Safe Successful Start for Adult Learners - Essay Sample

Icebreakers are useful ways to start a presentation or a training session. For the undergraduate college students, the most common icebreaker is for them to introduce themselves to the fellow students. The students can be put in groups where they are required to work together as a team. These groups make it easier for students to get to know each other better and socialize more. They get to learn more about each others character and not just names. Some institutions may choose to use icebreaker games in order to identify each students personality which makes it easier to form groups or teams (Knowles, Holton III & Swanson, 2014).

The second group is the registered nurses who work in a country-owned hospital. The first icebreaker is the introduction where the nurses get to know each other and feel more comfortable with each other. It also makes it easier for them to share ideas and relieve them from work tension. The group can come up with icebreaker questions (Knowles, Holton III & Swanson, 2014). These questions are short and help team members to relax and get ready to work. They are fun and provide a way for people to share something about themselves.

Every learner has their unique needs and characteristics while engaged in an icebreaker. A specific student or individual may not participate in a groups activities and therefore, they should be assessed and encouraged to take part in certain activities. Such a student can be given a task where they are asked to discuss their groups presentation to the class for them to be keener in the coming group discussions. Some students tend to be shy, therefore, they need to be given the chance to engage in different activities for them to grow fonder of people and interact more with fellow students (Knowles, Holton III & Swanson, 2014).). Such activities are not meant to criticize an individual but rather mould them to something better.

For the registered nurses, when it comes to the icebreaker questions, an individual is not able to engage in answering the questions. This could be because they are afraid that they may not get the questions right (Reece & Walker 2016). Another reason could be that they are afraid of what others might think about them. Such people tend to have issues with their self esteem. Therefore, they need to be encouraged to answer the questions without being afraid.

In both groups of adult learners, one tends to find different kinds of people such as those who dominate in group discussions. Such people are perceived to be attention seekers. They want to be heard often and do not give room for others to participate in a discussion. Most of these people do not give valid arguments. It is important to carry out balanced discussions. Another group of people one may come across are the unprepared ones be it in class or at work. They do not have any idea what is going on around them (Reece & Walker, 2016).

There are also the inattentive ones who tend to drift to their own thoughts during discussions, some stare at their phones while others talk to their classmates or colleagues when discussions are going on. Such people not only miss out on what is being said but also disrupt the concentration of others (Reece & Walker, 2016). Last but not the least, there are the disrespectful ones who have no respect for time, their classmates or fellow workers, or even their instructors or lecturers.

Introduction is the most common type of an icebreaker used in the daily life. It is important since it provides a chance for students and colleagues to get to know each other. It helps people who are meeting for the first time to relax and reduces tension among strangers. An introduction comprises of greetings and one mentioning their name (Wlodkowski & Ginsberg, 2017). Conversely, icebreaker games are important to the undergraduate college students since they are fun and bring laughter in the process. They help students come up with new ideas. Students are able to converse with each other in a more relaxed manner. Students are able to interact in a more open level than they do in classrooms. These games help students to be more creative and break the barriers between them. Students tend to pay more attention to each other during the games. Most icebreaker games are intended to prepare students to certain classroom topics which make it easier for their lecturers to explain in details later on (Wlodkowski & Ginsberg, 2017.

Additionally, the icebreaker questions are important to the registered nurses who work in a county-owned hospital in that they are fun and non-threatening. They help the nurses in making them feel relaxed and relieving them from tension. Through these questions, they are able to understand each others personality, characteristics, likes and dislikes. They also help in brainstorming to prepare nurses for the tasks ahead of them. An icebreaker question draws the attention of people and does not give chance for absent-mindedness. The main goal of an icebreaker question is to help those involved enjoy meeting each other (Wlodkowski & Ginsberg, 2017).

Work Cited

Knowles, M. S., Holton III, E. F., & Swanson, R. A. (2014). The adult learner: The definitive

classic in adult education and human resource development. Routledge.

Reece, I., & Walker, S. (2016). Teaching, training and learning: A practical guide. Business

Education Publishers Ltd.

Wlodkowski, R. J., & Ginsberg, M. B. (2017). Enhancing adult motivation to learn: A

comprehensive guide for teaching all adults. John Wiley & Sons.