The second dimension of the Model for Great Teaching is focused on ‘Creating a supportive learning environment’. According to the Great Teaching Toolkit: Evidence Review (Coe et al., 2020), part of this entails teachers “promoting interactions and relationships with all students that are based on mutual respect, care, empathy and warmth; avoiding negative emotions in interactions with students; being sensitive to the individual needs, emotions, culture and beliefs of students”. Similarly, a second element of the dimension focuses on positive student-student relationships, “characterised by respect, trust, cooperation, and care”.
Of course, many teachers see the inherent value in such attitudes and interactions with students. The good news is that the evidence argues that it’s not just nice to have; a supportive environment is important for promoting student learning. The research also suggests there are many ways a teacher could implement this—each depending on the context of the classroom and age of the students.
When learners transition from primary to secondary school there can be an overwhelming amount of change in the classroom environment. A new building, new teachers, a new approach to lessons, and of course a new set of people to meet. Icebreaker activities can be a fun and helpful way for students to introduce themselves and learn more about each other, developing and forming important relationships—with both their peers and their teacher. These types of tasks can also develop a range of skills such as working with others, leadership, listening, communication, and social skills.
When planning icebreaker activities, it is important to ask and consider: is it helpful or a hindrance? As with anything that uses up time, there should be a clear purpose to the task. Furthermore, it is important that the purpose is clear to the students.
Below are some suggested ideas to use at the beginning of the academic year to promote positive relation building between students and teachers and among students. This particular set is aimed at the transition to secondary school but can be adapted for primary too. While they can be useful on their own, a savvy teacher can easily use it to prepare students for curricular content or classroom management norms for the year.
Learning line up
This activity is a way to engage the students in icebreaker activities before they enter the classroom. Instruct everyone to line up in different ways. For example, they must line up next to someone they don’t know. Another suggestion would be to line up in alphabetical order according to their first name. Similarly, they could line up in order of their age and birthday.
This task means that students have to talk to one another, asking questions and working together to line up correctly. This encourages students to be interactive and communicate with their peers. (This may be an opportunity to observe which individuals assume the leadership responsibilities!). It is worth noting that avoiding lining up in height order or physical traits—instead focus on personal characteristics that can be the basis for interpersonal connections.
Of course, this sets the stage for teaching students the expectations and daily routines expected when they enter the classroom.
Talking tasks
This task encourages students start building a climate of student-student relationships, as well as laying the groundwork for future think-pair-share tasks. First, students are divided into pairs; within each pair, students have an allotted amount of time to exchange information about themselves. In the first instance, one student tells the other person as much as they want to about themselves. At the teacher’s signal, the roles reverse—the first then listens to their partner do the same.
Depending on the comfort level of the students, each student can then introduce their partner to the whole class. This means that students do not need to stand before the entire class and talk about themselves, but instead about a classmate. Doing so also requires them to actively listen during the “pair” component and recall it later.
Scavenger Hunt
This can be a helpful and enjoyable activity for those students who are new to the school, or perhaps have relocated to another part of the building. The idea is similar to a ‘treasure hunt’ as students will be given different locations around the classroom or school they have to find, either using a map or perhaps an older reliable student can accompany them and help guide them. This task can be completed in pairs or small groups, to encourage collaboration and cooperation. When students have reached each destination, they can answer a question or a clue to the next location can be provided.
The clues or tasks can serve multiple purposes, for example by linking to curricular content from the previous year’s curriculum. This retrieval practice helps activate prior knowledge that may have faded during the summer. Alternatively, use the scavenger hunt to introduce key locations or habits that will form part of classroom routines.
‘Find Someone …’ Game
The ‘Find Someone…’ game involves providing students with a list of criteria; they then have to find someone who matches each of the criteria. Some examples could include:
- Find someone who has a birthday in September.
- Find someone who has a pet.
- Find someone who enjoys tennis.
- Find someone who likes to eat chocolate.
Similar to the tasks above, this game involves lots of questioning and communicating, whilst still finding out more about each other and working together.
One way to link this icebreaker to curricular tasks is by referencing content, skills, or learning that will come up in the school year. You may get insight into students who already have developed their own interest or background in some of the material. So, in addition to personal traits like those above, the list could include:
- Find someone who has read a Percy Jackson novel.
- Find someone who can name three types of trees.
- Find someone who plays a musical instrument.
- Find someone who has visited a castle.
This is an activity that lends itself to a degree of chaos as students mingle and seek people who fill the criteria. Prior to setting the students on the task, teach students the classroom routines to settle and focus their attention. Use this as an opportunity to practice the routine multiple times.
Final thoughts
Many teachers naturally take steps to build a supportive environment in their classroom. Icebreakers are just one tool that they can use to do that—especially when seeking to build relationships with student and between students. Using them with intention, for example by linking them with curricular content or with classroom management routines, makes that time even more effective. Whether students are transitioning from primary to secondary settings, or just a new school or teacher, some of these simple steps can help smooth that transition.
Ready to foster positive relationships in your classroom? Watch these short videos featuring Stuart Kime, as he breaks down each element of Dimension 2 from the Model for Great Teaching—creating a supportive environment.
References
Coe, R., Rauch, C. J., Kime, S., & Singleton, D. (2020). Great teaching toolkit: Evidence Review. Evidence Based Education. https://evidencebased.education/great-teaching-toolkit-evidence-review/
