It is that time of year again. Fall is when the summer heat and humidity starts to subside and cool nights begin. It is the start of football season and the Friday night lights or Saturday afternoon games. It is also the time when our society begins one of its most important tasks, i.e, educating our future workforce and our next generation of leaders.
From mid-August through early September, about 22.1 millions students will start college or university classes. In the fall of 2013, public and private two- and four-year institutions of higher education enrolled 21.8 million students: females make up the majority of the students at 12.5 million and males 9.3 million. This fall, The National Center for Educational Statistics projects that colleges and universities will enroll nearly 22.1 million students, an increase of barely 1 percent.
And 1.5 million college professors, or more specifically referred to by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics as post-secondary teachers, will teach these students courses from accounting to zoology and everything in between. A quick glance at course listings of a few colleges reveals some interesting courses such as Elementary Yiddish at UCLA; Tightwaddery or the Good Life on a Dollar a Day at Alfred University; Underwater Basket Weaving, yes folks it does really exist, at Reed College; Introduction to Turntablism, a course to learn how to become a DJ, at Oberlin Experimental College; The Joy of Garbage at Santa Clara University; and my favorite An Introduction to Wines at Cornell University. Why was this course not offered when I went to college? Although, I was not sophisticated enough to be into, much less, enjoy wine.
As a former college professor, one of the common questions you ask yourself is what do you do on your first day of classes. You are obviously an expert in the subject matter you are going to teach. But, on the first day almost all professors do NOT begin teaching. And those that do teach on the very first day are viewed as not being cool by the students. So the pressure it on, what do you do to be cool? Typically most professors will call the roll, review the syllabus, ask if there are any questions and dismiss class. Some professors will even introduce icebreaker games so that the professor can get to know the students and the students can get to know each other.
Josh Boldt, a writer and editor who teaches at University of Georgia, recently wrote an article in the Chronicle of Higher Education on this very subject. After reviewing the syllabus he hands out a note card to each student and asks them to write down three things: 1. their names, 2. where they are from, city and state, and 3. some element of popular culture they currently happen to be following. He tells the students it can be anything like a film, a book, a magazine, a website, a piece of music, whatever they are into at that moment.
This is a very clever idea as it allows the professor to get an immediate glimpse into the personalities of his students and to get to know his students quickly. It also provides some insight into what interests students these days. Given the age difference between the typical professor and his students, this exercise may provide the professor some valuable information about his students.
Once the writing task is completed the students are asked to pair up with another student and share their answers. He then asks the students to trade cards and every student must introduce their partner. Connections are formed immediately as students learn that they are from the same town as another student in the class, like the same TV series or read the same author. It makes it easier for students to get to know each other from the beginning. Students now have an easy reason to approach one another, a valuable tool for the shy or timid students in the class.
Josh ends the class right after the introductions and suggests that students are more talkative on the way out than they were on the way in. And he uses the note cards to take roll until he learns the names of his students. The added bonus is that he quickly learns something about his students that he might not have otherwise known. This creates an instant connection with the student and the professor can use this as a way to interact with his students rather than having to use the course subject matter.
In reading Josh’s article in the Chronicle of Higher Education, it reminded me of what I used to do on the first day of classes. I have used a similar icebreaker and have asked my students to tell their classmates 3 things about themselves, their names, their home town and one interesting tidbit about themselves. But instead of writing the answers, I ask the students to remember the answers. Three items are not hard to remember. The military services ask each recruit to memorize name, rank, and serial number. Psychologists have demonstrated that the human brain can remember up to seven items. That is why telephone numbers are seven digits.
Like Josh, I would ask my students to pair up with another student and share their their answers. I would start the icebreaker by introducing myself, telling my students where I was from and my interesting tidbit that I am an amateur vintner and have been making wine for 15 years. Then each student was asked to introduce their partner. It helps “break the ice” and students in my classes have gotten to know each other. I have found that students will form immediate natural connections as they may be into the same things as other students in the class.
I did a quick search on the internet and found some interesting ideas for icebreakers to use on the first day of classes. Here are some suggestions: 1. Categories, organize students into small groups based on categories such as favorite color; 2. Gotcha, form the students in a circle and have them place the right finger on next person's left palm, the objective is to try to grab a finger before yours gets grabbed; 3. Fears in a Hat, have each student write a personal fear anonymously on a piece of paper and place it in a hat. Each student then randomly selects and reads someone else's fear to the group and explains how the person might feel; or 4. Have you ever? Each student shares an experience and allows the group to celebrate the diversity of students’ past experiences.
In my opinion, the best icebreakers are those activities that allow the students to get to know each other and allows the professor to get to know the students. The activity should draw on the students’ personal experiences, but preferably not something private. The icebreaker should be structured so that it is easy for the students to talk. It should not be about the content of the course you are about to teach. It should help establish camaraderie among the students. I suggest you start the activity with yourself so that students get to know you right away. What do you do on the first day of teaching a college class?
