Get to Know You B: Building Connections with Your Peers

Get to Know You B: Building Connections with Your Peers

Learning Objective

At the end of the lesson, you will be able to understand the importance of building connections with your peers and learn strategies to get to know them better.

Introduce the learning objective and emphasize the importance of building connections with peers for a positive learning environment.

What do you already know about building connections with your peers?

Icebreaker Activity

Play a game of 'Two Truths and a Lie' with your group. Each person will share three statements about themselves, two of which are true and one that is false. The group will guess which statement is the lie.

This activity will help students get to know each other in a fun and engaging way. Encourage them to ask follow-up questions to learn more about their peers.

Active Listening

Discuss the importance of active listening in building connections with peers. Encourage students to practice active listening skills by having a partner share a story and then summarizing what they heard.

Explain what active listening is and why it is important. Model active listening skills and provide examples of how to summarize what someone has said.

Shared Experiences

Have students share an experience or interest that they have in common with someone in the class. Encourage them to discuss why they enjoy this activity or experience.

This activity will help students find common ground with their peers and build connections based on shared experiences or interests.

Appreciation Exercise

Have each student write down one thing they appreciate about another person in the class. They will then share their appreciation with that person.

This exercise will help students build positive relationships by expressing gratitude and appreciation for their peers.

Different Perspectives

Discuss the importance of valuing different perspectives and opinions. Have students pair up and share their thoughts on a current event or topic. Encourage them to listen actively and respectfully to each other's views.

This activity will help students understand the importance of respecting and valuing different perspectives, even if they do not agree with them.

Reflection

Have each student reflect on what they learned about their peers and themselves during the lesson. Encourage them to share one thing they will do to continue building connections with their peers.

Provide time for students to reflect on what they learned and how they will apply it in their interactions with their peers.

Closing Activity

Play a game of 'Human Bingo' where students fill out a bingo card with facts about themselves (e.g. has a pet, has visited another country). They will then circulate around the room, trying to find someone who matches each fact and asking them questions to learn more.

This activity will reinforce the connections students have made with their peers and provide a fun and interactive way to end the lesson.

Write down 3 things you learned in this lesson.

Have students enter three things they learned in this lesson. With this they can indicate their own learning efficiency of this lesson.

Write down 2 things you want to know more about.

Here, students enter two things they would like to know more about. This not only increases involvement, but also gives them more ownership.

Ask 1 question about something you haven't quite understood yet.

The students indicate here (in question form) with which part of the material they still have difficulty. For the teacher, this not only provides insight into the extent to which the students understand/master the material, but also a good starting point for the next lesson.