QUICK RESOURCE SHEET #69

The first five minutes:

HOW TO GET A CLASS WARMED UP

PREVIOUS TOPICS LISTED AT BOTTOM OF PAGE

Why use icebreakers?

• create a positive group atmosphere
• help people to relax
• break down social barriers
• energize & motivate
• help people to think outside the box
• help people to get to know one another

from http://www.wilderdom.com/games/Icebreakers.html

Kathy Obear, in Principles for Using Icebreakers, lists reasons for using icebreakers:

• increase feelings of comfort
• develop feelings of connectedness with others
• develop a feeling of trust
• break down walls/masks/barriers/territoriality
• help participants to understand and appreciate the differences among people in the group
• foster energy and enthusiasm
• to "get the blood moving" again
• serve as a "clearing technique,” helping participants to forget about other issues
• provide an "advance organizer,” an overview of the next topic
• increase personal awareness of current skill/knowledge level and need to learn material
• set the tone for the seminar--participation; fun; risk-taking; etc.

She also identifies the principles for using icebreakers:

• have the activity somehow relate to topics of workshop
• use more physical activities at beginning and after any break
• start with lower risk activities and build up to higher risk ones
• always model/give an example before the activity
• model enthusiasm and energy
• build in a low risk amount of physical contact
• encourage laughter
• vary the membership of groupings and the size of groups
• use dyads and triads for more high risk sharing
• always process key points of activity to show relevance.

Adapted from http://www.njea.org/ProfessionalDevelopment/toolbox.asp

Looking for new ways of getting your students warmed up and ready to learn? There are descriptions of hundreds of different activities contained in the sites whose links appear below.

http://adulted.about.com/od/icebreakers/

http://honolulu.hawaii.edu/intranet/committees/FacDevCom/guidebk/teachtip/breakice.htm

http://www.eslflow.com/ICEBREAKERSreal.html

http://www.edchange.org/multicultural/activityarch.html

http://www.roch.edu/faculty/lhalverson/icebreakers.htm

http://www.education-world.com/a_lesson/lesson/lesson131.shtml

http://www.aspa.asn.au/Projects/english/dgwup.htm

http://www.shambles.net/pages/staff/icebreaker/

Previous editions of the QUICK RESOURCE SHEET

#1 – Creating quizzes (and more) online                                                         

#2 – Vocabulary builders

#3 – Online discussion groups for English teachers                                    

#4 – Grammar headaches – and how to cure them

#5 – Resources for new teachers                                                     

#6 – International Education Week

#7 – Mentoring programs                                                                    

#8 – Education publications online

#9 – Applied Linguistics                                                                   

#10 – English for Young Learners

#11 – World AIDS Day                                                                      

#12 – Online writing guides

#13 – E-mail exchanges                                                                      

#14 – Free online English courses

#15 – Effective e-mail communication                                             

#16 – Libraries online

#17 – American Studies                                                                     

#18 – Teaching methodologies

#19 – Internet tutorials                                                                       

#20 – Using the newspaper – Part I

#21 – Making books                                                                           

#22 - Using the newspaper – Part II

#23 – Human rights in language teaching

#24 – Blogging

#25 – Poetry and language teaching

#26 – The communicative approach

#27 -  Idioms

#28 – Earth Day

#29 – Alternative assessment

#30 – Peer assessment

#31 – Self-assessment

#32 – Portfolio assessment – Part I

#33 -  Portfolio assessment - Part II (Online Portfolios)

#34 – Intercultural communication

#35 – Teaching Adults

#36 – Learning disorders / Special needs

#37 – Using computers in reading instruction

#38 – Use of authentic materials

#39 – English for Medical Purposes

#40 – Sources for authentic materials

#41 – Education and technology

#42 – Academic writing

#43 – Teaching and stress

#44 – Back to school

#45 – Motivating students

#46 – Action research

#47 – Internet terminology

#48 – Fluency

#49 – Curriculum design

#50 – Pragmatics

#51 - Podcasting for English teachers

#52 – Critical reading

#53 – Learner autonomy

#54 – Scaffolding

#55 – Holidays

#56 – English for Academic Purposes

#57 – Mixed-level classes

#58 – The brain and language learning

#59 – Book clubs/Readers’ groups

#60 – Teachers and technology

#61 – Using video in the language classroom

#62 – Internet-based classroom projects

#63 – Observing student teachers

#64 – Digital literacy

#65 – Group work

#66 – Giving feedback on student writing

#67 – Vlogging

#68 – Educational leadership