I agree that the first impression is the most important. The way that you introduce yourself and your material sets the tone of the class. The students feed off of the energy that we give. If the instructor is not enthused or excited about the material the students won't be either. It then sets the tone for all of the other courses that you teach because they are waiting for your reaction or response to that subject. Excitement is contagious, if you have it, they will catch it.
Carole,
We "sell" ourselves and our course with our first impression. We need to work hard to make sure it is a good one if we expect our students to be excited about continuing the course and learning what we offering.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Positive first impressions make the students more eager to learn and take on the challenge of a new class. If they were to start off with a negative view of you, the teacher, this will often carry over to their view of the course.
SHIVA,
I agree and when students feel they are not being treated professionally they will not respect the instructor nor work to establish rapport with him or her.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Harpreet,
This is a blend of the professional educator and a human facilitator which leads to students interaction and respect. This is what makes teaching as well as learning fun.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
All these things, body language, level of preparedness, and professionalism are important. I find that being yourself is important as well, because being disingenuous will undermine the trust that students have in you.
Strong confident instructor with knowlegde. Warm smile and telling them about yourself and hobbies will hepl to crack that first meet with the students.
Jon (Jack),
Right you are about the first impression needing to be a good one. The forms the foundation upon which the rest of the course is going to build.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Krystal,
So true. When this happens then it becomes an endurance contest to see if the students can suffer through the remainder of the course.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Tijuonia,
A warm greeting and smile really helps to set the tone for the upcoming class. By sharing the objectives for the course then the students feel comfortable with the class and you as the learning leader.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Pam,
It is a building process from there because it is the foundation for the development of two way respect.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
It sets the tone of the course and give students confidence in the instructor. Students may be disheartened from the get-go and will be harder for the teacher to reach the student.
I agree and would add that once you lose the attention of your students you have lost your effectiveness as an instructor.
Try to greet them as they come to class and once they are in class give them a run down on what the course will be about
I agree. a positive first impression is the first thing a student remmembers
People only get one opportunity to make the first impression; you must make it a good one. Making a positive first impression can be done by giving good eye contact and body language, dresssing professionally, demonstrating confidence, and showing enthusiasm.
A first impression is crucial to setting the educational requirments and learning attitude for the rest of the day. A first impression should portray to the students that you are a proffessional, knowledgable, and hold firm to the policies and learning requirments for each student that walks into your class. You also want to set a first impression that the students will gain a welath of knolwedge from the class and should feel eager to learn.
Carrie,
Good plan for setting the tone for the upcoming course. Through your dress and behavior you are showing your students that you are excited about teaching and sharing information that will help them to move closer to reaching their career goals.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Rochelle,
You use of the words first and lasting really demonstrate the value of being prepared for the first class meeting. Instructors are setting the stage for the upcoming classes and it is so important that a positive first impression is made.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Steven,
Good point because a positive first impression sets the tone for the remainder of the course. We need to be sure we are organized, prepared and excited about teaching our first class. From there on it is a building of respect with students.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
