How do we learn? Some activities to start your year

I've been talking to teachers about the start of the year. How do we begin? Are there any "getting to know you" activities with a difference?
I thought back to my own experience. As a child, I was often frustrated because I was made to sit in a brightly lit classroom and was made to look at texts that hurt my head (have a read about Irlen). When I became a teacher I became very aware that the environment in my class did not suit all my students. I tried to create dark nooks where children could hide, have coloured paper for writing and so on. I then realised that I was catering for children who were like me but what about the rest?
As part of my learning to learn study I created a questionnaire for my students. I wanted to know what I was missing about their learning preferences. I looked at examples online and thought about what would work for me and my classroom. At first, I created a paper form but as I learned about Google Apps, I created the following:


It became my, "go to" resource, to see how my children preferred to work. What I found interesting, is that many of my Year 5 students have never thoughts about their own learning process. They had never been asked, "hey, does this sitting at a desk stuff actually work for you?"
I found that this worked really well for me most years. However, there are some years that are trickier than others and some ages respond better to this than others. Be prepared to take a step back and reevaluate. One year, my closed in caves and nooks had to become more visible, so I used mosquito nets for my "quiet, leave me alone spaces." You can always introduce these ideas again later in the year as the class has gotten to know you and your methods better.

Another quiz that I asked the children to fill out was the multiple intelligences test. I wanted to see what each child needed help with and what their strengths were. We displayed our results in the classroom, to show that we are all different and that we all have strengths and that we all have something to work on (myself included). Some of the questions were tricky for my Year 5's, so I wouldn't use it with the younger children. There are some great resources that could be used with younger children, just have a look online. I found this lesson plan developed by Eva Hoffman, a little bit easier to use. I found that more of the children in my class were able to understand the visual mind map. Once again don't be surprised if your class struggles with this activity. After all, they have spent their whole schooling life focusing on the things they can't do.
Do continue to use multiple intelligences in your regular programme. When following a particular inquiry, give the students a range of ways to present their findings. The linguists in your class can absolutely write a report if they so wish, but what about your musical students? Can they make a rap and video it? Can your visual/spatial students create a 3D model? I have also found a resource that has sorted different iPad Apps into intelligence groups. I found this useful when coming up with activities that relate to the information I collected about my students. Think about ways to use those students strengths. By using their strengths, you can help to encourage students to work in subject areas they are not confident in.
As part of our learning to learn process, we also looked at what learning looks like in our class. I used a Y chart to brainstorm what learning looks, sounds and feels like in our room. This is a great time to discuss expectations. Does learning have to look like a class full of students with their heads down? Does it sound like silence or does it sound like children excitedly sharing their ideas? Ask the children about how we can all feel valued and safe in this environment? One of my main rules was that you can not stop someone else from learning. So you if you learn by discussing a subject then do not approach a person who is quietly working on their own and clearly wants to be left to it. You will be amazed by what the children will come up with. If you challenge their thinking and question their answers.

The start of each year is a time of possibilities. The children in front of you are full excitement. Use this time to really get to know them on a personal level. But most importantly? Enjoy them!