Get Your Students Hired
I play tunes in the background and smile and joke alot in the 1st morning of class. I try to talk about sports games the night before... just to make them feel at-home.
Very true. In my college I do the orientations. Most of our students are adults returning to school after about fifteen years or so out of school. They are so nervous that if you shake their hand, the hand is cold and clammy. Body language that conveys openness, a welcoming invitation to school, the places people before rules and regulations, is what students need to help their minds embrace school. We know that the brain is ready for danger and when danger appears, the mind no longer is able to focus on rational things. Anxiety prevents one from being rational. Fear of the unknown has to be conquered as best as it can.
This is true. What is most disconcerting to everyone is when a person asks "How are you doing," and really doesn't wait for an answer.
My school is multicultural and where I once was very free with hand shakes and hugs, I have begun to be more careful. I find that in some religions people do not shake hands. In fact, we have an employee who does not shake hands. Touching another person is not seen as acceptable. I guess the best thing is to use the best judgment one can, but there are cultural factors involved in this area of body contact.
The First Impression can be improved by paying real attention to students. A student knows whether you have set aside everything else and they know if you truly believe that they are important to you. I try to make certain that every student that I see feels that he or she is the most important person to me at that time. I focus my attention and give the student one hundred percent of my thinking, feeling, and believing. In the those first moments, you are building trust with the student.
The thing that works for me is being approachable. If the the students feel that they can approach you and communicate on a one to one level, they will generally have a good first impression of you.
I try to be there as my students file inand welcome them in for the day. I always ask hows it going
To make a better first Impression, you should always smile and greet the students as they arive and welcome them to class.
Warm greeting, Enthusuastic attitude, good classroom preperation, profesional appearence.
Glen,
To smile and great at the door on the first day is important, but doing that every day is just as important. We are very transparent and students can see if we are meaningful in our actions or not.
Joseph,
I agree we can all make a better impression with our students in several ways. You are doing an excellent job with the presentation to students each morning. A humorous line or story is a great way to set the tone for the day. Another great way to set the tone for the day is to ask students for “great things”. I start each of my meetings and classes with “great things”. Simply ask students to share something great that has occurred in the past few days. You may ask students to write this and keep a journal over the term, but I would suggest that you have a few of the students share their “great things” with the rest of the class. This really set a positive tone for the class.
Present yourself in a professional manner, the same way you would want them to carry themselves.
I think body language is very important in first impressions. When meeting a new class, I try to be relaxed, smiling all over, and greet them with a big wave and welcoming words. I want to convey that I am heppy to be with them.
At the campus which I instruct, many of the instructors do a meet and greet at the begining of the day at the classroom door. During this time, I and other instructors use this opportunity to form that instant positive first impression every day.
Speaking in a general sense I believe we can all make a better impression with our students by appearing upbeat no matter what is going on when class starts...Greet the students with a smile and a hello. Dress professionaly and look neat...students take a lot of cues from our body language, not just our spoken words.
I always place the correct date on the board. I list the days lessons, activities, labs etc.
I will often use symbols incorporated with the words listed to express a point and also get the students attention. (an example would be the use of a ground symbol on the bottom of my electrical terms)
Starting off with a humorous line or story can also set the tone for the day.
A quick recap of yesterdays successes can also be a good first impression motivator for the start of a new day. This can help keep a class fresh as time goes on...keep them guessing and on their toes...Always leave them wanting more even first thing in the morning....