Students need to know that you are interested in them personally and they also need to have credibility from the instructor
I think introductions are such an important icebreaker for the students. I always try to make it fun by asking them about their favorite food, or what they do for fun in their lives. It helps the students bond with each other and takes some of the nervousness out of the first day of class.
Renee Bipes
Everything said here is true regarding breaking the ice. Additionally, I see something extra in introductions. An introduction follows a script or discourse. By using introductions, as well as other well-known scripts at the beginning of each subsequent class period, students and instructors have an opportunity to learn about communication with each other and can adjust their approach to suit each speaker or listener.
For example, one student may be from Nigeria. Nigerian English speakers are particularly challenging for some Midwestern listeners to understand. With some time and practice and especially when the discussion topic is easy and well-understood, these listeners can learn to understand a speaker with a Nigerian dialect.
Other speakers may speak quietly. We learn to listen to these people carefully and hopefully, the speaker will take our cue and make an effort to speak more loudly.
I believe that light topics such as introductions serve a dual purpose. Not only does frequent engagement in common discourse help break the ice, it prepares each individual to adapt their listening and speaking to enhance communication.
Basically it's an icebreaker, a way to let the students know who you are and what your all about.
Then when they have the opportunity to share they feel you care and you also learn who your target audience is to help you taylor fit your teachings. Each class is different.
I use this time to tell a bit about my background. More importantly it gives me an opportunity to learn a bit more about each student as an individual. I always ask them "why did they choose the school and what do they hope to gain from the experience".
Hi Brenda,
You are right on both accounts. By introducing yourself in this way and learning more about your students you are laying the foundation for developing respect and rapport with your students.
Gary
By introducing myself, I allow students to get to know a little more about me as a person. Hopefully, this will help them feel like they can come to me with any problems or questions related to the course.
By introducing themselves, students become "more than a name" on the class roster. This allows me (as the instructor) to customize my teaching to better fit their needs.
I get to know the students - I accomplish a few things - letting them know about me - and my background and experience - why I am capable of teaching a class - and then I learn about them - they tell a little about themselves - and also it is an ice breaker and sets the stage to build rapport.
I am not only introducing the course, I am introducing myself as well.
I am building a rapport between students and myself. By having an introduction of myself and students we get to know each other better.
I learn what students know and believe about the course and content at the beginning of the course. I can adapt my approach accordingly.
Hi Norman,
Networking as you know is so valuable in building a career. By making your students aware of the importance of networking plus helping them create a network you are offering them a career tool that will serve them well for years to come.
Gary
An critical outcome of introductions in my classroom is the future long-term networking that begins between students and the advantageous extension of my network with additional students.
Learning about each student gives teachers the chance to know each persons background and how they function daily. Useful information would be if the person has children and adequate childcare during classtime as well transportation to and from class. I usually take notes on each student as they perform their introduction in an effort to know them better.
Each group of students we receive has a varied background of experience and experiences, but we are all working toward a common goal of working through a predetermined process to be effective in their assigned jobs. Unfortunately, the target audience is usually in the middle of the group with very experienced and non-experienced students at the other ends of the spectrum.
When our students provide their introductions it helps us frame working sub-groups by pairing; stronger, weaker, and target audience groups together. This enables us to leverage their experience base to provide the best overall learning experience for everyone involved.
Lastly, if we are lucky enough to have a student list prior to the course each instructor learns the names provided before arrival and then improve on knowing student names after arrival of the students or our arrival at the location.
By introducing myself and having students introduce one another, I am breaking the ice, the tension that students feel when they begin the class. If they feel comfortable with the instructor and their classmates, they are more likely to approach the coursework with confidence, and to ask for help when they need it.
By sharing introductions you are providing a level of confidence in one another that the following classwork will be productive. Getting to know each other will also instill a feeling of being more comfortable in the environment.
Introductions can make the classroom feel more comfortable for both students and instructors. Introductions accomplish a rapport for the members of the class, that hopefully builds trust and open communication.
Introductions also show students that the instrucdtor is a real person and that studnets would be able to relate to that instructor.
Hi Barbara,
Way to get involved in the course with your students and start developing rapport with them. I am sure this gets the course off to a really good start.
Gary
When I first introduce myself to students, my goals are to establish my credibility, to model my professionalism, and to explain my approach to the course.
After this formal introduction, I participate in the icebreaker I have for the students to get to know each other and to become comfortable in the classroom. This helps establish that I do not see myself as being "above" the students, but that I am a partner in their education.
