Meeting students for the first time can be intimidating for both parties. By employing strategies that make you human and approachable set the stage for collaborative learning environment. This allows the student to 'buy in' to the information presented and accept the knowledge as an integral part of their career goals.
It’s important for instructors to get to know their students as much as possible to gain a better understanding of they learn.
That it helps to be human as well as an instructor so students can relate more to the content you are delivering to them, as its presented through a human being itself.
How should the students feel as they leave the first class?
The students need to have a sense of comfort about their ability to succeed in the course and about continued progress toward their career goals.
I like the thought of getting to know each other. I think that makes us as instructors more approachable, and in turn gives us insight to the new students.
As much as people don't like icebreakers, finding get-to-know-you activities that are unique and engaging can make a big difference in student comfort and success.
Introducing yourself and allowing the students to introduce themselves can ease the anxiety they may have with starting a new class.
I learned the importance of explaining the course expectations, meeting times, and how the students can contact me.
I have learned that motivating the students is a very important part of being a teacher.
I love to help students get to know each other but let them learn about me as well. Something as simple as asking who has a dog or cat can break the ice before we dive into our work for the day!!!
It's important to learn about your students, their learning styles, and backgrounds.
have an engaging first day
This is something I strongly agree with. I make it a point to try to know my students. This makes it easier to keep them interested because I can identify something in their life that will benefit from them graduating.
the three levels are level of the head, level of the heart and level of the gut and pretests give students an idea of what is going to be covered in the course.
Learning the students names and preferred names is important and should be done as soon as possible.
Learning the students' names and getting a sense of where they are coming from will help with interaction with them and the material. Personalizing the points bouncing off the comments and ideas to generate a learning environment
I learned a few new ways to enable the students feel at ease and hopefully be more confident in the skills they will learn and develop.
Sharing my experience establishes my expertise. Having students share their experiences allows me to get to know the students and establish a baseline for student knowledge.
Getting to know the students and letting them get to know you and the other students helps create a more welcoming and relaxed learning environment.
Should a class time be longer than 2 hours- have an interactive activity planned for students. It is positive for students to feel like they can rely on each other.
Learn names (and pronounce them correctly) ASAP. Show students that you care about their learning and provide a sense of belonging and ability to succeed in class.
