Oct
27
Breaking the Ice
October 27, 2008 | by Will Millhiser 1 Comment
Did you meet Mel Silberman, Temple University’s guru of active classroom participation, when he spoke at Baruch in 2006 or 2008? I recently came across a four-page paper (here) that Silberman wrote on the subject of classroom icebreakers. Who would have known that you can promote social interaction while simultaneously engaging students in the course content?
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Great find, Will! One more idea: The Scavenger Hunt also lends itself to a Bingo game at the very beginning of the semester. I do one in my International Communication, using questions that relate to the course content (e.g., find someone who has watched news in a communist country, find someone who has traveled below the equator). The activity accomplishes both: It serves as an fun introduction and prepares for some topics to be discussed during the semester.