First class how many days

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Athlete Of The Week. Blanketing the Valley. Dancing with the Stars of the 'Burg. Election Results. National Results Map. Contact Us. Meet the Team. Advertise With Us. VA Job Connections. WHSV Careers. Whether inside or outside the classroom, let students know that you are ready to talk with them: smile, nod, make eye contact, chat, whatever suits your style.

Shake Hands. This simple gesture is powerful. In a large class, greet a few. You will find that those who are welcomed are more ready to respond in class. Have Students Meet. Have students greet someone else in the class.

Even if this ritual takes only 30 seconds, you should find that your class warms up considerably. Add some fun: have students use greeting rituals from various cultures, or ask students to create and lead the daily greeting no embarrassing tricks allowed. Social Ice Breakers. Greeting the students as they enter the classroom communicates approachability. Franticly arriving right on time or even late communicates disorganization, and so on. Introduce yourself effectively Your introduction should be succinct, but make sure to cover certain key areas.

These questions should help you decide what to say: What characteristics do you want to convey about yourself? What will you need to say to convey those characteristics? Consider talking about your research interests as they relate to the course, in order to establish yourself as an authority, and to make to course more relevant. Talk about the best ways to reach you e. What do you think students are trying to figure out about you? In addition to the categories above, students are likely trying to determine whether you are a harsh or easy grader, and how flexible you will be with deadlines.

What should you be careful not to say? Students do not need to know everything about you. Clarify learning objectives and your expectations This is probably the most important objective. Describe the prerequisites so that students will know if they are ready to take your course. Highlight main aspects of the syllabus. If you followed the course design process , you should have an effective structure for the course. Communicate that structure to the students so they will understand the decisions you made for the course and the reasons why you made them.

In particular, make sure to highlight the learning objectives, the alignment with the assessments — including the grading criteria — and the instructional strategies, the course policies, and the rationale for the structure and the policies, and the reasons for choosing the textbook or other reading materials.

Consider a quiz on the syllabus. To reinforce the point that understanding expectations is crucial for success in the course some professors require students to take a quiz on the syllabus and get all answers right before they go on with the course content. Blackboard can be used for that purpose. Explain your expectations for student behavior if they are not included in the syllabus including expectations for: punctuality seeking help when needed offering feedback when appropriate preferences for student participation e.

Share some advice for success in your course e. Help students learn about each other The classroom is a social environment, so it is helpful to start the social dynamics in a productive way. Icebreakers raise the energy levels and get students comfortable so that they will be ready to focus on the material, especially if you want to foster a collaborative environment where students will have to work in groups or dialogue with each other. Make sure that the icebreaker is appropriate for the course.

Icebreakers work even better when they allow students to get to know each other in the context of the course material. Provitera McGlynn provide a variety of social icebreakers some of which can be tailored to course content.

Set the tone for the course The way you engage students on the first day sends powerful messages about the level of involvement and interaction you expect from them.

The following strategies will help you set a productive tone: Whatever you plan to do during the semester, do it on the first day. For instance, if you plan to use discussions, have students start talking on the first day. If you plan to use groups frequently, put students in groups on the first day. If you plan to use extensive writing, have some kind of short reflective writing activity.

If you want the students to be in charge of their own learning, start with an activity where they are the experts, and cannot rely on you for information. For instance, in a psychology course on myths about human behavior, the instructor starts with a brainstorming of myths about student behaviors in dorms. The assignment is simply to make an appointment with you at a convenient time, find your office and visit you there before the next class or two.

This gets students to your office, breaks the ice with a short one-on-one interaction, and makes it much more likely that the students will come back for help when they need it. Establish a culture of feedback.