How to Pick an Ice Breaker for Class

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Everyone has jitters on the first day of school; even you, the teacher. An ice breaker is a great way to relax everyone and create a fun environment for learning. These work great for long meetings and seminars too; anywhere there will be a number of people together over a moderate or long period of time. With so many choices out there, choosing one can be mind boggling. Follow these steps to pick the right ice breaker for your next class or seminar.

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Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

Internet access
Class roster for number of students enrolled

Step1

Determine the size of your group. Large groups of 20 or more people require space; smaller groups of 19 or less are more intimate and can be receptive to more personal-type ice breakers, such as pairing students to have them interview and introduce each other to the class. Keep in mind how well everyone knows one another. Complete strangers react differently than second or third year students.

Step2

Consider the room you are in. Note the proximity of desks, chairs, walls, and students. As mentioned, large groups require more space. If your room is large enough to have people stand and move around then pick an activity that is conducive to that. If you have a large group and a small space, you may want to keep people seated.

Step3

Consider the type of class or seminar that you are conducting. Try to choose an ice breaker that connects with the material or the participants. In other words, ice breakers for an oral communication class would be different than ones for an English class. For example, the idea behind an oral communication class is to speak publicly; therefore, getting everyone to speak in the icebreaker would be appropriate. For an English class, all you may want to accomplish is a student to be comfortable with their neighbor so getting everyone to talk here could have the potential of scaring students off.

Step4

Choose activities that are all inclusive and safe. Pick an activity that is engaging but avoids getting too personal. For example, having students introduce themselves by stating their dream vacation is good; having students discuss their most embarrassing moment could have bad results--such as inadvertently creating their most embarrassing moment.

Step5

Fill out an ice breaker questionnaire. A great way to "play it safe" is to create a questionnaire of basic information for students to fill out. Ask questions such as “What is your favorite movie or TV show?” Or, “If you could be a super hero who would it be?” Once students fill this out then you have a bit more information to guide your decision.

Step6

Choose one that requires very little preparation time. You are there to teach not play games. Use ice breakers wisely and conservatively. Pick one that you can start and finish within a relatively short period of time.