Student introductions
I usually have the students introduce themselves on the first day of class. I feel it is important to develop a sense of community in the classroom and it allows me to get an idea of their career goals and experience. I tend to ask them near the end of the term how their goals or expectations have changed after studying the subject in depth. This can actively guide me in my teaching presentation, or allow me to give individual attention to those in need. I am interested in how other instructors deal with this topic.
Hi TJ,
I have a similar strategy on the first day as well. We all sit in a circle and they say four things about themselves 1) Name 2) Major 3) why are they taking this class 4) Something fun and random about themselves. The students seem to like this exercise, especially the fun and random facts, because the they end up laughing and feeling more relaxed. It sets a good tone for the rest of the class.
I could not agree more. The more time you dedicate to get to know your students, the easier it will be to prepare your material customizing it to their needs, and they will also respond better to your teachings.
I always have the students introduce themselves on the first day. I ask what they hope to accomplish with the degree they are seeking as well as their future goals and dreams. I also ask them to tell the class something interesting about themselves and what they enjoy doing in their "off" time. By doing this I am able to customize my teaching plan to better fit what they are interested in. I don't change what I teach semester to semester just how I teach it!
Student identification is very important specially on first day. This will help students
to be easy in the class room & they will have a comfortable environment.
On the first day of class, I usually first introduce myself and give background information detailing my educational background, job history and hobbies and interests. I then allow the students an opportunity to share with the class their life experiences and also allow them the opportunity to tell the class "fun facts" about
themselves. I usually do this in the form of an icebreaker. The students really respond in a very positive manner.
I never thought of doing one each class, only at the beginning but it makes sense to do more often to get to know them better! Great tip!
I also ask them hat their career aspirations are and try to relate why the class is important to that goal
Julie,
Excellent quote. It provides clarity to the difference between "dreams" and "goals". With this information, they should be able to provide specific timelines, with each provided goal.
Tremayne Simpson
I write on the board, "Goals are dreams with deadlines" I give them each a card and then ask each student to make a list of goals. Academic, Professional, and personal if they would like to share with me. Opportunities always come across my desk and with this knowledge about them I can pass them along. I then give the cards back to them at the end of the program, and it is amazing to see how far they have come.
I also like to have the students introduce themselves on the first day of class. One way that I do this is to have them partner with someone else and they have to introduce their partner. This way they get to know someone else instead of feeling like they are isolated.
Kenneth G.,
This is an unfortunate series of events. In all casses, it is best to document student grades (usually in an electronic format) to serve as proof of grading, just-in-case grading must be justified. This case is worthy of being brought forward to the campus president, for further investigation (this is when grading documentation will be necessary).
Tremayne Simpson
I do not change the way I teach depending upon how the students introduce themselves at the beginning of the course. The course is presented the same way even though the students change semester to semester. In this way, there is consistency.
KGBishop
The goals can be conflicting. As an example, many people think that the Instructor must uphold the academic integrity or rigor of the scholastic work. Yet, I have seen times when the dean of the college within the university has overwritten a failing grade for a prime athlete on the university's football team. Here the academic integrity is gone and the Dean is/was to blame. But the Dean can make it impossible for the instructor to get another job at that same university. You may say to yourself that this couldn't happen. Well, it did ... it happened to me at FAU in Boca Raton. The student earned an "F" since he did not show up for the final exam. There was no excuse ... Yet I was made to give a re-test. The student failed the re-test (the exact same exam which was given before). This same student was even caught cheating on his homework submission of several Excel spreadsheet which captures the 'properties' of when the file was created and who created it. Even with all of this, the Instructor assigned grade of an F was overwritten by the Dean with a C. The instructor was never asked to teach another course for FAU ...
I like to do an ice breaker at the beginning of every class. I will mix up the type of exercise I use with them ,but it always covers basic information about themselves.
One thing I lay out on the first day of class, is a list of goals I have as their instructor. Personal goals that I have written, that the school didn't ask me to write. I want the students to know what my goals are as their instructor.
Wendy,
This is an excellent activity that can be used to strengthen the students' networking skills. Also, it enables them actively engage their perception skills, within a social environment.
Tremayne Simpson
Wendy,
This is an excellent activity that can be used to strengthen the students' networking skills. Also, it enables them actively engage their perception skills, within a social environment.
Tremayne Simpson
Wendy,
This is an excellent activity that can be used to strengthen the students' networking skills. Also, it enables them actively engage their perception skills, within a social environment.
Tremayne Simpson
Win,
Understanding the class dynamics and individual student characteristics, can prove to be an excellent asset for classroom discussions. For example, an instructor can always involve the "talkative" student to "spark" a discussion with limited participation or they can engage the resident "class clown" to inject humor, during a discussion that involves a difficult/controversial subject.
Tremayne Simpson
