Great tips here and it is always important to remember that some stduents are overhwlemed during the first class and while going over the syllabus and course objectives - policies and suggested flow of classes, i try to look out for those that seem overhwlemed or might misundertand the points. For example, once when I mentioned that we needed to follow APA formatting on all papers - and mentned to try and not use ambiguous terms - one student replied that he felt like he was being censored. I then exp,ained why we use APA formatting (so we are all consistent and also scholarly work is clearer and more robust when we avoid ambiguosu words and use more direct or speific verbiage). That explanation helped him so much and he said something like "so rather than using the word 'hard" we might use difficult" and I replied - "exactly" - and it reminded me that his definseiveness maybe connected to feeling overhwlemed and not fully undertstanding
When selecting an activity for use in my course, I will provide students with ways they can work together to solve problems and come to common solutions. I now plan on implementing more case based studies which will encourage teamwork with their peers to help foster and develop respect for what each student brings to the class.
Great Course !! Many new things have been learned..
Setting the stage for success:
One needs to become a “ Instructional delivery expert”. Points to help me in this are:
- Keep in mind that the students have a “what’s in it for me” mentality.
- Give them the rational for learning the specific content.
- Give examples, & show examples.
- Describe & go over the syllabus in detail.
- Go over the course goals & objectives the first day.
- The first day of class will be to go over this & give the general sense of the course, & how it breaks down.
- Go over the requirements & expectations of the course.
- Be sure that all students are fitting in in all 3 ways, * cognitive, * Social, & * Psychomotor.
- My way to do this is to go over the syllabus, Do a psychomotor exercise. ( airplane exercise), & the measurement exercise. These are ice breakers as well, to get ghe students relaxed.
- Give the basis of course evaluation, as this is what the students are hungry to hear the first day. I need to be specific, go over all graded items, & the percentages of them. This is in Canvas, & will be gone over.
- Cover course procedures. How the class is structured. ( again, will go over in Canvas.). This will give them the order & methods of the class.
- My CID already has this, but I have established that no late work will be accepted, except for specific times, where it was discussed prior. ( this should not be an issue , as al assignments are on line, & will have due dates.
Sometimes the syllabus from corporate is not correct and that sets the tone from day one. I made a day one PowerPoint for new and existing students so they are aware of what the expectations are. We do an online Ice Breaker and look forward to being in person soon.
It is important to ensure that the main topics from the syllabus not only stand out, but are focused for the students' development, havig teamwork as a main focus can help students succeed in the long run.
It has seemed so far, being very early in my educational career, that most rule/policy violations stem from a misunderstanding of the "why" behind the rule or policy. Having an explanation ready has quelled debate between the student and myself over the perceived arbitrary nature of some rules.
It is important to be clear about the class expectations and Highlight key parts of the syllabus.
The section about late and missed assignments was informative! It's been something I continue to struggle with, so the approaches suggested are great and give me a boost in confidence about my late/missed assignment policy.
Putting mysef in the position of the student and deterining What is in it for Me?
I believe "ice breakers" are needed to bring the students together. I usually tell the students about myself and then have each student tell a little about themselves. This activity allows everyone to start talking and engaging. Teamwork is important and can be achieved when everyone feels comforatble. I truly understand that expectations should be clearly defined. A syllabus that is easy to navigate and is appealing certainly will assist the students in understanding the policies, goals and expectaions. This will aid in their success in the class.
I how to make the syllabus better for the students. I also took the yellowbelt training at my job and ICE breakers are great. Utilizing teamwork in the classroom as everyone learns different.
So far in this course I have learned that I set the stage for my students development in my class by setting good guidlines and by making rules and expectations clear. I also can contribute to their success in the class by providing a safe environment where they feel comfortable speaking with me and their peer.s
I enjoy learning from students why they chose the profession as an icebreaker. In regards to late or missing assignments, I do take late assignments, but sometimes students can take advantage of my generosity.
At the beginning of the course, it's always helpful to break up the monotony of rules and procedures, syllabus, etc. with an icebreaker activity. I usually incorporate information gathering from the individual student (for my purposes of discovering their likes and dislikes, how they learn best, etc.) as well as team activities so they can get to know each other better. When students participate in team building activities, I am observing which students step up as leaders and which students shy away from the activity. I like the idea of color-coding the pages. I use different fonts and font sizes for emphasis on my syllabus.
Late assignments are always a problem in any teaching arean. Reminding students in several ways and on several accounts that when the due dates are and the epectations regarding late work is necessary to establish boundaries and allow for studnet planning and success.
I have always felt my syllabi were thorough and well done. This summer I need to recommit to making sure they are a tool for the student to instill clarity and confidence about the course and expectations.
I really liked the importance of reflecting after a lesson is taught to evaluate the lesson's anticipatied effectiveness and what actually happened...what worked and what didn't.
I also liked the video expressing the importance of helping students feel confident in sharing ideas with the class even if they do not consider themselves an expert.
Setting due dates and clearly communicating them is vital in an online environment.
ice breakers help reduce anxiety in class
Excellent course. Students are more nervous than anything on the first day, so the icebreakers and eventually having them incorporate teamwork are great ways to get them to open up more to their peers and the instructor.
