Ice Breaker Activities - Western Sydney University

Ice Breaker Activities

These Ice breaker activities can be used within fully online courses to stimulate debate in forums, online lectures, social media or using a variety of supported learning technologies.

Activity

Example

Activity Type

20 Questions In a discussion forum students have twenty yes/no attempts to guess the concept/term/object.

A to Z game Ask students to write down as many key/related words for the current topic area and each word can't repeat the starting letter.

Abstract Thinking

In a vUWS discussion forum ask students to jot down responses to such questions as:

What shape is grief? What is the colour of emptiness? What is the texture of a rainbow?

Art and life

Use a relevant poem, piece of art, sculpture etc. to inspire students thinking/empathising about the topic. Use responses to draw out themes. This can be done as a starter for a Collaborate session, or in a vUWS discussion forum.

Big Picture

Ask students to reflect on what the bigger picture is ? in relation to education, the particular subject, the current topic or in the media. Draw this out and present it in a vUWS discussion forum or create a blog post at the end of the unit.

Bingo Sheets

Ask students to create a bingo sheet with key words/phrases from the topic discussed the previous week or create your own and read out definitions during a Collaborate session. The winner clicks on the `hand' icon when their sheet is complete.

Compare

Put trigger images in a PowerPoint Presentation during a

and Contrast Collaborate session and ask students to respond in a chat

window about differences and similarities.

Concept Map

Give students a list of words related to your chosen concept in a vUWS discussion. They must then turn these into a `map', where each connection can be explained and justified and an image uploaded for discussion.

Developed by the Blended Learning Team, Learning and Teaching Unit | uws.edu.au/qilt

October 2014

Ice Breaker Activities

Activity

Example

Activity Type

Connections

Start by writing a word in a discussion forum related to a topic. Ask a student to suggest a related word. (For example: if the word is `football' you might say `goal'). The next student says a word connected with the previous word. (For example: `goal', `net' and so on.) Students take turns.

They are allowed thinking time, but can be challenged by any other student to explain the connection between their word and the previous word.

Creative Influence

In a Collaborate session or discussion forum, use random words to see how students might influence each other in some way. Explain the influence.

Creative Writing

Allocate students ten minutes in a vUWS blog post to write creatively about the topic. What they write must include at least three key terms from the unit.

Definition Match

In a vUWS Quiz, ask students to complete a match-the-word to the definition quiz. E.g.

Network AI Internet

Computers trying to think... A connected global network Connected group of objects

Different shoes

Ask students to put themselves in the position of another in a forum using a vUWS discussion forum, blog or even a Collaborate session. E.g.

You are an oil executive You are a member of the Greens party You are a consumer

Dissonance Try to encourage students to experience dissonance in their thinking using a vUWS discussion forum, blog or Twitter. E.g.

Imagine a square egg. Why does school exist? Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication and Division ? why

isn't there another one?

This could be used to disrupt or question habitual ways of thinking. It can also challenge reasoning or encourage students to reason more deeply and carefully.

Developed by the Blended Learning Team, Learning and Teaching Unit | uws.edu.au/qilt

October 2014

Ice Breaker Activities

Activity

Example

Activity Type

Draw me the answer

A) Show me what democracy looks like. B) Draw fairness. C) What does change look like? These drawings are then posted in a vUWS discussion forum, or via Twitter using a unit hashtag

Empathybuilder

Using a vUWS discussion forum create a big question such as `Taxes for the rich will be scrapped tomorrow and replaced with voluntary philanthropy'. Then stir debate by asking:

How might a millionaire feel about this? A person on average income? Someone receiving government benefits?

Fact or Opinion?

Ask students to share newspaper article and ask them to highlight facts or opinions in a vUWS discussion forum.

Flow Chart

Draw a flowchart, take a photo and post in a vUWS discussion forum to stimulate a discussion.

Freeze Frame

For projects that require creativity, either individually, in pairs or group students and ask them to produce a freeze frame showing a scene using a digital camera, and to upload it to a unit Twitter hashtag, vUWS discussion forum or blog and annotate it using 140 characters or less.

Get In Character

Set a few questions ready for a Collaborate webinar. As students come in, allocate them characters such as a politician, comedian, celebrity, doctor or sportsperson and ask them to answer the forum debate in character.

Home Improvement

Using a vUWS discussions open a forum about change. How can _______________ be improved? Why would your changes be an improvement? Who for? How long would they last?

Developed by the Blended Learning Team, Learning and Teaching Unit | uws.edu.au/qilt

October 2014

Ice Breaker Activities

Activity

Example

Activity Type

Inside the Octagon

8 way thinking comes from Howard Gardner's multiple intelligences. The simplified octet is ?

Numbers: How many? Words: Where does the word come from? People: Who? Feelings: What emotions? Nature: How does the environment affect? Actions: What do people do? Sounds: What songs have been written about it? Sights: What images represent?

(from )

Two ideas: 1. Ask students to come up with questions around a topic/key word from each angle. 2. Use the octet to frame their own questions and post them in a vUWS discussion forum, blog or social media platform.

Instructions

Ask students, in a vUWS discussion forum or blog, to write and share intricate instructions for a specific task. Can be peer reviewed or commented on a vUWS discussion.

List -O-Mania In a Collaborate session or discussion forum, ask students to list as many rights/responsibilities/policy areas/taxes/items as they can.

List to definition

Using a vUWS discussion forum, ask students to: 1) List all the words you associate with climate change 2) Then join these words together to make a definition for global warming.

Mystery Guest

Use Collaborate to stimulate debate by inviting a mystery guest to inspire and enthuse. Encourage students to ask questions requiring a yes/no response to ascertain who the mystery guest may be.

Name that tune

Play students a mp3 file and then initiate a discussion about media, expression, identity, politics, language etc.

New Inventions

Devise a new invention that relates to what is being studied or a current issue. Ask students to share using a vUWS discussion forum.

Developed by the Blended Learning Team, Learning and Teaching Unit | uws.edu.au/qilt

October 2014

Ice Breaker Activities

Activity

Example

Activity Type

Noises

Play a noise/sound in Collaborate and ask students to respond to it or work out its relevance to the lesson/unit.

Odd One Out Pose a question to students in a vUWS discussion forum, e.g. Which is the odd one out; Tourist, Interpreter, Refugee or Asylum Seeker?

Odd One Out Show pictures to break the ice at the beginning of a Collaborate ? Pictures session. Only

Peer

Students swap their response to a question and peer assess

Assessment using the vUWS Self and Peer Assessment tool.

Pictionary

Give students concepts/ideas/things to draw whilst others have to guess what they are. They can use their iPads to draw their picture and submit it to a discussion topic in vUWS or share on Collaborate.

Picture in time

In a vUWS discussion forum or at the start of a Collaborate session, share an image and pose the following questions:

What might have happened before the photo was taken? What might be happening now? What may happen after?

Political Power

In a vUWS discussion thread give students some key words:

Special Support Active Death Empire

Students then have to use these words to increase the political power of a party, or turn them into policies or slogans. They must also explain their rationale behind their policy statement or slogan.

Questions to the Academic

At the start of a unit set up a vUWS discussion forum with the a prompt such as:

In this unit we will begin studying fuel sources. Write down any questions you would like answered.

Developed by the Blended Learning Team, Learning and Teaching Unit | uws.edu.au/qilt

October 2014

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