Introductions with low stakes
One of my classes is very short (eight sessions), so I don't have a lot of time to do long introductions. When teaching Game Audio, I ask each student three things:
1) Their name
2) Their interest in the subject
3) Their favorite game
The second is not nearly as useful to me as the the third. I found early on that if I only asked them their name and their favorite game, some would attempt to impress me with a critically-acclaimed game, which doesn't tell me as much about them as what they really enjoy in their spare time.
The hope from this is that I receive a window into their motivation and how they view the subject in general. With the second question in place, they get the "impress the teacher" out of the way there, allowing for a more casual answer for the third question.
Admittedly, this is something I have learned from practice, but are there further ways I can improve this?
I normally ask my studio art students about their interest in the particular course or media, although it is usually part of a degree track requirement. I will consider asking them what their favorite art historical work or visual artist is.
I am very grateful for all exchange of ideas in this forum.
Thanks
I do something similar to this activity on my first day as well. I find it helps me identify some of the personalities in the group (e.g. the spotlight grabber, the wall flower). Getting this impression helps me as I guide group discussions throughout the course.
Paramjit Kaur,
This foundational information is so important to have so you can do your instructional planning for the students. From there on it is a matter of building upon this information as you earn the respect of your students and developing rapport.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I like to ask my students there name ,why they chose
nursing and where they would like to work .From this i get to know what the student is interested in ,and how much knowledge they have about nursing and the scope .
Rob,
Thank you for this information and strategy. I know it will be helpful to other instructors that are teaching in similar situations. Great way to get a course off to a quick start and gain the information you need.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
