1. On-line Topic ICEBREAKERS

2.  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.

3.  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.

4.  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.

5.  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?

6.  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!

7.  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

8.  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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10.  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.  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.

11.  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).  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.

12.  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

13. 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 e xample NAMETRUTH 1TRUTH 2TRUTH 3 EXAMPLE: Jane /X tightrope walker /

14.  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.

15.  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.

16.  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.

17.  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!)

18.  http://adulted.about.com/od/icebreakers/tp/Top-10-IceBreakers-Of- 2010.htm http://adulted.about.com/od/icebreakers/tp/Top-10-IceBreakers-Of- 2010.htm  http://www.icebreakers.ws/ http://www.icebreakers.ws/  http://www.funandgames.org/games/GameIcebreakers.htm http://www.funandgames.org/games/GameIcebreakers.htm  http://www.mwls.co.uk/icebreakers/ http://www.mwls.co.uk/icebreakers/  http://www.recreationtherapy.com/tx/txclose.htm http://www.recreationtherapy.com/tx/txclose.htm  http://www.ehow.co.uk/info_7873943_classroom-closure-activities.html http://www.ehow.co.uk/info_7873943_classroom-closure-activities.html