On the one hand, I would like to jump right in and start teaching, to show that my classroom is about the business of learning. Start right away with classroom academic routines, set the tone, demonstrate high expectations, learn something concrete and significant immediately, don't smile until Christmas, and all that.
On the other hand I am inclined spend a little time getting to know my students, introducing myself, letting them introduce themselves, setting the tone that my classroom will be a nurturing, caring place, minimizing anxiety so that students feel comfortable sharing and helping one another.
If either approach were equally effective, I would probably go with the first option. I'll get to know my students over time, and I always hated those overt attempts to produce a positive affective environment in classes I take or in places where I work - you know, the icebreakers, the sketches, the company picnics or office parties, etc. And yes, I have had to participate in all of those activities in different organizations I have worked for.
I hate them, but they can be effective when the goal is to have people interacting with one another and working in teams. And therein lies the dilemma. My teaching style is generally geared toward group work and students working together. As such, it is imperative that they feel comfortable talking to one another. This doesn't happen by simply putting people in a group and telling them to get to work. The ice has to be broken and a non-threatening conversation about any sort of silliness is a good way to warm things up.
So my first day will include the usual introduction to the course followed by some silliness. We will do a little icebreaker activity with "Getting to Know You" playing as background music. I have recorded 15 minutes worth of music from 4 different versions - Deborah Kerr/Marni Nixon from the original MP Soundtrack, Bing Crosby, a piano instrumental version (Fred Hersch), and finally Della Reece. I'm hoping the tongue-in-cheek corniness of it all will be appreciated.
Of course I still need to establish some routines and set the academic tone, but I think I can do it through this little activity by treating it as a serious pedagogical tool - setting it up, establishing a rationale for it, monitoring everyone's participation, and holding everyone individually accountable for it.
UPDATE
After reading Annie's comments below I realized I had forgotten to give proper credit to the source of this activity. The basic idea came from Fred Jones in an article in Education World. It's also a nice discussion of the importance of icebreakers. Scroll down the article and there are several other examples discussed. This one is called Scavenger Hunt. I stole the basic idea but I made up the questions and came up with the background music.
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