An icebreaker is a facilitation exercise intended to help a group to begin the process of forming themselves into a team. Icebreakers are commonly presented as a game to "warm up" the group by helping the members to get to know each other. They often focus on sharing personal information such as names, hobbies, etc.
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I tried one of the ice-breaker we’d practiced at our workshop.
ОтветитьУдалитьI had to substitute an A2 level class of young teenagers and didn’t have much time to prepare. I brought a bag with different stuff which could describe me as a person. There was a mobile, some tea bags, a can of coffee, an English book, a DVD, and a toy. I borrowed the tea and coffee from the school kitchen; as for the other things I took those which I had in my bag at that moment. So, it didn’t take me much time to prepare.
As for the activity itself, it was quite exciting and the students looked interested trying to guess what I was going to take out of my bag. I do recommend to use it but it’s better to think beforehand what objects you’d show; you could make it more fun if you take some unexpected stuff, e.g. a boarding pass or a high-heeled shoe))
I also used this ice-breaker with small kids but I spoke mainly in Russian as my purpose was to get to know my students better. After showing them something I like, e.g. coffee, I asked them about their likes. So, I suppose we made friends which was my purpose for the first lesson. Of course, we practiced speaking some English while introducing ourselves and saying hello to each other. I didn’t plan it and don’t remember how it happened but I introduced myself as Miss Olga. That’s funny but they called me Miss Olga since then. I like it! It sounds English even with my very Russian name)))
What’s important to add is that it’s possible and even necessary to use various ice-breakers during the first several lessons (especially if it’s a group of new students). After the first lesson I asked my elementary group of adults to write some phrases about themselves, their family, job, likes/dislikes, etc. At the next lesson I collected their stories, mixed them and gave back so that they had a story of another student. Their goal was to find that student by asking several questions. It was fun for students, they had a chance to get closer and learn more about each other. As for me, I could see the strengths and weaknesses of my students.