Sharita,
Sounds like a great strategy to use. You and your students are moving forward in the course in a way that engaged them plus they are being prepared for making applications of the content later on in their careers.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I review carefully with students points on the syllabus and what is termed the Contract for Success. That way they learn what is to be instructed and where the pitfalls may lie.
Gene,
Good way to make the content valuable to your students. You are increasing the ROI for your students through the applications and examples you share with your students.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
The techniques I like to use to make sure students understand are fun pop quizzes. They do not know they are taking pop quiz. They know they are being tested in a fun relaxed way. This way I can work on their weakness and build them up without embarrassment in front of the class.
I go over the expectations then relate how I progressed through the steps, then I give examples of others, before and after.
AMANDA,
Like this approach because you are right about students tending to forget certain items such as due dates, etc.. This keeps them reminded of such things on a regular basis.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
In my short experience with the education realm I have noticed the students tend to forget what is reviewed on the syllabus and for this reason our campus does the "Day One Sheets". These contain many bullet points the students need to recall about the module and we encourage them to place these at the front of their binders with syllabus.
Maria,
You make a good point about reinforcing your expectations the first few weeks of class. It is important to do this because many college students have "selective" memories when it comes to course details.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Laura,
Good way to make clear what the expectations are for the course. This way the students will leave knowing how they can be successful in the course and then they can do their own planning on how to meet the course requirements.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
We will discuss this when we review the syllabus. It will also be documented on the syllabus and I will provide them a hard copy. I think we will be talking about and making a conscious effort to understand expectations throughout the entire class, particularly the first few weeks.
The first day of class we go over the syllabus and then what I consider “my rules†of the class. This includes what type of behavior is acceptable and unacceptable, what happens if they miss class, what their responsibilities are, cell phone policies, participation and attendance policies, and how they should dress since we have a dress code at our school. The most important information I try to relay is to be respectful to each other and me, to take responsibility for their learning, and to let me know if they need help or explanation of anything.
Anthony,
So true and this is why it is critical that you always conduct yourself professionally both in and out of class. So when new students arrive in your course they know that they are being taught by a dedicated educator.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Your reputation certainly will precede you in the classroom, just as it will in the boardroom. It is all about being a professional and taking your job seriously. If you seem disinterested or unorganized, your students will pick up on that and follow your lead.
Megan,
Good way to get the students involved quickly in a new course. You are asking them to reflect on what they want out of the course and this gets them engaged from the very beginning of the new course.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I utilize a powerpoint presentation about class expections and have the students do a short assessment (non-graded quiz)at the end. It seems to work based off how well the students do on the assessment.
Andrea,
It is important to revisit them throughout the course because students tend to wear down in a course and forget what the expectations as well as the outcomes of the course are. A reminder now and then can get them back in sync.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Expectation are reviewed the first day of class, more than one time. They are also revisted throughout the course.
Heather,
Like the way you start your class. Having a clear understanding of expectations and consequences goes a long way in getting students settled into a course.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Abdul,
Good way to get the class to understand the expectations, policies and requirements of the course to come. This will get them on the same level of understanding about the course.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I spend the first day going over expectations and the consequences. I allow the students to ask questions and provide examples so that they understand completely.
