Tag Archives: Deb

Web Maker (Small Group)

I found this icebreaker helped to create a supportive atmosphere/safe space for the participants!

Materials needed:
1. ball of (colourful) strings
2. a list of numbered questions (2 per person), cut into slips of paper and randomly taped under chairs

I asked that the participants answer each question in their numbered succession. The first person answers their question then tosses the ball of string to the person with question #2, while holding onto the end of a string. With two questions per person, this activity creates a web of connections.

I use this web that we create as an analogy to the supportive presence that we are to one another in our small group and as a reminder that we are all in this learning process together.

Try it out 🙂 kind of corny, but It was a lot of fun!

New ideas!

We created a new Dot-Mocracy Theme Session and it was extremely popular with the group: Classroom Climate and Student/Teacher Rapport

Learning Objectives were 1) Define classroom climate and identify 3 factors that influences classroom climate, and 2) Develop several strategies to create and maintain rapport with students.

The online components included basic definition and two scenarios of poorly handled classroom conflicts reported by real instructors. The participants were asked to select a scenario and to reflect on their own learning experience with respect to student-teacher rapport.

The in-class activities were scenario-based discussions for potential prevention and managing strategies. This was followed by gallery walk – the online contents were the prompts for this activity. (How can these strategies be incorporated into your own teaching practice? What are some potential pitfalls with this strategy that should be avoided?/Put checkmarks beside comments you agree with, and add further comments to either build or disagree with what has been said already).

The participants really enjoyed the “silent” gallery walk.