Breaking the IceBreaking the Iceand Previewing the and Previewing the

CourseCourseDan Segrist

Department of Psychologyx3159

dsegris@siue.edu

The IcebreakerWhat do I want it to do for my class?

Allow students to get to know each other Initiate a sense of collegiality/community in the class

Set precedent for active learning and engagement

Have fun!

Corpus CallosumCorpus Callosum

Actor-Observer biasActor-Observer bias

3030

FreudFreud

5-95-9

Visual cliffVisual cliff

Corpus CallosumCorpus Callosum

Actor-Observer biasActor-Observer bias

3030

FreudFreud

5-95-9

Visual cliffVisual cliff

Pick a slip of paper out of the fishbowl

Find the one other student in the class with the same term

The InterviewStudents in pairs or triads

Interview one another for about 10 minutes

The Interview Name Hometown Major Hobbies Favorite Color Favorite Book or Movie Favorite Singer or Musical Group First word or phrase that comes to mind when you hear “Psychology”

Important caveat—don’t disclose

anything you’d prefer not to

disclose

Introducing…Students stand and introduce their partner to

the class

Corpus CallosumCorpus Callosum

Actor-Observer biasActor-Observer bias

3030

FreudFreud

5-95-9

Visual cliffVisual cliff

Corpus CallosumCorpus Callosum

Actor-Observer biasActor-Observer bias

3030

FreudFreud

5-95-9

Visual cliffVisual cliff

The Interview

What does your term/statistic mean?

How does it relate to this class?

Corpus CallosumCorpus Callosum

Actor-Observer biasActor-Observer bias

3030

FreudFreud

5-95-9

Visual cliffVisual cliff

Corpus CallosumCorpus Callosum

Actor-Observer biasActor-Observer bias

3030

FreudFreud

5-95-9

Visual cliffVisual cliff

The IcebreakerWhat else it can do for my class…

Preview course content, provide “teasers” and address misconceptions

Reinforce the vocabulary of the discipline

Can provide some informal data about students’ pre-existing knowledge

Modifications Use in first or second class

Modifications If class is large or time is short, randomly select pairs/triads

Modifications Alter interview questions to fit your class topic or level

What disorder are you most interested in learning about?

What do you remember most about your undergraduate Statistics course?

What is your biggest concern/fear about starting a graduate program?

Modifications Create fishbowl items using numbers or terms related to your syllabus policies

“2” [the number of unexcused absences you allow]

“Yes” [the standing answer to the question, “I wasn’t here last time, did we do anything important?”]

“November 11” [due date for research paper]