Lesson on Day One?
In addition to introductions, expectations, and a review of the course syllabus, we were to begin our first lesson on the first day of school. This was in a secondary public school setting, and the reasoning was quite simple, it gave teachers the opportunity to set the tone for the school year on the first day of class. The post-secondary setting is somewhat different, while in some ways the same, but is it advisable to begin the first lesson on the first day of class in the post-secondary setting?
Hi Monique,
I like to do "ice breakers" with the class at the beginning after we have done introductions. Then I have the students do some activities that relate to the field and show them some of the things they are going to learn the coming phase. This way they have some fun, there is no pressure on them, but they get a picture of what is coming.
Gary
i think it becomes quite necessary to "break the ice" in post secondary education to set an imediate tone of professionalism.
Hi Earl,
I agree that an instructor needs to set a professional tone for the class. I'm not sure what you mean by "break the ice". Could you expand on this to help me understand where you are coming from?
Thanks.
Gary
At the post-secondary level, I may or may not teach on the first day of class. There are several factors that determine if a lesson will occur or not.
First, if the cohort are entering their first semester, I don't teach during that meeting. After going over the syllabus and discuss the course and my background, I will usually do a pretest to get a baseline of the class. I usually don't do any ice-breakers because those are done during orientation and I don't want to bore the students.
Second, if the time for the first meeting is one hour, no time to teach them.
Third, if the students are in their third or fouth semester, there will be a lesson that day, but it will be a light lesson and they usually get done a little early. I do let them know that this is the only time they'll get done early. This helps set the tone for the semester and shows them how important I feel their education is. Students expect this from me even if they haven't had me as a teacher - student's talk to each other and you'll get a reputation no matter what.
Hi Paul,
You have a very solid approach to how you handle your various class starts. You use much the same approach I use.
As always an instructor needs to be prepared for the class and the the "it all depends" factor kicks in. It all depends on the students and situation on how you decide to start the class. I believe this is the sign of a good instructor. Being able to read the situation.
You might want to think about "ice breakers" that are directly related to your class. I have developed a host of them that gets the students involved in the class from the beginning and have direct application to the course content. These are both fun and informative.
Keep up the good work.
Gary
On day one the introduction,course content and expecations is most important to set so they will understand the couse objectives.
Hi Bruce,
You are correct. The students need to know expectations from the very beginning of class so they can settle in and start to work on acquiring the needed knowledge and competencies.
Gary
