Should you teach the first day?
The question always crosses my mind, I personally do not launch into the material because as a student I felt it was a bad practice, how do you feel about it?
Victor,
This is what adaptive instruction is about. You read the situation and then have a plan for keeping the course moving forward just as you did.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
i do the same. But sometimes i get a shy bunch that does not want to say much about themselves on the first day. So in that case i have to go straight into teaching. it depends on the crowd for me.
The teaching aspect should include an overview of where the student will be as he/she progresses through the material.
Salina,
You make a good point in terms of needing to read your students from day one and then adapting what you are going to do to meet their needs. Change is a constant as teachers so we need to be prepared to offer content in a number of different ways and at different times.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Teaching on the first day could have it's pros and it cons. I personally would prefer to spend the first class time to do an overview of the class materials and objectives, introduction, and build rapport with the student. However sometimes one can get a class of students that is eager to learn and want a lesson on the first day of class.
Dave,
Thank you for the kind words about the course. It is my pleasure to be able to share information that results in instructors that can share their passion for their field in an effective and efficient way. Your approach in opening up a new course is a good one because this way your students see where the course is going and how they can be a part of the learning journey.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
After the introductions, I spend the remaining time teaching "an overview" of the entire course; a synopsis at the 10,000ft view while engaging them with questions & answers - a quasi verbal pre-test. Incindently, this is a great course Gary.
Mark,
I think teaching on the first day is a good idea as well. I teach a block course that runs 6 hours so I like you need to get started the first day. What I do is to have introductions and then some ice breakers at the beginning of the class. This is a fun time where we get to know each other. Then I give a pretest that is fun to take and discuss. This gives me a baseline on the students and they get to see what they do and do not know as well as what will be covered in the class. This all takes about 1 hour. The second hour I give out the syllabus and cover course requirements, respond to questions and make sure everyone understands what the course is about. From that point forward it is on to course content and student growth. Is this a similar format to how you start your course?
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I teach at a school with 9 class periods per term at are 4 hours each. We have no choice, but to teach on the first day or there is no way we will finish the required material. I think not teaching on the first day is bad practice because it sets the tone for the term and students subconsciously lower the expectations of the course. There is no need to give the impression that class time is not valuable.
Mai,
Not sure what you mean by this. Can you explain further?
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Joseph,
This is a good way to blend the opening of a new class into the sharing of content. You are creating a foundation with this approach upon which you can build in later classes.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Dylan,
You have a nice balance of getting the students settled into the course but also having them demonstrate their current expertise level.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Raven,
Great to hear of your success with this type of class opening. This is how I have opened my classes for years and with good results. Students need some time to get settled into a class and to be hit with content right at the beginning can scare them so they need some time to share with each other and laugh a little bit.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Sometimes you have no choice. I teach a four hour class period and that is a significant portion of the total class hours. I try to make a clear divide between the introductory session and beginning material. I stick to a few general concepts since most students haven't opened the textbook yet.
I think it depends on the class. For English 101, I introduce myself briefly and then have them do a diagnostic writing, which has something to do with our final. Then I start strong the second class. For English 102, I introduce myself, have the students introduce themselves, and then go into the syllabus and a few key terms that will help them over the next few weeks.
Dr. Meers,
I also was concerned about teaching the first day. When I was in college, I can't remember my teachers actually teaching the first day. It was more so a "getting acquainted" class. We did go over important details regarding the syllabus, teacher expectations, etc. but there was not teaching. When I started my first quarter teaching, I was told that I had to start teaching on the first day. I found that difficult to do after going over other important information pertaining to the class. I created fun icebreakers to do also and incorporated accounting functions in those icebreakers. It was a fun way to get my student's attention while teaching them a few principles of Accounting. I have used this technique in the last three classes I've taught and it works well with my students.
Joseph,
My first day is focused on ice breakers and introductions. Once those are completed I have a couple of fun activities we do that gets the students involved in the content but without stress. The purpose is to set them up mentally so they will be ready to dive in the next class session.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
