First impressions can be long-lasting. Before you even start teaching, your students will have already made some decisions about you. Let your students know, from the beginning, that you’re interested in them as individuals and their progress in the class. Students tend to work harder and respond more positively if they believe the instructor is genuinely interested in their personal learning goals and success. Once your students realize that you care about them as people, you are well on your way to a rewarding class.
Katherine,
It is fixable if you will think about what the real problem is in relation to class management. Is it because of your age or is because of how you have set up the class. Once you know where the student challenges are coming from you can move to fix them. Do you have a routine so the students know what to do when they come into class and get settled? Are you clear in your expectations? Are you showing your student respect so they can in turn respect you? Are you being the learning leader in the class? Once these questions are answered you can then develop a plan where you can take and retain control of the class and the bumps should smooth out.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Ramona,
Yes, it does so we need to bring a good attitude to class each time we face our students.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I think I had some trouble with my first impression, as I too look younger, and am younger than most of the students in my class.I believe this is the reason I am having a bumpy start now two weeeks into the mod.HOW do I fix this or is it un-fixable?
You want to project a positive attitude, your attitude shows through everything.
Etibar,
Yes, it is and this is why it is so important to get everything just right on day one.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
First impression is about: how you look, how you dressed, smiling face,introduce yourself,tone of you voice,telling them about your experience in the field.important to show them you are here for them.You care about them.
Zach,
It is the foundation upon which the course will be built. It is critical that this impression set a professional tone for the students.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Etibar,
Yes it does. What are some strategies you use to make a good first impression.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
It is important to make a positive first impression because it will set the tone for the way the class will go with your students.
First impression is very important.Creates trust and respect to the course you teach.Improves retention.
Rico,
So true and so important to the establishment of a positive and supportive learning environment.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
You only get one chance to make a positive first impression. A positive first impression not only establishes your credibility but it also your authority as an Educator.
If this is not established, instead of teaching you will be spending more time trying to regain your credibility.
Kesha,
Good advice for all instructors to follow. We need to "read" our students when we are with them and then react to our read in a way that will keep them engaged as well as moving forward in the course.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Harold,
You have presented a very good balance in how you approach the classroom and your students. You are showing them what it is going to take if they are going to be successful in this industry. They need to see the business side as being as important as the artistic side if they are going to make in this career area.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
In order for students to respect you, you have to set the foundation from day one. This is very important for me as I "look" younger than some of my students, I have to establish authority and knowledgeable of the course content. I also feed off of my students - if some students are too quiet, I try to lighten the mood. In contrast, if they are too relaxed, I become more rigid.
It's important to be flexible because you never get a second chance to make a first impression.
My students studying advanced digital photography want to become photographers as their career choice. I dress and behave like a 'professional' and try to convey the impression that a successful photographer, although certainly being a 'creative artist' has to be a professional also to succeed business-wise and to be taken seriously by the industry.
Thank you for review Gary.
Foundation can be so overlooked, but you'll see them in the rest of the term, so better get it right the first time. Helping the students be their best makes teaching easier and learning more effective.
Brandon,
Good analysis of the value associated with a positive first class. This first class is what creates a foundation of inquiry and interest for the students so it need to be well planned and implemented. It can be fun but also should let the students see what they are going to be learning in the weeks ahead.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Well one reason that students and teachers both may not recognize is that you get a chance to emulate a student's new opportunity to learn. Where as some students have not done well in other classes, they can take the teacher's energy and performance to redefine themselves.
When students see teacher's early faults, they also start projecting upon themselves, and that's why less effective teachers make students feel worse, and dampen the learning environment.
Teacher's good first impressions generate inspiring learning conditions from the start where students feel they themselves are also much better, even if they are not. They separate from past learning experiences for new blank slates. Negative first impressions could also detriment good students with high expectations.
