Classroom Ice Breakers: Community Builder or Time Waster?

September 3rd, 2008 By: Diane Trim in Articles, School Climate, Teachers' Corner

As secondary education teachers, we’re often more focused on content and curriculum than kids and community. When class time is short and the state standards are long, many of us can’t justify using up our period on an ice breaker. Even on the first day of school.

In an article from Intervention in School & Clinic (1999), Lori Korinek (et al.) wrote the beginning of the school year is when a classroom community is built. “The first few weeks of school are critical for getting to know students, helping them to learn about one another, and providing clear messages about classroom expectations.”

Teachers are important in this process, Korinek wrote, because they offer opportunities for students to feel a connection and sense of belonging in the class. “Without [the teacher’s] efforts, students tend to associate only with other students whom they already know and who are most like themselves. Judgments about other students are then made on the basis of physical appearance, academic performance, or atypical behavior.”

Icebreaking helps students know one another, but it also creates a bond between teacher and student.
Brian Mendler, author of Tips 4 Teachers and president of the Teacher Learning Center, says that relationship building is the most important part of being a classroom teacher.

“The number one skill you need as a math teacher is not math; it’s communication.” Mendler said. “The number one skill you need as an English teacher is not English; it’s communication.”

Amanda, a middle school science teacher from South Carolina, agrees. “It’s fun getting to know the kids,” she said. “It should be as personal and comfortable and organic as possible.”

Spend time building a relationship with the students, Mendler said. It’s not a waste of instructional time, but it’s just using the time teachers spend redirecting students in a positive way.

“The students don’t care what we know until they know we care,” Mendler said.