Starting
A Course
Break the Ice
The
first day of class is usually spent in part by getting acquainted and
establishing goals. Ice breakers are techniques used at the first session
to reduce tension and anxiety, and also to immediately involve the class
in the course.
New Students, New Semester, How to Remember Names and Faces
It's
the first day of a new semester. In addition to the enthusiasm and optimism
inherent in a new beginnings, we as teachers also must confront a humbling
task: how to learn the names and faces of the 20 to 40 unfamiliar students
expectantly sitting before us. It has seven steps.
Magically "Learn" Students' Names In Minutes
Remember
students’ names at the first class meeting by card trick.
The Name Game
Make
learning names a game.
The
Most Important Day: Starting Well
The first day of class is a very important time for faculty to establish
a tone for what will happen the rest of the term. It is appropriate
that a teacher reflect on just what climate and first impression she/he
would like to establish. This article offers some ideas about that all
important day.
First Day Of Class: What Can/Should We
Do?
What
can we do on the first day of class? What should we do? One common answer
is simply to start lecturing: "This is day one, here is lecture
one, away we go." Another possibility is: "Here is the syllabus,
go buy your books and we will see you at the next scheduled class period."
Neither of these two options seems desirable. But what are some other
possibilities?
The First Day of Class
What
do you need to do in the first day of class? -----------This page also
has almost similar content to the contents of the previous pages.
The
first day of class
Meeting
a class for the first time often produces a certain amount of anxiety
in new, and even experienced, college teachers. Because the first day
of class is so important in setting the tone for what is to come, it
is crucial to think carefully about how you present yourself and how
you get the course established.
The First Day of Class
Your
first face-to-face contact with students is critical to the success
of the rest of the course. Initial impressions can be changed only with
difficulty, so you need to pay careful attention to your objectives
for the first day of class. In general terms, you need to accomplish
three objectives:
A
Welcome Routine
What
better time than the beginning of the semester to consider the importance
of welcoming students in your classroom? Of course, this is not to advocate
some kind of big group hug. Rather, good teachers use the normal patterns
of social interactions to draw students into academic work.
Welcome!
Welcome
They
do not expect faculty to pretend to be buddies but they do work harder
for someone who acknowledges that they are people. Depersonalized classrooms
can alienate students from the learning experience. We can send you
a short summary of Roger Ailes' communication studies on "first
impressions" and how we influence our students on the first day.
Things
to Do Before Class Begins: A Check-list
The
First Day of Class
Meeting a class for the first time often produces a certain amount of
anxiety in new, and even experienced, college teachers. Because the
first day of class is so important in setting the tone for what is to
come, it is crucial to think carefully about how you present yourself
and how you get the course established.
The First Day of Class: What Can/Should
We Do?
The
1st day of class is probably the most important day of the whole course.
What you decide to do on that day affects student expectations for the
rest of the semester. Here are some suggestions developed by a faculty
group at OU for what to do on the 1st day of class.
Brown-Bag Introductions
I
do collect those. It breaks the ice, begins writing, and starts description
and revision.
Creating a Course Motto
Here
is one way I use to get a course off to a great start, to build community,
and get students focused on being successful. I have the class break
into small groups, giving each group a list of 7 or 8 timeless wisdom
quotations that I got at the On Course Workshop. I asked each group
to choose from its list one quotation that would make a good "motto"
for the class. ...
Talk-Show Icebreaker
This
introduction to Broadcast Writing serves on many levels. First
the students must immediately think about their future. Next they begin
writing in Broadcast Style. Finally, they learn a little bit about
each other and how to pronounce their names. As an instructor,
I can immediately identify the students’ goals and dreams (large and
small). This also helps me to gently address the misconceptions many
students have about the industry and their immediate expectations for
fame and fortune upon graduation.
Why Do I Miss Class?
The
following strategy can be used by instructors of any discipline who
consider attendance to be one of the success factors for their course.
Schedule this activity early in the semester and it makes a great ice-breaker.
The time needed is approximately 45 minutes.
Getting Started
The
first day of a course may not determine how well the rest of the course
works, but it goes a long way. A good start can carry the instructor
through several weeks of early shakiness, and a bad one can take several
weeks of damage control to overcome. Instructors have come up with many
ways to get courses started - some effective, others less so. A relatively
ineffective way is to stride into class, announce your name, the course,
and the course text, and start to write differential equations on the
board. Following is an alternative approach with somewhat better prospects.
Give a diagnostic test at the begging
of the semester
One
biochemistry teacher frequently gives a diagnostic test covering knowledge
and skills prerequisite to the course. The test, which is given in the
first week, is not graded. "Its sole purpose is to help me identify
those students who need extra help so I can begin working with them
early in the course. The results are shared with the individual students."
134. Make a game of learning students'
names
The
first student gets off easy, since she has only to introduce herself.
The second person has to give his own name and the name of the student
before him, and so on. "I put myself in last position," he
explains, "and by that time I try to name all the students in the
room. I find that it is not only an effective way to learn their names,
but the game-like quality of it breaks the ice and helps to create a
sense of community."
Give a nongraded assignment during the first week
Giving a nongraded assignment during the first week of class. "I
enjoy reading their papers," he says. "It's a way for me to
get to know the students and to look at their writing skills. I can
identify students who have weak composition skills and refer them right
away to appropriate campus resources."
