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This diverse evening class of 30 adult learners spans ages 24-58, with a majority female enrollment (60%). The group represents significant cultural diversity with 40% White/Caucasian, 30% Hispanic/Latinx, 20% Black/African American, and 10% Asian/Pacific Islander students. Most communicate primarily in English (80%), though 15% speak Spanish and 5% speak Mandarin as their primary language.

Educational and Professional Background

The class shows varied educational attainment, with 50% having some college experience or associate's degrees, 40% holding bachelor's degrees, and only 10% with just high school education. Professionally, the largest group comes from healthcare (40%), followed by education (20%) and business (15%), indicating students seeking to build on existing career foundations.

Learning Preferences and Technology Comfort

Visual learners dominate (45%), followed by hands-on learners (35%), with fewer preferring reading/writing approaches (20%). Technology comfort is mixed: 70% are moderately to highly comfortable with technology, while 30% have limited tech skills, creating a potential digital divide in the classroom.

Primary Barriers and Challenges

Time constraints emerge as the most significant barrier (25%), aligning with the evening class format for working adults. Other notable challenges include assessment anxiety (20%), learning disabilities (15%), and tech literacy issues (10%). Language barriers affect 10% of students, and 5% identify as neurodiverse.

Learning and Career Aspirations

The majority (80%) are goal-oriented toward professional advancement, with 40% seeking career advancement, 30% pursuing career transitions, and 50% focused on professional development. This suggests a highly motivated group with clear instrumental educational goals, though 20% are also motivated by personal growth and enrichment.

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"What's Your Learning Superpower?" - Individual Learning Preference Mapping

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"What's Your Learning Superpower?" - Individual Learning Preference Mapping

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Activity Description: Create a brief survey that helps students identify their learning preferences while sharing their educational goals and experiences. This aligns with andragogy principles by honoring their self-direction and acknowledging their varied backgrounds.

Adult Learning Application:

Self-Concept: Students assess their own learning preferences autonomously

Experience: Draws on past educational experiences to inform future learning

Readiness to Learn: Directly connects to their immediate need to succeed in higher education

Inclusive Design: Accommodates the 45% visual learners, 35% hands-on learners, and 20% reading/writing learners in your class while addressing language barriers through multiple response formats.

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The first day of class presents faculty with an opportunity to create a sense of…

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"Wagon Wheel" Cultural Exchange Activity

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"Wagon Wheel" Cultural Exchange Activity

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Activity Description: Students form two concentric circles facing each other, spend 60-90 seconds answering discussion questions, then rotate to meet new classmates. Questions focus on building community by identifying commonalities and generating intrigue between students.

Adult Learning Application:

Motivation: Internal motivation through meaningful peer connections

Problem-Centered: Focuses on real challenges like "What's one work skill you'd like to improve?"

Active Learning: Physical movement and multiple brief conversations

Inclusive Design: This design is perfect for your diverse age range (24-58) and cultural backgrounds. It allows students to share at comfortable levels while building connections across professional experiences.

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The first day of class presents faculty with an opportunity to create a sense of…

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Activity Description: Students reflect on "the roads they have travelled in their lives" and share one thing they wish they had done differently, connecting how that different path relates to where they are now and why they're in this class.

Adult Learning Application:

Experience: Directly leverages their rich life and work experiences

Goal-Oriented: Connects past experiences to current educational goals

Self-Directed: Students choose what to share and how much detail

Inclusive Design: This design honors the diverse professional backgrounds (40% healthcare, 20% education, 15% business) while accommodating different comfort levels with personal sharing.

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February 6, 2023

Icebreaker activities aren't something you think about when taking your training to become an adult teacher.

If you've just passed your Level 3 AET, chances are you've spent most of your time on lesson planning and preparing for your new career.

But now your first day of teaching is looming.

You are prepared and ready to go except for one thing. You want your students to warm up to you and each other.

So, what can you do? Icebreaker activities.

A well-honed approach to breaking the awkwardness of these first few minutes can do wonders for the chances of your lesson's success.

When it comes to icebreaker activities for adults, you should choose your approach with care.

Adults aren't like children or sulky teenagers - a silly game can be disastrous. They are perfect for breaking the ice, but when teaching adults you would want to be careful choosing your game.

It's not very easy to coax adults into doing something they don't want to do, and a silly game will easily be cold-shouldered.

So which icebreaker activities can you use for adults? Let's find out.

This icebreaker activity is simple and allows you to learn more about your adult students, as well as introduce them to each other.

Start with introductions and ask learners individually what they hope to learn by taking this class.

You can also challenge their creative thinking by adding additional questions, such as what they will do if all their expectations are met at the end of the course.

Speed greeting is like speed dating without romance!

Ask everyone in the class to pair up. When you give the signal, they start talking for two minutes about something interesting that their partner has done. It can be adventurous or silly, as long as it's interesting.

When you give the signal (whistle or clap), everyone switches partners.

At the end of the exercise, ask each of them about the most interesting thing they heard.

This is a very simple exercise to learn more about your class.

You can ask them each to find an object they are carrying and tell the class about why it's special to them.

It can be something as simple as a wallet, necklace or hat. It's a great way to learn about someone else's life experiences.

Ask your class about the roads they have travelled in their lives and what would be the one thing they wish they had done differently.

You can follow this up by asking them how that different path relates to where they are now, leading all the way up to them sitting in your class.

This is one of our favourite icebreaker activities!

You start by posing a question to the class.

"If you found yourself stranded on a deserted island, who would you want with you?"

Ask them to choose three people.

Their choices will tell you and everyone else a great deal about them.

This is another great introduction game.

Participants must introduce themselves and tell two true things about themselves and one lie. They can mix it up in any order.

Later, others in the group try to guess which statement was a lie.

This game can channel creative thoughts and liven up the classroom's atmosphere.

Superheroes and superpowers never go out of fashion.

Ask your class if they could have any superpower, what superpower would they have?

Then, sit back and enjoy as they debate their answers!

This icebreaker is ideal when you want to start discussing something about science or mystery.

Three words is a very simple icebreaker.

You ask your students to write down the first three words that come to their minds after you say the name of a topic.

To relate this to your classroom activities, say the name of the topic you are about to teach and ask everyone to read their three words.

This gives you a great insight into how your class

You would know how your class feels about your topic - excited, confused, nervous?

This is one of the icebreaker activities that works well with adult educators.

Before you start People Bingo, you need to prepare a list of 25 different traits like:

'drinks coffee instead of tea'

'has a pet dog'

'has a tattoo'

Make bingo cards out of these traits and print enough copies for everyone in the class.

Hand them out and tell everyone they have 20 minutes to mingle and find a person with a trait on the card.

They must get their signature on their cards once they find a match.

The first one to complete 5 boxes down or across will have to yell 'Bingo' to be declared the winner.

This works best for small groups.

Give the group 5 minutes to write a list of everything they all have in common.

Tell them to avoid the obvious (i.e. "we're all taking this course").

When the time is up, ask each group how many items they have listed.

For fun, ask them to announce some of the most interesting items.

This is a great way of building team spirit and getting strangers to talk to each other.

Icebreaker Activity #11: "The one thing I am particularly proud of is..."

Divide the class into pairs.

Each person talks about him/herself to their partner, sometimes with specific instructions to share a certain piece of information.

For example:

"The one thing I am particularly proud of is..."

"The funniest thing i have ever seen is ....."

"The nicest place I have visited is..."

After five minutes, the participants introduce the other person to the rest of the class.

Icebreaker Activity #12: Time Capsule

This is a good exercise for practising reaching a consensus and for team members to understand each others' attitudes.

Have each member of the team list five items that they feel should be included in a time capsule that will be opened by another civilisation in five thousand years.

Each member of the team should then explain the reasons for their choice.

The team then determines which five objects should be included in the time capsule.

Ask each team to write their final choice of items on a flipchart and discuss and defend their choices with the class.

All of these icebreaker activities have the same goal. They aim to help your class bond with each other, as well as you as their teacher, and for you to gain their attention. Hopefully, you all have good fun doing them too!

Tags: "how to",adult teacher,help for teachers,help for trainers,icebreakers ideas,ideas for adult teachers,ideas for adult trainers,level 3 award,teacher,Teacher Training,teaching,tips,trainer,trainers,training the trainers,
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# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
12 Icebreaker Activities for Adults - Carlton Training

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Icebreaker activities are a great way to kickstart your new class and form a great bond with your adult students. You can't be too silly, but you can have fun!

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"Three Words + Future Vision" - Course Connection Activity

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"Three Words + Future Vision" - Course Connection Activity

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Activity Description: Students write the first three words that come to mind when they hear "success in higher education. " Then, they share these words and discuss what success looks like for them.

Adult Learning Application:

Need to Know: Helps establish the relevance of course content to their goals

Immediate Application: Directly connects to course objectives

Problem-Centered: Addresses their specific challenges and aspirations

Inclusive Design: Works well for students with varying educational backgrounds (10% high school to 10% graduate degrees) and different career goals (40% advancement, 30% career change, 20% personal growth).

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February 6, 2023

Icebreaker activities aren't something you think about when taking your training to become an adult teacher.

If you've just passed your Level 3 AET, chances are you've spent most of your time on lesson planning and preparing for your new career.

But now your first day of teaching is looming.

You are prepared and ready to go except for one thing. You want your students to warm up to you and each other.

So, what can you do? Icebreaker activities.

A well-honed approach to breaking the awkwardness of these first few minutes can do wonders for the chances of your lesson's success.

When it comes to icebreaker activities for adults, you should choose your approach with care.

Adults aren't like children or sulky teenagers - a silly game can be disastrous. They are perfect for breaking the ice, but when teaching adults you would want to be careful choosing your game.

It's not very easy to coax adults into doing something they don't want to do, and a silly game will easily be cold-shouldered.

So which icebreaker activities can you use for adults? Let's find out.

This icebreaker activity is simple and allows you to learn more about your adult students, as well as introduce them to each other.

Start with introductions and ask learners individually what they hope to learn by taking this class.

You can also challenge their creative thinking by adding additional questions, such as what they will do if all their expectations are met at the end of the course.

Speed greeting is like speed dating without romance!

Ask everyone in the class to pair up. When you give the signal, they start talking for two minutes about something interesting that their partner has done. It can be adventurous or silly, as long as it's interesting.

When you give the signal (whistle or clap), everyone switches partners.

At the end of the exercise, ask each of them about the most interesting thing they heard.

This is a very simple exercise to learn more about your class.

You can ask them each to find an object they are carrying and tell the class about why it's special to them.

It can be something as simple as a wallet, necklace or hat. It's a great way to learn about someone else's life experiences.

Ask your class about the roads they have travelled in their lives and what would be the one thing they wish they had done differently.

You can follow this up by asking them how that different path relates to where they are now, leading all the way up to them sitting in your class.

This is one of our favourite icebreaker activities!

You start by posing a question to the class.

"If you found yourself stranded on a deserted island, who would you want with you?"

Ask them to choose three people.

Their choices will tell you and everyone else a great deal about them.

This is another great introduction game.

Participants must introduce themselves and tell two true things about themselves and one lie. They can mix it up in any order.

Later, others in the group try to guess which statement was a lie.

This game can channel creative thoughts and liven up the classroom's atmosphere.

Superheroes and superpowers never go out of fashion.

Ask your class if they could have any superpower, what superpower would they have?

Then, sit back and enjoy as they debate their answers!

This icebreaker is ideal when you want to start discussing something about science or mystery.

Three words is a very simple icebreaker.

You ask your students to write down the first three words that come to their minds after you say the name of a topic.

To relate this to your classroom activities, say the name of the topic you are about to teach and ask everyone to read their three words.

This gives you a great insight into how your class

You would know how your class feels about your topic - excited, confused, nervous?

This is one of the icebreaker activities that works well with adult educators.

Before you start People Bingo, you need to prepare a list of 25 different traits like:

'drinks coffee instead of tea'

'has a pet dog'

'has a tattoo'

Make bingo cards out of these traits and print enough copies for everyone in the class.

Hand them out and tell everyone they have 20 minutes to mingle and find a person with a trait on the card.

They must get their signature on their cards once they find a match.

The first one to complete 5 boxes down or across will have to yell 'Bingo' to be declared the winner.

This works best for small groups.

Give the group 5 minutes to write a list of everything they all have in common.

Tell them to avoid the obvious (i.e. "we're all taking this course").

When the time is up, ask each group how many items they have listed.

For fun, ask them to announce some of the most interesting items.

This is a great way of building team spirit and getting strangers to talk to each other.

Icebreaker Activity #11: "The one thing I am particularly proud of is..."

Divide the class into pairs.

Each person talks about him/herself to their partner, sometimes with specific instructions to share a certain piece of information.

For example:

"The one thing I am particularly proud of is..."

"The funniest thing i have ever seen is ....."

"The nicest place I have visited is..."

After five minutes, the participants introduce the other person to the rest of the class.

Icebreaker Activity #12: Time Capsule

This is a good exercise for practising reaching a consensus and for team members to understand each others' attitudes.

Have each member of the team list five items that they feel should be included in a time capsule that will be opened by another civilisation in five thousand years.

Each member of the team should then explain the reasons for their choice.

The team then determines which five objects should be included in the time capsule.

Ask each team to write their final choice of items on a flipchart and discuss and defend their choices with the class.

All of these icebreaker activities have the same goal. They aim to help your class bond with each other, as well as you as their teacher, and for you to gain their attention. Hopefully, you all have good fun doing them too!

Tags: "how to",adult teacher,help for teachers,help for trainers,icebreakers ideas,ideas for adult teachers,ideas for adult trainers,level 3 award,teacher,Teacher Training,teaching,tips,trainer,trainers,training the trainers,
Next &nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp ›
‹&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp Previous
Back to Blog

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
12 Icebreaker Activities for Adults - Carlton Training

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Icebreaker activities are a great way to kickstart your new class and form a great bond with your adult students. You can't be too silly, but you can have fun!

# data[].attributes.headline
Implementation Tips for a Diverse Classroom

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Implementation Tips for a Diverse Classroom

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Technology Considerations: Offer digital and paper-based options to accommodate the 30% with limited tech skills while engaging the 70% comfortable with technology.

Language Support: Provide templates and sentence starters for the 15% Spanish and 5% Mandarin speakers, and always allow students to "pass" if they're uncomfortable sharing.

Time Management: Keep activities to 15-20 minutes to respect the 25% facing time constraints, and clearly explain the "why" before the "what," as adult learners must understand the goal or reasoning behind activities to engage fully.

These activities create psychological safety while honoring the principles of andragogy and building the foundation for collaborative learning throughout your course.

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The Role of Belonging in Adult Learning: 

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The Role of Belonging in Adult Learning: 

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Unlike traditional pedagogical approaches that focus primarily on content delivery, adult learning requires us to address the whole person, including their need for psychological safety and community connection.

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs: The Foundation of Learning Readiness

Abraham Maslow's hierarchy provides perhaps the most fundamental understanding of why belonging matters in adult learning. Before adults can engage in the higher-order thinking required for transformative education, their basic psychological needs must be met.

Malcolm Knowles' adult learning theory emphasizes that adults have a psychological need to be seen as self-directed and capable. However, this self-direction doesn't mean isolation—it means collaborative self-direction within a supportive community.

Without a sense of belonging, adults experiencing disorienting dilemmas often retreat rather than engage in the vulnerable work of transformation. My students facing assessment anxiety (20%) or those with learning disabilities (15%) especially need community support during these challenging moments.

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The Neuroscience of Belonging: What Happens in the Adult Brain

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The Neuroscience of Belonging: What Happens in the Adult Brain

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Recent neuroscience research reveals that belonging isn't just emotionally important—it's neurologically essential for optimal learning.

The Social Brain and Learning

When adults feel they belong:

Prefrontal cortex engagement increases (executive function, critical thinking)

Stress hormones (cortisol) decrease, allowing better memory formation

Dopamine pathways are activated, enhancing motivation and reward processing

Mirror neuron systems facilitate empathy and collaborative learning

When adults feel excluded or threatened:

Amygdala activation triggers fight-or-flight responses

Working memory capacity decreases significantly

Attention regulation becomes impaired

Long-term memory consolidation suffers

For my students with limited technology skills (30%) or language barriers (20%), creating belonging becomes even more neurologically important to prevent threat responses that impede learning.

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Designing for Belonging: How Learning Experiences Foster Community

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Designing for Belonging: How Learning Experiences Foster Community

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The "Wagon Wheel" Activity: Building Bridges Across Differences

Theoretical Application: The Wagon Wheel activity I've designed addresses multiple belonging needs simultaneously:

Maslow's Belongingness: Multiple brief connections reduce social isolation

Andragogical Respect: Adults choose what to share and how much

Transformative Dialogue: Structured conversations create safe spaces for perspective-sharing

Practical Implementation: With my culturally diverse class (40% White, 30% Hispanic/Latinx, 20% Black/African American, 10% Asian/Pacific Islander), the rotating conversations allow students to:

Find commonalities across cultural differences

Share professional experiences that build mutual respect

Practice the collaborative skills they'll need for group work

"Professional Journey Mapping": Honoring Adult Experience

Theoretical Foundation: This activity directly applies Knowles' principle that adult experience is a rich resource for learning, while creating belonging through shared vulnerability.

Belonging Mechanisms:

Validation: Each person's journey is valued and heard

Connection: Others see similarities in struggles and triumphs

Purpose: Individual stories connect to collective learning goals

For my students with varied educational backgrounds (10% high school to 10% graduate degrees), this activity levels the playing field by honoring life experience alongside formal credentials.

"Learning Superpower Survey": Accommodating Neurodiversity

Inclusive Design Principles: Recognizing that 15% of my students have learning disabilities and 5% identify as neurodiverse, this activity:

Normalizes Different Learning Styles: Visual (45%), hands-on (35%), reading/writing (20%)

Reduces Stigma: Reframes differences as "superpowers"

Creates Inclusive Groups: Students self-select based on compatible learning preferences

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Brene Brown estuda a conexão humana, nossa habilidade de sentir empatia, pertencer, amar. Em uma palestra comovente e divertida no TEDxHouston, ela compartilha uma percepção profunda de sua pesquisa, que a levou a uma busca pessoal para conhecer a si mesma e entender a humanidade. Uma palestra para compartilhar.