Note to educators: if you have a “thing” you do that you love (critical inquiry, exit tickets, think-pair-share, etc.) there are some students who react “not this again.” They may not express it, but they feel it, and they don’t (cognitively) engage with it.
When I taught computer courses, I’d have students start with a word processing file and write their names on the first line, then explore changing fonts, colors, etc. while I walked around learning their names.