You are giving them your professional background which helps them get to know you and see where you are coming from when teaching them as the weeks progress. You also learn something about them which also aids you in reaching them as individuals.
I am building a foundation for communication.In
simple introductions we are getting to know each
other formally and openning dialog for future
discussions which will be part of the learning experience.
You have the chance to let you students get to know you and you to get to know your students who will be with you throughout the course.
This is important because you are/will be a huge role model and mentor to those individuals. Knowing the students by name is one of my goals by the end of the first day. Sometimes that can be the difference between them doing their all and them doing just enough to pass the class.
I am accomplishing a relationship between myself and that student. I do my best to give as much one on one time with a student as possible in any given week. They are a person, not a student number or a gain in our college's financial situation. My first goal is to have solid introductions.
Set the foundation. . .
I find that introductions provide opportunity to place a name with a face regarding the students and it gives me a chance to find out what the students personal educational goals/objectives are.
By introducing myself, I try it communicate my passion for the subject matter and how the subject matter had benefitted me in my career endeavours. It also shows the student that my experiences in my particular field are well suited to assit them in acheiving their goals in the class.
I also find that showing the student that you want to pronounce their name correctly during introductions helps reinforce the fact that I have and interest in the sutdent as a an individual and not just another student.
With proper introduction of yourself and that of your students to the entire class it accomplishes an array of things.
1. It opens a gate for students to engage with other's in their cohort, learn other students backgrounds, names cultures and commonalities etc.
2. It helps everyone in the room to feel more comfortable. Its hard to talk openinly in front of people that you feel are strangers. A brief and open forum of introductions helps break the ice and lets the students gauge for themselves that others are nervous and human too.
3. It gives the students and instructor a sense of belonging and commonality. It gels the group together. Its important for the structure of the course to maintain some form of cohesiveness. the best way to do this is in the very beginning.
4. It helps everyone hear names of the students. Everyone knows how embarrasing it is to forget a student or fellow classmates name. This gives them a way to hear the names of others without having to formally ask.
A game I like to play is the name game on my first day of class. I take a rubber ball, toss it to a student, they say their name and toss it to another student, that student thinks of an adjective to describe themselves that begins with the other persons name, then states their name and throws the ball to the next student.
Its fun and interactive.
Does anyone have any good first day introduction games that they would like to share?
