Team building activities?

[Kron3007]

I recently took over a field course that has a lecture component before leaving for an international field component (this will be my second year running it independently).  Some of the feedback In received from the students last year was that they would have liked to have some sort of team building activities to get to know one another a little more before going on the trip and bunking with strangers. 

I am not much of a kumbaya type, so most of these types of activities have always been uncomfortable to me (as a student).  I am thinking about doing some sort of informal thing at the beginning of each lecture and perhaps integrate some group activities into the lectures, but thought I would reach out to see if anyone has some suggestions. 

[mamselle]

Small-group seminar-type reports on, say, three different historical moments of importance to the place(s) you'll  go to?

Locating recipes by 2-3 small groups of students for each of 2 or 3 food groups, and maybe making them, for foods you may find there?

Report on indigenous people from the area, their clothes, housing, and musical, visual arts, or literary practices that characterize them? Their interactions in the last ten-20 years with more recent arrivants, or, longer ago, colonizers, and the results with those art forms or cultural practices?

Less formal settings--gathering in the library lounge or student union to start the assignments, send them out to go look things up, and a fairly short time limit to keep them on-focus--plus snacks and sodas--could set the right tone.

M.

[Aster]

What mamselle said.

The food sampling/native dishes cookout thing is super fun and interactive.

One of my colleagues does a show-and-tell class where he brings in a sampling of appropriate clothing/toiletries/medical stuff/electronics/etc... He puts out the list of stuff ahead of time, and has students bring in any items that they want inspected for suitability.

[bopper]

I went on a "Holy Lland Pilgrimage" with my church.  We had a weekly bible study ahead of time where we got together and learned about the places we would be visiting. That was great for background, but also for meeting the people that we traveled with. 

[Kron3007]

Looks like I came to the right place. 

This is a STEM course, but I can definitely use some of these ideas.

[the_geneticist]

Include a lot of small group discussion during the lecture prep class.  You could include questions about "have you ever traveled abroad before?  If not, what is something you are wondering?  If so, what was something you found familiar and something you found surprising?"  Build it into the discussion.

[Aster]

Oh man, if its STEM and something like a field course, you are golden for options.

I used to make everybody come to a local park and we'd practice dragging a giant bag seine around. I also trained people on other equipment. And then people were broken up into groups and told to practice with each other. Everybody brought drinks and snacks. It was great.

When I felt guilty about despoiling the local park, or the weather was lousy, I shifted everything to suitable areas on campus.

Having students do stuff like inventory and equipment troubleshooting is good delegation of labor. Get clipboards and make lists and instructions for things they can do ahead of time under your supervision.

[mamselle]

If you'll be traveling in boats or on trains or on other conveyances people may not all be used to, make the discussion inclusive, asking if anyone has used those forms of transport, and what they noticed/found out about them. How do you need to pack (for boats, with waterproof liners, for example)? What safety points should you be aware of (boats, again, never step onto the shore without shoes on...cut glass and stinging animals abound...)? etc.

If some students have been camp counselors, or gone on such trips in other settings, they may have experience in travel and lodging in rural/woods and non-US urban environments to share as well.

You could even make those questions part of the sign-up page, and conflate the answers before your meetings so you know who to ask to contribute information in the discussion, or who might be able to lead such a discussion if you break into small groups.

M.