in my UNDERGRADUATE classes. Perhaps that is because undergraduates are too mindful of the tight, controlled and stuffy routines of the public zoos here. I suppose that as soon as they have a few more years to forget that environment (a killer of a natural desire to learn), they *shape up* and are willing to experiment for learning's sake. I'd like to try the technique again, but am sure that the best success is in grad. school. [email protected] *************************************************************************** Date: Thu, 14 Jul 1994 From: "Alice A. Harman"
Robin brings up the issue of students who talk to each other but don't know each others' names. Here's how I've addressed it: I end the first getting acquainted icebreaker session with an assignment: Homework to learn everybody's name, to be followed by a test; You should see how busy they get! Alice Harman [email protected] *************************************************************************** Date: Thu, 14 Jul 1994 From: "edelgado.DOMAIN1"
Robin Longshaw recently asked what activities we do to remember the students' names and help the classmates to do the same.
I've long forgotten where I picked this idea up, but it works well for me:
The first day of class we sit in a circle. Each person says his/her name (first name only) out loud and at the same time makes an action. An example might be touching your nose as you say your name. (Other examples are crossing your legs, raising a fist, clapping your hands, saluting, etc.) The teacher has the student repeat his/her name and the action. Everyone, TPR style, repeats the name with the action. Each time a new student adds a new name, you start at the beginning and do all the preceding names and actions that led up to the new one, plus the new one. By the end of the circle, everyone has a fairly good idea of everyone's name.
(Since my classes are very large and new students are admitted up through the 6th week of class, I also have everyone wear a name tag.) *************************************************************************** Date: Fri, 15 Jul 1994 From: Gwyn Williams
One way to remember names. Prepare an interview sheet:
Name Age Occupation Birth place Marital status Children Address Hobbies Favourite songs/singer/TV program Describe an event when your life was in great danger/when you were most embarrassed etc (the wilder and wackier the better!)
Give one to each student. Each interviews another in the class. Collect the completed questionnaires. Type up a Find Someone activity using the info on the questionnaire with, say, 5 items representing 5 different people.
It's a good way to reinforce introductions and to learn names.
Gwyn Williams
EDELGADO offered a suggestion for a name game to help students and teachers remember each other's names in the classroom. I love it! I do a similar one, but I think Edelgado's would take up much less class time, though mine requires slightly more language use. I begin by introducing myself, "My name is Ethel and I like birdwatching." Then the next student in the circle has to say, "Her name is Ethel and she likes birdwatching, and my name is So-and-So and I like such-and-such." Then the third person begins with my name, repeats to second person's name and activity and then adds his or her own information. It continues around the circle until everyone has heard all of the names many times. There are usually groans near the end as the class realizes how many names the last few people have to remember, and at the end, I repeat everyone's names and activities so that they realize that I've been listening and partici- pating too.
Several other games I got from some of the Cambridge teacher reference books, Drama Techniques in the Language Classroom and several others. One is as sim- ple as wadding up a piece of paper, tossing it to someone, asking them to say their name and throw it to someone else. Once everyone has stated their name once, the game changes so that you must say the other person's name when you throw the ball to them.
Ethel Swartley, Drexel University English Lang. Center *************************************************************************** Date: Mon, 18 Jul 1994 From: Joe McVeigh
In our program, the students spend most of the day together and don't have too much trouble with names. It is the poor teacher who has to face four new classes all at once who has the trouble. I use three methods to help myself remember student names. First, as I take attendance on the first couple of days, I draw an instantaneous seating chart. Next, either on the chart or on the roster, I either draw a mini-picture or make a one or two word notation about the student's physical appearance or personality to remind myself the next day. I pay special attention to those students who appear to look similar to me and that I think I might get confused. (NB: obviously clothing is not helpful here -- find something like hairstyle, other features, jewelry, watches, glasses, etc. that will be there tomorrow.) The third step is the most important. During the first few meetings whenever I hand anything out to the class, I give papers to each student individually and say their name as I do. I don't let myself give them the handout if I don't say the name. If I can't remember their name, I'm not above cheating with the roster or seating chart for the first few days (make a new chart each day). Eventually, I force myself to learn the names and figure out which students' names are the hardest for me and really work on those.
Joe McVeigh ([email protected]) USC Language Academy University of Southern California *************************************************************************** Date: Thu, 18 Jan 1996 From: Carey Brooks <[email protected]> Subject: Re: Get Acquainted Games?
I'm not sure where either of these ideas came from, but both have worked wonderfully for me. The first is not really a game at all, but students seem to really love it, it helps you remember their name as associated with their personality, and it teaches the whole class a little about each person.
Give out name tag tent cards to each student (bristol board approx 8? X 5?" folded in half lengthwise). With coloured markers, have them write the name by which they wish to be addressed and a symbol which indicates something about their personality. When they're finished, each student should explain why he or she drew the particular symbol. One of my students drew an open window, and said that in her new surroundings she was attempting to be open-minded. I myself am addicted to this new way of remembering names, and it is a great get-acquainted exercise. It immediately creates a class "bond" which I think is great.
My other suggestion, again from an unknown source, is to pass out identical slips of scrap paper. Have students note three significant things about themselves. They must be instructed <
When everyone has found their match, reassemble the class, and have each student report on one interesting thing about their partners.
Each of these activities may be followed up by a pairing activity, or what I often do, on the first day is teach "small talk" and introduction strategies, and have students find one student they are interested in finding out more about, and begin a conversation. For introduction strategies, I teach students to introduce friends by explaining a little of their interests to each other. "Andre, this is Jorge. He likes horseback riding." This is a perfect follow up to the list or nametag activity.
If others recognize these activities, I would love to be reminded of where they originated.
Carey Brooks ************************************************************************** Date: Sat, 20 Jan 1996 From: Sharon Elwell
My students like to take surveys as a get-acquainted activity. Each has a single question to ask of the whole group, such as "Do you like country music?" "Can you program the VCR?" and the ordinary ones. Each must speak with every other student to record responses, and at the conclusion we graph the information on the board to learn our average time in the U.S., number of brothers and sisters, place of origin, etc. Curriculum Associates has a new book of blackline masters, (ALL ABOUT US,ISBN 0-7609-0020-5) with 200 questions and forms for completing in-class surveys and interviews. Hope this information is helpful! ************************************************************************* Date: Sun, 17 Mar 1996 From: Rick Spencer
> This Monday I will take over a class that has been studying together for 8 > weeks. So, the students will all know each other and I will be the new > arrival. Does anyone have any suggestions for an icebreaker where the > teacher is new to the group but the students aren't?
This is similar to what happens each fall in most public schools. Most of the students know each other since they have been in the same school for x years, but the teacher may be new to them and the school.
One way to approach this is to tie information that is unfamiliar to the students to the usual name introductions so that the other students can find something engaging in the exercise also. Students could do paired interviews on some topic and then tell the class what they found in the interview as they introduce their partner to you.
I think that students really enjoy watching the teacher learn. This makes it easier to use a small portion of class time for a many-to-one activity like introducing their partners to the teacher.
Another thing that I do is have them make nametags for their desks so that I don't have to use too much more of their class time while I learn their names. At the end of class I collect the name tags so that I can hand them out again as they come into the next day's class. I give myself a deadline to quit using the nametags and I let the students know when I don't need them anymore.
Of course the age and level of the students and the size of the class are important considerations in deciding what to do.
Rick Spencer Vancouver, B.C., Canada [email protected] **************************************************************************** Date: Mon, 18 Mar 1996 From: "Gary S. Towne"
On Sun, 17 Mar 1996, Roberta Lynch wrote:
> This Monday I will take over a class that has been studying together for 8 > weeks. So, the students will all know each other and I will be the new > arrival. Does anyone have any suggestions for an icebreaker where the > teacher is new to the group but the students aren't?
That is the kind of situation I faced on a continual basis while working at an EFL school overseas. The school had well over a hundred regular classes but only two native speakers, which means a token appearance by the esteemed Native Speaker once a month per bi-weekly class. And sometimes we would trade classes or fill in for each other, so I kept making new appearances in established classes, sometimes with inadequate time for preparation. So I kept a handy bag of tricks.
What I would usually do for my first time in a class would be to have them in turn introduce themselves (or preferably each other after mutual interviews) to me and to the class. Sometimes I'd write their names on the board in the process and make a crossword puzzle of them, for them to figure out and fill in. Or We'd discuss the meanings of their names.
Or maybe I'd play "Identification." Because they all should know each other already, they should be confident enough to try this: have pairs of students in turns first face each other then turn around and describe each other (clothes, appearance, etc). The rest of the class would root them on, giving missing info when the kid gets stuck.
Even people who have known each other don't know everything about each other. Have a set of cards on which is printed a series of sentences such as: Find two people who ride horses (etc). Distribute, let the kids go loose, asking each other questions to fill in the gaps.
I would often use activities from a book from my boss: I forget the name, and author, but the term "humanistic teaching" was in the subtitle. Perhaps a search on ERIC sw=education and sw=elementary and sw=esl and tw=humanistic" or something like that could prove fruitfull. Have fun!
Gary Towne, UBC, Vancouver Canada [email protected] **************************************************************************** Date: Mon, 18 Mar 1996 From: Jane Schreuder
In reply to Roberta Lynch's request for icebreakers, here's one I enjoyed myself when I took part in a writing workshop with Susan Rinker of Writing Project Europe. I've since tried it with students at the start of a new school year and it's good fun: give students materials and ask them to make name-tags with words describing their personalities, starting with the letters in their first name. So I became Jolly Animated Nervous Early-bird :-) The follow up I did with my upper Elementaries was to ask them to stand up and go round the group asking for more information about the words chosen: "Do you really get up very early? What time? Why?" "What makes you nervous?" etc. Focus is on fluency and they enjoy finding out about each other and about me.
Regards, Jane
Jane Schreuder
A variation I use or what Jane Schreuder wrote about also works VERY well as an ice-breaker: If possible have sticky labels as "badges" for each student. Instructions: to be followed in this order and don't proceed to the next line until (most) students have written their choices:
Write your real name; Write down a city + country (but not in the city you are in now) Write down a profession (ANY job) Write down the name of company
This creates an identity which the student has to explain/"defend" as they then stand up (and I insist on standing up and moving around if your space permits it) and being at a party, a cocktail, a PTA meeting if that fits your group!
Wonderful examples like a poet for IBM; a baker for Air France (I teach in France), a vet for Sony...
Guaranteed fun and non-stop talking!
Variations included: write down your favorite animal/color/ film star/piece of furniture/flower/ice cream flavor, etc.
Linda Thalman [email protected] http://www.wfi.fr/volterre English and French Language Resources **************************************************************************** Date: Mon, 18 Mar 1996 From: Jane Welp
Following along with what Rick Spencer and Roberta Lynch have said about icebreakers for a new teacher- here are a few more.
Since the new teacher is coming into an established class, I would suggest having the students write a letter to the previous instructor. I've done this exercise several times and it is beneficial because it allows the students to express some possibly unexpressed feelings to the teacher and allows them to make a better transition. It also allows the new teacher to acknowledge the learners' feelings about missing the other teacher and their accomplishments. And who doesn't like to get fan mail? It builds a more cohesive feeling in the department. It also works well when you substitute for another teacher.
Scrambled Life: I got this idea from Marilyn Gillespie who presented at our Oregon Summer Conference. You write about 10-15 words/phrases that are answers to questions about your life. For example: Where were you born? What is your...... etc? So all the students see are the answers. They have to formulate the questions. Of course at various points you might have to help but generally students figure out what to ask. I do this also with students who are very curious about the other students. It is also a great way to introduce to a speaker which is how Marilyn introduced it to us.
Jane Welp Columbia Gorge Community College, The Dalles, Oregon USA
Last week I submitted a response to a previous poster re: icebreakers in a class in which most of the students already knew each other but not the teacher, and I mentioned a text of which the title I'd forgotten. I checked my home library on the weekend for the title: Sharing and Caring: a Humanistic Approach. Sorry, forgot to check the author's name. But I'm sure some of you will find it useful, and that some of you (especially the veterens) are already familiar with it, although I've noted that Brown is not terribly enamored with it.
Gary Towne, UBC, Vancouver Canada [email protected] **************************************************************************** Date: Sat, 23 Mar 1996 From: Joanne Claire Pettis
Gary Towne recently identified a book he used for humanistic activities as being *Caring and Sharing in the Foreign Language Class: A Sourcebook on Humanistic Techniques.* The book is by Gertrude Moskowitz published in 1978 by Newbury House Publishers. The ISBN is 0-88377-098-9. Newbury House is distributed by Nelson Canada in this country and this book is listed in their 1996 catalogue. It is still a valuable resource on information about humanistic approaches to language teaching and includes many ideas for different themes and times of the year etc. It also provides suggestions for developing your own humanistic activities. The book remains one of my faves.
Hope this helps.
Joanne Pettis Winnipeg MB [email protected] **************************************************************************** Date: Thu, 21 Nov 1996 From: Amy Hurka-Owen
Dear fellow teachers. Thank you for your wonderful suggestions concerning my question about ice breakers for returning students. I have compiled your responses here. Amy Hurka-Owen [email protected]
What I do with any class as an icebreaker is get them to write 4 sentences about themselves. 3 are true and 1 is false. I demonstrate this first as use it as a way of introducing myself. The others have to guess which one is false. If the students know each other I tell them to make it tricky, perhaps a sentence that is half true. I also use this as a way of getting a writing sample. Put them in pairs and have them compare their hands.You can leave it at that or write any new vocabulary on the board.
Some article that I read recently suggested that the best icebreaker for situations like the one you're describing are those which require students to work together to accomplish a goal.
One activity that I've seen work nicely on the first day of class is jigsaw reading, where a passage is written out in straight lines, each line ending at a punctuation mark or connector, the passage cut into its lines and the groups given the task of reconstructing it. The content of the passage can be something inspirational or something connected with the first day of class.
The learning focus of the activity is the connectors, as attending to them makes the task a lot easier to perform. If you have several language groups in your class, you could have the students teach each other an expression in their own language. (In my class, we just learned to say 'hello' in every language represented in the class, but your class might appreciate a longer phrase).
How about having students interview each other, using questions that go beyond the usual basic info, such as ideas on a topic, experiences. You also can do a scavenger hunt in-class where they have to get signatures of people who do or know specific things. We did this in a graduate education class, where the instructor included a variety of questions related to personal habits, likes, dislikes and also to topics related to the course (Someone who knows X's theory of Y, someone who has classes of lessthan 25 students . . . ).
One of the activities that I use with a class of students that mostly know each other but whom _I_ don't know is to have them tell me what they know about each other (usually 3 things, randomly solicited from the group). I get to hear the inside jokes and have a sense of what to expect from the group. I also let them tell what they know about me. When we have new students mixed in and we don't know much about them, we make guesses and have them confirmed...or not. (Our classes have 12-15 students.)
How about activities that draw on the common, shared knowledge? Make up a series of matching statements (a question and an answer make a match, two related concepts make a match) and give each student either a question or an answer. After students circulate and find their partners, you could have the pairs 'present' their Q & A to the class giving an example based on their Q &A and a question they each have about what this class will teach them.
"Find my Partner" works best, I think, when participants already know each other because you don't have to spend as much valuable time and your precious creativity energy away from the main purpose of the course. how about a "find someone who" activity with the emphasis on things people might have done during the holiday eg. ______name______RODE A HORSE ______SAW A BEAR ______WENT SWIMMING EVERYDAY ______FOUND A JOB ______DID A LOT OF HOUSEWORK ______DIDN'T STUDY ANY ENGLISH ETC.
To teach or to review or reinforce present perfect, I prepare a list of questions that fits the number of students in the class. For example: Have you ever flown a plane? Have you ever ridden an elephant? Students have to get the student who has done this to sign it. I also put in one that's impossible, like Have you ever walked on the moon? just to be sure the students are really doing the activity. They enjoy finding something out about each other they didn't know before, and about me and the other teachers present if any.
How about having each person *legibly* write something interesting/unique about him or herself on a slip of paper, then collect the papers in a "hat" and read/ask students to read them aloud; the class then tries to guess who it is. This works whether or not the students know each other because they don't necessarily know everything about each other. Or play "2 truths and a lie," where each person writes 3 sentences about him/herself, one of which is not true. The class then votes on which of each person's sentences is a lie. The person who fools the most number of people "wins."
FAMILY LIES
Write a short statement about some (or all) of the following family members: father, mother, sister, brother, aunt, uncle, cousin, niece, nephew, grandmother, grandfather, daughter, son -- the statement can be either true or a lie. e.g.,
- My cousin homesteaded land, and now owns several acres. - My sister is a waitress at a nightclub in Seattle, and sings there two nights a week. - My mother belongs to a secret society (raising eyebrows while saying "secret") - My nephew is on my sister's side of the family
Students can ask up to three questions about each statement, then have to vote whether the statement was true or false. For example, I don't have a sister, and students find that out with statement #2 above, yet invariably there are students who vote "true" for "My nephew is on my sister's side of the family"
Anyway, after the teacher models the activity, students get into small groups and do the same. The teacher goes around, listens in, perhaps suggests a question that might trap the student in a lie, etc.
OTHER ASPECTS OF YOUR LIFE Have students write down ten words that deal with aspects of their lives (other than being a student) that others may not know about. In pairs, they exchange sheets and ask questions about any aspect that looks interesting, and try to find out as much as possible about that topic before moving on to another one. (I usually model it with the whole class, and invite questions). I used this icebreaker game several times with fun results. Students were provided with 5 to 7 questions on a slip of paper, such as "favorite salad dressing" or "year you graduated from high school" (if they were generally in the same age range) which they first answered themselves. The questions were adjusted according to the level of ability and/or type of class I was using the game for. The students then had to go around to other students and ask them the questions--when they found someone who matched their answer, they wrote down the other student's name. The first one to match all their own answers with others was the "winner." It was fun to then have some of the students read who they matched with on different questions. I found the game worked well with either new groups or with those who already knew each other somewhat. The icebreaker helped students with introductions and was also a way to meet those in their class who had things in common with them. It also almost always generated a lot of laughs from the whole group!