Lane Walker (@LaneWalker2) inspired this week’s blog post with this tweet,
“Wondering…we do “circles” but it seems trivial Qs are causing Ss to devalue the circles. Do you think we can creatively include content in the ice? #IDedchat”
She also encouraged us to look at “@LaurenPorosoff’s ideas in, Empower Your Students, she turns the focus to values, goals, and how to get there.”
https://www.empowerforwards.com/books

We might offer time for reflection on the processes happening or events coming up, as Dr. Dan Winkeler shared ,“If they devalue circles, they might need to be restructured (ground rules, talking stick, deeper feelings, etc.) to get students to be more vested. Open ended questions like “how are you feeling about the upcoming lab, test, quiz, quarter, etc. #IDedchat”

We could involve our students in the creation of our ice-breakers and community circles. Check out Thomas Murray’s new book (coming out in October), Personal & Authentic: Designing Learning Experiences That Impact A Lifetime! @thomasmurray announced this week on Twitter,”….So honored to partner with @gcouros & IMpress to make it happen. The book will also highlight the voices of 50+ educators with diverse backgrounds and experiences. #AuthenticEDU is coming your way…”

The following video, Make the First Day Count, relates to our #IDedchat Wondering this week and our follow-up Challenge:

#IDedchat Challenge: What if everyday started with the same dedication and excitement as Day One of the School Year? How might you create moments that connect students’ interests to learning goals each day? Please add to the comments or use #IDedchat tweets to share ideas and resources for ways to include content-rich ice-breakers that encourage students to make meaning and investigate.