First Day
As an instructor, I have always made an effort to get to know my students. I take time at the first of the quarter to learn their names and background. As a student I felt that the instructor was trying to show he or she cared. As an instructor, I feel the same way, I am trying to show that I care about them in a personal way. I think this goes a long way in helping students feel comfortable with the instructor and class setting.
Hi, I to have a difficult time remembering names with a new class. On the first day pictures are taken because our students where an ID badge while on campus. I always ask for a copy of the master page with their faces and names are on it so on the first time in class I can call names and look at the student and make the engagement more personel.
Hi Scott,
Good plan for getting the students settled into the course. They need to feel that they are a part of the class and then they can build on that to acquire the needed course content.
Gary
A class that is arranged in a way that reinforces what the student thinks his learning experience should be is the first step to his feeling comfortable in his new atmosphere, followed by knowledgeable and motivated instructor.
Once im through the "first impression" part I try to reinforce it, making them comfortable by greeting them at the door and learning their names.
Hi David,
What a great day to get everyone comfortable with the class and each other. All students want to know if they are going to be accepted into the class and with your approach they know it. I am sure you have much success with this approach.
Gary
The first day is the most important day for both the instructor and the new student.I greet every student at the door, introduce myself, shake their hands and call them by their names. They have name badges on and it somewhat easy to call their names. When in the classroom, they are a bit spread out and more difficult to read their badges. I walk around the room, meet with each student and ask who they are, where are they from, what sort of hobbies do you have and what do you want to be if/when you grow older. This is a great first day, and we really take the time to get to know a little bit about each other and we really don't go into the ciriculum at all the first day.
Hi Lakithia,
What has been your biggest challenge in getting to know and supporting your students in an online setting?
Gary
I make the same effort with my students. I do think that it ease students fears and boost their confidence. It is important more so in the online community for instructors to get to know the students on a personal level and also make the students feel like you are there to make sure they succeed.
Hi Dina,
I agree with you about the use of name tents. I use them in my courses and they are very effective in helping me and other students get to know each other.
Gary
Learing names can be challenging, but it certainly is important. I agree, as a student I liked it when my instructors knew my name. I want to provide that same experience to my students. I have students make name tents the first day of class. I feel like this is a childish activity, and I hear some students grumble at the request. However, it is an effective tool for me. I think in the end students know that it is a genuine attempt to learn names, and it demonstrates at the beginning of the quarter that I am interested in the students as individuals.
Ditto...I usually try to "sprinkle" these through my classes as well.
I teach large classes and always had a hard time with names. Once I learned a few ways to help remember names and elicit some personal information from each student, I felt I was more able to connect with each of the students and I found I was more likely to use their name often. I am sure this simple acton has made a big difference in my classes.
Kristi Meyer
Hi Erik,
This is a very good way to keeping the students talking with each other and getting familiar with the class. Ice breakers are fun and useable anytime in the course.
Gary
I would have to agree on the ice breaker activities, they definitly encourage a more positive learning enviroment.And also helps the instructor to develope some sort of personal connection with each student.
Depending upon the length of the class period, I often spend nearly the entire first day on simply getting to know each other. Then, I incorporate small ice-breakers and getting to know each other activities at the beginning of each class for the first few weeks, and then sprinkled in occasionally throughout the rest of the quarter just to mix it up a little and to reestablish connections.
I do the exact same thing. I go around the room and ask what they are doing there, what got them to this point, their name and their favorite food. This typically gets the dicussion going between me and all the other students. I think it helps break the ice.
