Melting the ice: Engaging and educational ice-breaker activities for every learning session

The first five minutes of a classroom experience are critical for setting the tone and influencing the quality of the subsequent learning experience. Strategies that welcome students to online sessions and support student learning are increasingly important in synchronous and asynchronous online learning environments. This text shares a collection of powerful, opening activities that engage students, build safe and connected classroom communities, and support student learning, including face-to-face, synchronous online, and asynchronous online learning contexts.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 274 pages
Publication date: 14 April 2023
Publisher: John Catt Educational Ltd

The first five minutes of a classroom experience are absolutely crucial in shaping the quality and nature of the subsequent learning journey. The tone set during these initial minutes can have a profound impact, both positively and negatively, on the overall learning experience. It is important to recognize that how students allocate their time during these initial moments can also have a significant long-term impact on their learning outcomes.

When educators approach the opening minutes of a class as an opportunity to foster student connections, collaboration, and community, everyone benefits. In the context of synchronous and asynchronous online learning environments, strategies that both welcome students to online sessions and support their learning become increasingly important.

Traditional icebreakers, while often intended to build community and student engagement, can sometimes have unintended or even negative consequences on students. This text aims to provide a collection of powerful opening activities that are designed to simultaneously engage students, create safe and connected classroom communities, and support student learning. These strategies can be easily adapted and personalized to fit individual course and content needs, whether it is in a face-to-face, synchronous online, or asynchronous online learning context.

All activities in this collection are aligned with associated learning-science research and incorporate evidence-based instructional strategies that have been shown to enhance student engagement and learning outcomes. These strategies include retrieval practice, active recall, spaced practice, and interleaving, among others. By incorporating these activities into the opening minutes of a class, educators can set the stage for a positive and productive learning experience that will benefit all students.

Weight: 540g
Dimension: 244 x 188 x 16 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781915261038