First Day Activities That Work
I've been teaching for less than a year, but I've found that there are a few activities that have worked for me for every first class meeting so far, so I thought I'd share.
1) I make my syllabus review as interactive as possible. When I want students to focus on particular policies, I ask them to take turns reading these aloud and then I paraphrase them when the students are finished. I ask questions of students to make sure they understand my expectations, objectives, etc.
2) I use an icebreaker that students really seem to like. To begin, students break into pairs and spend 10 minutes interviewing each other about anything they would like to know: program of study, work, family, pets, hobbies, favorite music, food, etc. I ask them to jot down their partners' answers so they can reference these later. Then, we come back together as a class and the pairs take turns introducing each other to the class. I think this activity is particularly effective because it allows every student to establish a friendly connection with at least one other student. Additionally, students who feel shy or who have lower self-esteem aren't made to talk about themselves in front of the entire group.
3) I also use an activity that gets students thinking creatively and critically on the first day. (I teach a first-year composition class.) I break students into groups and tell them they will be doing a little group writing assignment. I give each group a specific audience (toddlers, business professionals, nursing home residents, etc.) and a specific purpose (to inform, entertain, persuade, etc.). Then I tell all groups that their topic is hula hoops, and that they have to create a piece of writing that addresses that audience & purpose. (One example would be: persuade nursing home residents to purchase hula-hoops.) After students have worked together in their groups to write this small piece, they come together and share it with the class. My students have a lot of fun with this. The activity establishes rapport among us, and it also illustrates different kinds of rhetorical effectiveness.
So that's my first day. I'm looking forward to learning other methods and activities that I can use to make other class meetings just as effective and meaningful as the first day!
Since the students I get are already familiar with school policies, grading scales, professional practices, etc. I admittedly sometimes gloss over those school rules on my syllabus. I will try those techniques with my next class - I realize I should never assume a student knows something already and reviewing polices might be beneficial
Great strategies Krista,
I also teach first year composition and so I think I might implement some of your ideas. The first day classes I have conducted so far have been positive but often I feel I don't accomplish much outside of covering syllabus information and introductions. I like your idea of having group writing assignments. That would give me a sense of students' willingness to participate and their abilities with the content material. Not to mention, like you said, the rapport building.
Hi Krista,
Wow I like your ideas! I use ice breakers and go over the syllabus. However, I like the idea of making the syllabus interactive. I usually just read and explain the syllabus. It's hard to know if they are actually listening. Thanks for the idea - I'm going to try that on my next first day.
Chad
Hi Krista,
Great first day! You have done an excellent job of informing your students of the expectations, requirements and policies of the course plus helped them get to know each other. I know this sets the stage for the upcoming course and gets the students excited about what they will be learning. Keep up the good work.
Gary
Icebreakers are a good form to get students to interact with one and other, it also provide me with a basic knowledge of my students.
