I usually start off the new year with an ice breaker. However, I've taken the usual ice breaker and transformed it into a diagnostic tool.

I do the usual “Find someone who has” format and then a series of squares (a five-by-five grid). For my speech class, I look at the course standards and then create a list of the major performance tasks  or goals that they are to learn  in the class. Each task goes in a the square.  For example, the following are a few of the learning tasks:

• Persuaded/convinced another person to do something or think in a different way
• Showed  a small group (2-5 people) how to do something
• Presented new information to a small group of people (2-5)
• Discussed an issue with a large group of people (10+) who disagreed with your point of view

Students interview each other to find someone who has done the activity. Not only does the asking student write down the name of the person who has done the activity, but the asker also writes down what she or he has specifically done.  When they are done with this activity, I ask them to put a large plus sign  (+) in the lower left corner of any square that they have done.

I collect the icebreakers as a quick class analysis. I begin to plan what specific activities or suggestions will help the students to close the gap between where they are and the desired outcome.

How much does your ice breaker tell you about your students' learning?

Dr. Harry Grover Tuttle focuses on assessing and improving student learning through low- and high-tech tools.

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