The Syllabus is the Ice Breaker
Hello Everyone,
The one thing I learned as a student, was to pay special attention to the syllabus. The syllabus was not only the guide for the entire class, but when used properly, it was also a great way for the instructors to get to know their class.
One way I like to break the ice, is to treat the reading of the syllabus as a question and answer session.
I.e. "yes if you have a medical emergency, and you communicate with me, I will be more than happy to work with you"
OR
I.e. "no, turning in the homework the day after the grades are posted will not help. Neither will the sad face you put in your email asking for an extension".
I love your approach to getting to know your students and using a valuable tool like their syllabus, thank you I will definitely will be using this idea.
Tommy,
Like your approach in showing the value of the syllabus and how it will be used by the students during the course. The more they see it as a guide the more they will review and use it.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
