1.

(Ice Breaker) Self-Disclosure

Introductions...
• Round I: Self-disclosure introductions

–Who are you

–Job
–Interests
–Hobbies
 2. Self-Disclosure Introductions...
Round II. Self-disclosure introductions...
a. Treasured Objects--Take out two
items out of your wallet and describe
how they best represent you (e.g.,
family pictures, credit cards, rabbits'
feet) and share.
b. Describe themselves (e.g., "I am a
tightwad," "I am superstitious")
c. State name with an adjective starting
with 1st letter of 1st name (e.g.,
Marvelous Mary.
 2. Self-Disclosure Introductions...
Round II. Self-disclosure introductions...
d. Now intro self & also by a nickname
current, past, or potential nickname.
e. Brainstorm a list of questions you
would like to ask the others...(e.g., My
person I most admire is? The best
book I ever read?)
F. Middle name game (state what middle
name is and how you got it).
 3. Expectations Charts

• What do you expect from this

workshop, what are your goals, what
could you contribute?
a. Write short and long terms goals down
on goal cards that can be referenced
later on.
b. Write 4-5 expectations for this
workshop/retreat
c. Expectations Flip Chart: share of 1-2
of these...
 4. Treasure Hunt (Index Cards)

a. Favorite Sports/hobbies/past times (upper

left)
b. Birthplace and Favorite cities to visit (upper
right)
c. Current Job and Classes Taught (lower left)
d. 2 comments, things, or traits about yourself
(e.g., team player, personable, talkative,
opinionated, hate Purdue, like movies, move a
lot, hate sports) (lower right)
e. Teaching strategies you are proud of (in the
middle)
 4. Treasure Hunts

After completing card with

interests, where born, would
like to live, strengths, job role,
hobbies, etc. and find a match
(find one thing in common and
one thing different with
everyone)
 5. Accomplishment Hunt

a. Turn in 2-3 accomplishments

(e.g., past summer, during college,
during life);
b. Workshop leader lists 1-2 of
those for each student on a sheet
without names.
c. Participants have to ask "Is this
you?" If yes, get a signature.
 6. Issues and Discussion
Questions
a. Make a list of issues people
would like to discuss.
b. Perhaps everyone brings 2-3
questions or issues to the
meeting.
c. Partner off and create a list and
then collect question cards, and,
d. Then distribute and your group
must answer questions of the
other groups.
 7. Team Brainteasers

• IQ tests
• Scrambled cities
• Crossword puzzles
• Competitions
• Dilemmas or Situations
• Unscrambled sayings.
 8. Coat of Arms--fill in.

#1: a recent Peak Performance;

#2: something very few people
know;
#3: draw a symbol of how you
spend your free time;
#4: fill in something you are really
good at;
#5: write in something that
epitomizes your personal motto.
 9. It’ll Never Fly Wilbur

a. Introduce a new idea or concept or plan.

b. Everyone writes 4-5 problems they see in it.
c. Divide into groups of 3-4 and discuss
concerns.
d. Each group writes down 3 roadblocks on a 3
X 5 card.
e. Facilitator redistributes so each group gets a
different card.
f. Subgroups think creatively of how to solve
those problems and share with group.
 10. Demographic Groupings

Birthday Grouping—Nonverbally line up by date

of the year born and partner off with person
closest to you and then do…
Auto Grouping—Group by location one’s
vehicle was manufactured (US, Asia, Europe)
and then divide into truck and car people,
color of vehicle, etc.
High School Sweethearts—Group by location
where they graduated from high school
(Midwest, South, East, West, Asia, Europe,
etc.)
 11. Talking String

• state what hope to gain from

retreat (or discuss some other
issue) as wrap string around
finger; next ones state names
of previous people and then
state their reasons.
 12. Disclosure Interviews

• Divide into small groups of

about six people and then
hand out prepared list of 5
questions in increasing order
of disclosure for participants
to ask each other and then
have someone stand and their
group must describe him or
her.
 13. Psychic Massage
(a closer activity)

a. Divide in teams of 3-5.

b. In alphabetical order of first
names have someone turn his or
back to the group
c. Team members must make
positive, uplifting statements
about that person behind his or
her back but loud enough for
others to hear them.
d. One minute per person.
 Activities—Creativity Tasks

1. Metaphorical Thinking
2. New Perspectives
3. Webbing
4. Just Suppose
5. Creativity Awareness
6. Creative Dramatics
7. Creative Writing and Story Telling
8. Wet Ink or Freewriting
9. Brainstorming
10. Reverse Brainstorming
 1. Metaphorical thinking

• how is my school like:

–a prison, a beehive, an
orchestra, ghetto,
–expedition, garden, family, herd,
artist's palette,
–machine, military camp,
Olympic games, hospital,
theater, etc.
 1. Metaphorical thinking,
Analogies, …
1. Creativity is like ____.
2. Being Creative is like ____.
3. Creativity is to ___ as...
 1. Synectics

Combining 2 dissimilar ideas. The

joining together of unrelated
elements (William J. J. Gordon).
One brings strange concepts into
familiar areas.
Putting yourself in a situation.
Thinking of how others might solve
the problem.
 2. Breaking Mental Set and
Shifting Perspectives
• The process of creation frequently
involves a dramatic and usually
instantaneous change in
perception. Sometimes we all
need a whack in the side of the
head!
• Have students assume roles of
other people, cultures,
economies, genders, etc.
 2. Breaking Mental Set and
Shifting Perspectives
• Word games; Which one is
different; Nine dot problem;
Flying Pig; Concealed colors.
• Analogies, Synectics,
Breaking Set, Imagery,
Aesthetics, etc.
 3. Webbing

Directions: write the topic in the

center and link closely related
ideas or questions in the first
ring of ideas. As new ideas are
suggested, they are connected
by a line to the related item or
items.
 3. Webbing
Webbing can be used to determine:
(1)all the possible directions and
activities a student or class can
explore as a result of interest in a
specific topic or subject
(2)all that is presently known, and
(3)knowledge interrelationships.
This technique expands awareness for
relating, integrating, and organizing
brainstormed ideas.
 3. Webbing

a. Part I: What is creativity,

critical thinking, cooperative
learning?
b. Part II: What is active
learning (i.e., students:)
(discover, drawn upon, break
free from, use, take
ownership, talk, write, relate)
 4. Just Suppose or What If

• Imagine a situation or scenario

and reflect on the consequences.
• “Just suppose you have six weeks
of paid professional development
each summer for workshops or
classes like this, what would
teaching be like? What would
learning be like?”
 5. Creativity Awareness:
Creativity Scales
• Self-awareness of creative
traits is important in
promoting creativity.

• Rate yourself for creativity.

What is creativity here? How
did you do?
 5. Creativity Awareness:
Creativity Models

von Oech's
•Explorer
•Artist
•Judge
•Warrior
 6. Creative Dramatics

• Biggest/smallest thing; Holding up the roof;

Favorite animal; Mirror effect; Imagine
taste/smell...
More Creative Dramatics (Davis book)
• Imagine taste/smell... Ice Cubes, Puppets,
Mirror effect, Ridiculous Poses, Favorite
animal, People Machines, Invisible Balls.
• Imagine hear, touch, smell, tastes,
stiffest/most rubbery, Angriest/happiest.
 7. Creative Writing or Story
Telling
Tell a Tall Tale:
• One person starts a story and everyone adds
something to it. You might throw a ball to the person
who is to add to it or the instructor might decide or the
next person could just jump in. Could be done via e-
mail.

Forced Wrap Arounds:

• One person tells a story and it is repeated until it gets
through a group or classroom (teaches generative and
constructive psychology principles)

Object Obituary:
• Write a fictional obituary for some object that you own
or were close to.
 8. Wet Ink or Freewriting

Writing without reflecting or lifting your

pen for a set period of time.
• Just imagine: imagine you have
created a highly active teaching
situation...What do you see? Can
students wonder, question, speculate,
take risks, active listening, respect for
ideas, withhold judgment, seek
justification??? How is creativity
fostered here? Describe environment.
Physically, mentally, emotionally, etc...
 9. Brainstorming

• Generating ideas to solve a particular

problem, issue, situation, or concern.
Here more is better and the wilder the
better. The hitchhiking or
piggybacking as well as combination
of ideas is encouraged. However, there
is no evaluation of ideas allowed.
• For example, How can we increase the
use of active learning ideas in college
settings?
 10. Reverse Brainstorming

• Generating ideas to solve the reverse

of a particular problem, issue,
situation, or concern. Once again,
more is better and the wilder the better.
The hitchhiking or piggybacking as
well as combination of ideas is
encouraged. However, there is no
evaluation of ideas allowed.
• For example, How can we decrease the
use of active learning ideas in college
settings?