First Day of Class
In some classes it is hard to fill the first class period because students are not always prepared with books or have read material in advance. However, it was very interesting to read how students will feel about the class if it does end early.
In the future, I will make it a point to keep all of my classes longer on the first day.
If you can keep your student longer on the first its very good but on some caes lake me i have a class back to back with only 10 minutes between ea class.
The first day of class is the most important day for that class. It sets the tone for the remaining of the time you have the students. They should be able to have a better understanding for what is important within the class and how you want the class to operate.
Tracey--
You are absolutely correct about the early intervention. Do you look for specific things like attendance problems or ????
Susan
I believe that first day students should leave class at the end of the day excited about coming to class tomorrow. I understand the need to handle the important housekeeping details,and always remind students that they have made the right decision in advancing their education. I try to give real world accounts of former students who have suceeded, by utilizing skills learned in our school.
Another thing I am always looking for is early signs of trouble. I am usually the only faculity member who sees the student on a regular basis, and student retention hinges on catching problems early and fixing them, before they become too large to easily fix.
Michael--
This sounds really excellent. Providing them with hands-on experience the first day really gets them engaged and excited. Great job.
Susan
On my students first day of class they are kept busy all day long. I first go over a brief introduction of myself and then orient them to the room itself. I then cover the sylabus and what they can expect for the next three weeks. Once this is done the remainder of the day is lab which lasts right up until the bell. The students are kept busy doing what they like, which is hands on learning.
usually the first two hours or so of the class is going over labs, lab assignments, handing out the books and covering the syllibis. The I will start the basis of the first lecture
I agree. Sometimes letting them out early on the first day sets the "tone" that they will get out early every day.
My first day of class is always busy filled with all sorts of things to do. First we have an icebreaker exercise, then I orientate new and returning students to class. We start in our lab where we orient the students to what is expected of them for the 2 hours they will be in lab every day, they have scheduled assignments and deadlines for those assignments. After lab we go to lecture where they receive a slyabus and their classroom schedule for the entire course listing Quiz/Test, homework other activities as well as their final exam dates. Our students know in advance that they are scheduled in class for 4 hours daily and the are expected to stay in class unless there is an emergency. We encourage them to try to set their appointments outside of the school hours as not to interrupt their classroom schedule. This is a part of our orientation. We try hard to instill the importance of being in school every day and on time we are trying to prepare them for the real work world in their new careers.
It is a firing offense if our instructors cut the students loose early on the first day. We expect the students to have a full day for several reasons: 1. They are paying for it 2. They need to be inspired 3. We don’t want to start a habit of them leaving early.
On our first day of class we have a program presentation and prerequisite web courses to keep them busy.
Students always ask about getting out early. If you were to oblige on the first day, that would set a bad precedent. It would have to be an unusual situation for me to release my students early. They may ask, but they already know what my answer will be.
The students need to connect with the material in some way in class on the first day as well as the class and instructor. Basically take something away that will give them a push to study and prepare for the next class. If they can not connect in the class they will be left to do it on their own later.
No assignment due--but the material generates interests and questions---especially from those who read ahead. I also do a quick overview of the materials about when we'll be using/studying what. The idea is to get everyone involved!
Steve--
It certainly sounds like you organize the first class to be interactive and provide academic value. I really like that you give them the materials prior to the first day. Do they have an assignment due that first class period?
Susan
My students are given materials in advance, but I, too, find they usually come unprepared for day 1. Also,if your students are anything like mine, they tend to want to leave early--even though breaks are scheduled. It does make it difficult to fill the entire hour. I have found that I can address this by giving some handout materials we can all go over together, adding a couple of short videos related to the class, and getting conversations going between the students. I get results that vary class to class, but no one goes home too early this way! I really like to stress class participation. If everyone is involved in the discussions from the beginning, I think there is less chance they will feel left out--and less chance they will decide to drop out.
