ENERGIZERS
Theoretical introduction
The so-called “energizers”, “warm-ups” or “ice breakers” are an important element of both face-to-face and online classes, as they add dynamics to the learning process. They usually take the form of a simple, short, and activating game. They can be carried out at the beginning of the class to create a good atmosphere and make it easier (for the teacher) to introduce a new topic, or during the class when the students’ attention and concentration decreases. Thanks to this exercise, the participants become more active and engaged. Such games are suitable for integration, building good relations and trust in a group. They also aim at stimulating emotions (often laughter), which facilitates “relaxing” the atmosphere and later entering various social interactions. They can also be helpful in difficult situations: the need to discharge emotions or to redirect attention to other matters. Many energizers include an element of movement / physical activity which in turn reduces stress and promotes better recall. The exercise should be chosen according to the specifics of the group and the situation (activating exercises, relaxing exercises, etc.). Special attention should be paid if the exercises are supposed to be done by all group members (e.g. students with physical disabilities). Some exercises require close physical contact and should not be performed due to sanitary restrictions related to the pandemic. It is worth remembering that exercises should not last too long – they should leave a feeling of insufficiency.
Exercise I: SHOW SOMETHING (version 1)
Any remote learning platform that allows interaction (e.g. MS Teams)
It is a good idea to carry out this exercise during one of the first classes, as it allows students to get to know each other better as well as overcome their reluctance to turn on the camera.
Online
Synchronous
Reinvigorating the group and refocusing its attention. Integration. Building good relationships within the group. Getting to know each other better.
The exercise can also be carried out during classroom sessions (if the commands as appropriately modified).
STEP I
The teacher asks one person to show: something yellow; something he/she brought from holidays; something used for learning or something that reflects the person’s mood, etc. The teacher can also ask the student to explain in one sentence why he/she is showing a particular thing.
STEP II
Within 40-60 seconds the person should find an object in his/her environment that meets the criterion and show it to other participants.
STEP III
Then, the student selects another student and gives her/him the same command.
STEP IV
All students participate in the game.
- The game brings participants in good mood.
- Students get to know more about other peers
- The group becomes more active and vivid.
- It can also be integrated with other activities to encourage students to keep their cameras on.
– Not all people want / will be able to turn on the webcam.
+ An alternative in this case is to take a picture / find a picture of an object that meets the criterion on the internet and send it to the group via chat.
– In large groups the game may last too long.
+ You can finish the exercise earlier.
Exercise II: SHOW SOMETHING (version 2)
Any remote learning platform that allows interaction (e.g. MS Teams)
During one of the first classes
Online
Synchronous
Reviving the group and refocusing its attention. Integration. Building good relations in the group. Getting to know each other better. Engaging all group members.
Alternative form – in a very short time (e.g. 30 seconds) participants search for a picture of an object that represents them in some way and place it on a common board e.g. on a padlet (view – wall).
It might be good to approach the language of the students by having them search for a meme or gif that represents, for example, their current state of mind.
The exercise can also be carried out in a classroom – then the teacher displays the picture on the screen and people take turns to speak and justify their choice briefly.
Moreover, the Mentimeter tool can be used in the classroom to allow students quickly express their opinion.
STEP I
We share a picture with students which contains a lot of objects. We can take our own picture or a collection of different strange objects which we have at home or we can find one on the internet (e.g. in the resources www.pixabay.com www.freepik.com, www.pixinio.com).
STEP II
Participants choose an item that represents them in some way (at the time of the exercise).
STEP III
Participants type in the chat what the item is and justify their choices.
- The game brings participants in good mood.
- Participants learn more about other peers.
- The group becomes more active and vivid.
- Students practice creativity.
– Some students may be bored with the task as they may find it too simple.
+ The teacher explains that this is a warm-up for before difficult tasks.
Exercise III: STORYTELLING
Any remote learning platform that allows interaction (e.g. MS Teams)
Anytime
Online, face-to-face
Synchronous
Reviving the group and refocusing its attention. Integration. Activation. Relaxation. Building good relationships in the group.
For face-to-face activities: the teacher can ask participants to stand in a circle (movement will be added value). The order of students who participate in the task should be established.
STEP 3: the teacher or a student can write the words on a shared whiteboard. The whole story will be seen.
STEP I
The teacher starts the story by giving the first word (e.g., yesterday, once, sometimes, etc.).
STEP II
The following person says the next word.
STEP III
The exercise is continued until there is a short story or each participant has added 3-4 words.
- The game brings participants in good mood.
- Participants get to know more about other peers.
- The group becomes more active and vivid.
- The exercise also stimulates creativity and encourages concentration.
– Some students may be bored with the task as they may find it too simple.
+ The teacher explains that this is a warm-up before more difficult tasks. It is also a good to choose a theme (or narrative genre) so that the storytelling exercise is more coherent.
Exercise IV: HIGHWAY
Any remote learning platform that allows interaction (e.g. MS Teams)
Anytime
Face-to-face
Synchronous
Reviving the group and refocusing its attention. Integration. Building good relations in the group. Getting to know each other better.
The exercise can also be carried out during face-to-face class.
STEP I
The teacher divides participants into groups of 3-4 students. Students can work, for example, on shared document (instead of paper) or a Padlet (select column option; assign each group a column number)
STEP II
The teacher gives two key words (preferably nouns). The first word is a “start” and the second is a “destination”. It is important that the words are not associated with each other.
E.g., ice-cream – cloud
STEP III
Participants should build a chain of associations (from “start” to “destination”), so that it contains as few elements as possible. The words are written one under the other on a piece of paper, showing the “road”, or preferably the “highway”.
E.g., ice cream – summer – heat – storm – cloud
STEP IV
Groups present their ideas. The group that has indicated a logical connection between the given keywords, using as few intermediate elements as possible, wins.
- The game brings participants in good mood.
- Participants get to know more about peers.
- The group becomes more active and vivid.
- The exercise also stimulates creativity and encourages concentration.
– Some students may be bored with the task as they may find too simple.
+ The teacher explains that this is a warm-up before more difficult tasks.
Exercise V: WHO LIKES…
Any remote learning platform that allows interaction (e.g. MS Teams).
Anytime
Face-to-face
Synchronous
Reviving the group and refocusing its attention. Integration. Building good relations in the group. Getting to know each other better
The exercise can be conducted at the beginning of the semester. The instructions can serve to integrate the group and get to know the participants better.
The game can also take a form of evaluation and focus on the topic of the class: students’ opinions on a certain topic.
The game can be conducted in face-to-face clasess. It is worth to add some movement then (like changing places etc)
STEP I
The teacher says a phrase that can refer to several people (e.g., all those who know 2 languages; all those who like watching TV series, all those who think that character X should have decided otherwise, all those who think that we need more time for Y…). Teacher asks to raise hands all who agree with this characteristic / to whom the phrase refers.
STEP II
Teacher ask someone from to class to continue (propose next characteristic) and another person who will continue the game.
- The game brings participants in good mood.
- Participants get to know more about other peers.
- The group becomes more active and vivid.
– Some students may be bored with the task as they may find it too simple.
+ You can explain that this is a warm-up before more difficult tasks.
–The teacher should be aware that some groups will not like this exercise by saying that it is simply childish.
+ But it will work very well with groups which are well integrated, like to have fun etc.
