Meeting for the First time
Please share things that you incorporate in your classroom when meeting student's for the first time. Items that may not have been mentioned in the module.
Hi Hope,
This is a great ice breaker. I am sure that the students have a lot of fun doing this and get the big picture when the yarn ball is given to the last person. This graphically shows all of the connections that exist between and among the students.
Gary
Meeting a class for the first time can be very fun and engaging if you let it. I like using a ball of yarn. I start, I tell something about my self and throw the yarn to someone else hanging on to the end, this eventually creates a huge spider web. We have to then untangle it and the last person has to pass it back to the person before him/her and tell something about that person. It gets fun and breaks the ice.
Hi Martin,
Good multi-sensory approach to instruction. This way you are appealing to the different learning preferences of students while keeping the students engaged in the learning process.
Gary
I use PowerPoint slides to go over course material, and make sure they have a good understanding of what will take place in the course. I also write up daily on a dry erase board an outline of the day's learning activities along with any tests or other assignments. I will also when going over new mateiral or subject matter with incorportate in class training aides that can be passed around to help the students understand that area of discussion
Hi Don,
Once you get a bit of information about your students what do you do next? How do you use this information to get the class started?
Thanks.
Gary
I ask student for intro's on the first day. I ask a few things from them,their name, where they are from,their hobbies,and what are their
expectations.
Since the first impression is always the lasting one. I believe the first day of class will give the instructor as well as the students the clear direction for the rest of the term. It helps you to build-up the rapport with your students.
Hi Daniel,
This is a great way to get the students settled into the course and feeling comfortable with the class structure. I am a big believer in having the students share a laugh or two as they get to know each other. This really helps to set the stage for the upcoming class.
Gary
I introduce myself and tell them about my background, knowledge and experiences in the field in which I'm teaching. Then I ask the student's what is it that they are expecting out of the class.
One simple thing I do during introductions is ask my students to tell me three or four things: The first is their name (what they prefer to be called), the second how they came to the topic we're studying (like photography or illustration), the third is the name of a favorite photographer or designer (if applicable), and finally a recommendation for a great movie to see or place to eat. I find this last question really helps to break the ice and relax the students. And it helps me to get to know them and their personalities. Sometimes I'll ask them what the worst movie they ever saw was...that always gets interesting discussions going. Granted this is not as practical with large groups, but it works great in settings of 10-20 students. It's also a nice break from lists of objectives, policies and procedures that—while important—can cause students' eyes to glaze over (especially if they've heard it from other teachers that day/week already).
first time meeting are always an anxious time for both students and insructors
Hi Robin,
Some things you might want to do when meeting the class for the first time would be, of course the introductions of yourself and the students. There are many different ways this can be done to set the students at ease and get them to talking. Once that is done you can do an activity that incorporates some aspect of the course into fun little ice breaker. For example, I have my students take a sheet of paper and fold it into an airplane. The students start to make excuses about how they don't know how to fold airplanes out of paper, etc. They laugh at their efforts so everyone is talking. We then fly them from one side of the room to the other. 95% of them won't go very far. More laughs and chatting goes on. I have each person go stand by their airplane. I take the 3-5 longest flying airplane owners and make them team captains. I then assign the rest of the students to one of these groups. I ask the captain to guide and coach them as they make another airplane. Once done we fly them again with each student flying theirs as a part of their newly formed team. This time 95% of the planes will fly 4 to 5 times further. Everyone is amazed at the difference in distance. Then I talk with them about coaching, teamwork and attitude and how that in just 5 minutes we were able to increase their plane flying skills by 4-5 hundred percent. This sets the stage for what we are going to be doing in the course and how we are going to work together for the next few weeks.
Gary
