Acting I : Rehearsing

Now we're getting it.
     With an exception for the occasional off-day, the class has really started to take risk. It seems they are worried less about being right and more about having fun. This I attribute to partner selection.
     Last time, they all seemed to be flying around at the last minute, trying to find a partner. This time, after being with the same students for half a semester, they've latched on to those people with similar, or, complimenting personalities. Vulnerability is crucial to acting. It's hard to look in the eyes of a person you don't know. Sharing ideas can be anxiety inducing if you're intimidated by your partner.
For prior scenes, rehearsal were pretty unhelpful, as the general mindset was "alright, let's get this over with." This last week's rehearsals have been fun, active, and experimental. People are on their feet and in the space, figuring out problems and finding motivations.
     I'm curious if every acting class takes this amount of time to Ensemble building games are great, but sometimes just make the actors hate each other more. Is there a way to develop the sense of community earlier? They have to know it's a safe place. A room full of people who are just as eager to learn as they are.