It's so important to learn
It's so important to learn something personal about each student. It makes them feel comfortable in class, and give you a connection. The students know you care when you take time to learn something about them; therefore, they will be more motivated to learn from you.
It is very important to learn something about your students. That is why it is so important to have first day class introductions. It allows you to learn why they decided to enter that program or take this class. It also helps you get used to saying their name and becoming familiar with who they are.
Yes, I completely agree with this statement.
Hi Sharlen,
Good way to start a class and get everyone feeling comfortable, plus have some fun in the process. I am sure that by the end of the activity everyone is feeling like they know each other.
Gary
Hello, What a great idea to engage students. I plan to use it with my class. I am thinking about using it when we have individual class evaluations. I try to incorporate different activities that get students to interact with one another. As an icebreaker for our first class, I pair up students and ask them to introduce themselves and ask each others three questions:
· Name
· Major
· Why they are attending our institution
· Hobbies
· A little unknown fact
Then, they introduce one another to the class. It doesn’t seem quite as threatening and gets them to talking and hopefully, they will form support groups.
Sharlen
Hi Gail,
Yes, it is good to learn something about each student. As you mention understanding what they their future as being really helps as you see them progress toward the goals they have set.
Gary
Thanks, I will implement this with my new class...what a good idea!!
I totally agree,it's important to get to know something personal about each student. I like to find out what my students plan to do once they receive their nursing licenses, are they continuing their education, and what their short and long time goals are.
Hi Christopher,
I like the way you start a new class. Sounds like it gets the students settled in and comfortable. As you say you get some interesting responses with
Question 3. These responses are of help to you as you mentioned plus it keeps you from getting bored I am sure so you get responses that contain a wide variety of information. It certainly isn't boring for sure.
Gary
This is something that I take very seriously. I spend a lot of time getting to know about my students, and they really respond when I ask them questions about things in their lives.
I find it's very effective to find out what my students' hobbies and interests are and ask them about them from time to time. I strongly believe that small amounts of class time spent occasionally on discussing hobbies, interests, family, or other personal issues can be just as important as time spent learning class material. It shows the students that you care about them as people, and I think that tends to foster an open and mutually respectful learning environment.
I really is important to learn about your students. I give each student an index card on the first day of class. I ask them to write three things on it:
1. What do you hope to learn in this class?
2. How will you use this information in your career?
3. What's one important thing I should know about you?
For the last question I give them some hints, i.e. I have a learning disability, I like to work in groups, I have to get the kids off to school and if the bus is late I will be late for class, etc.
By asking them the last question I've learned some interesting things about my students and how they learn and as a result have a variety of methods by which they can demonstrate what they've learned in class, i.e. some can opt to take a paper and pencil test some in a objective format and some in a subject format, some opt to do a presentation to a smaller select group of students who also prefer this method of assessment.
Hi Mike,
Thanks for sharing this example of even though the course was online instructors can develop rapport with their students.
Gary
I couldn't agree more. I had an online student last quarter that was travelling to Ireland. I was able to offer some suggestions for her trip which really established rapport between us.
