Social Induction

This is one of the first exercises we do in the first week of the PG Dip Broadcast Journalism. The students are shown how to use their recording equipment. They are then asked to break into pairs and interview each other about what they have done during the summer.

First day's are hard. Nigel Bents has a number of activities up his sleeve for easing the tension such as giant games of twister or london bus tours or x factor typography songs - the list goes on. but here's a regular of his we do every year...

UAL’s new Student Charter has been developed by representatives of the university together with students and the Students’ Union. The charter is broken down into three sections (Your Education; Your Student and Professional Life; Your Ideas and Concerns) and describes the commitments the University, students and the Students Union should undertake to ensure the best possible experience for everyone studying and working at UAL.

This short task of analysing a media report about one's home town or country could be used as an icebreaker with a bit of planning, and would help a diverse group get to know one another and gel.

1st year drawing students at Camberwell and architecture students from the Architectural Association worked together over two days, drawing, recording and traversing a disused site near the 2012 Olympic site in Stratford East London, being developed into a cultural quarter by the collective 'Assemble'. It’s an area of extreme regeneration, with dramatic changes in the landscape occurring daily. Students responded to the site in groups, thematically pondering (through drawing) on:

• Materials and their taxonomy
• Ordering chaos
• Drawing as recording, establishing a point of view

This short powerpoint gives an overview of the commonplace student website and how students and staff can get involved. If you would like to have this powerpoint presented at a meeting/ event, or just want more information, please get in touch.

s.clay@arts.ac.uk

I have done this ice breaker in my previous role working with adults and college students. I think if you make the ice breaker fun then you get better answers that people really remember.

All members of the group take a piece of paper and a marker pen.
On the paper they write their name, an adjective describing them beginning with the same first letter as their name, and they also draw an animal that represents one of their characteristics.
They then take turns reading out their name and adjective, e.g. “Determined Dave” or “Crazy Caroline”.

Not exactly what is written on the tin... I hasten to add.

Max Mason, David Morgan and myself developed Blind Date as an Ice Breaker project for the rotation stage of the Foundation Diploma in Art and Design at Chelsea.

I stole the People Bingo icebreaker from Susan Crozier a couple of years ago and we've used it with several groups on the PG Cert in Learning & Teaching and the Developing Educational Practice short course. It helps if you have a little prize for the winner; a stocking-filler from Harpers Bazaar, or the old staple, the Mars Bar...

Simply hand out the 'bingo cards' and set everyone to work finding someone in the room to match each box. They're not allowed to use the same person more than once. The winner is the first to match a person for every box.

The activity is about helping the students to loose the ownership of their drawings.
By encouraging them to share the experience of drawing, because I have noticed that some times at the first instance their perception is that everybody else has a stronger drawing skills than the ones they have.