The First Five Minutes: Starter Activities that Sustain Care, Trust, and Connection in Learning Spaces

This session offers practical guided examples showing how teachers can use the first few minutes of class to lead starter activities that foster care, trust, and connection, while creating a safe and welcoming learning environment and a sense of community. Participants will gain a toolkit of strategies ready to implement in their classrooms and other professional teaching/learning settings. The session emphasizes reflection, discussion, and practical applications and activities, ensuring participants can effectively apply these approaches in their own teaching.

Key Objectives:

• Provide participants with practical applications and activities they can immediately use in their teaching or practice.
• Foster active engagement and reflection by connecting personal experiences with pedagogical strategies.
• Demonstrate how interactive social exercises can ease learners into complex concepts.
• Outline the benefits and usefulness of starter activities, including key do’s and don’ts for effective implementation.