Quick Hits for New Faculty: Successful Strategies by Award-Winning Teachers

Chapter 3: The First Day

Chapter 3: The First Day Instructors who create a comfortable atmosphere that stresses active learning are likely to succeed in involving a greater number of students in discussion. Jay Howard 39 The First Class: Making an Impression Pat Ashton Department of Sociology Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne Right or wrong, first impressions are lasting impressions – and, they are generally accurate. So why wouldn’t we want students to have the impression of our course as an interesting exploration of important subject matter taught by a knowledgeable, enthusiastic, and studentfriendly instructor? Yet many instructors defeat this purpose by simply handing out the syllabus and letting the students out early. While most students seem to respond positively to being let out of any class early, on a deeper level, they are bound to be a little disappointed. Is the instructor excited about teaching this course, or are they just going through the motions? Don’t miss this opportunity to make a positive impression of you, your course, and your subject matter. While the actual content of what you do will vary by subject matter and your teaching style and personality, I would suggest that, at the very least, you demonstrate your enthusiasm for this course and its subject matter. Share with the students why you are teaching this course, and why you are interested in this subject matter. Enthusiasm (and the lack of it) is contagious. If students see that you are looking forward to teaching this course, then they are likely to look forward to taking the course. If your course design includes demonstrations, small group discussions, collaborative learning, other media, etc., consider including some of them on the first day. This not only gives students an accurate taste of what the rest of the course will be Right or wrong, first impressions are lasting impressions. like, but it allows students who prefer to learn in other ways a chance to make other scheduling choices. The First Class: Sharing Expectations and Concerns In my upper-level courses especially, I pass out 4”x 6” index cards to the students during the first class period. I use them differently depending on the course. In some courses, I ask the students to write down their expectations by completing the following phrases: From this course I expect…; From the instructor I expect…; From my fellow students I expect…; From myself I expect…Students then volunteer their answers and I write them under the matching response category on the board. We then discuss which expectations can realistically be met within the framework of the course, and who is primarily responsible for meeting them. This not only allows specific connections among students and between students and the instructor, but it also propels me to make modifications to the course to meet student expectations where possible. Further, I sometimes incorporate these cards into a final course assessment. At the end of the course, students must go back and reread the card they filled out at the beginning and discuss whether they met their expectations and how they did so. It is a valuable kind of self-reflection that I encourage students to do in all of their courses. In courses where students come in with some sort of dread (in sociology, usually the theory and methods courses), I have students write on the cards (anonymously) what they want to get out of the course and what their biggest concern is. I then collect 40 and shuffle the cards and pass them out again. The students read the card they were given and pass it to their left. They go on reading and passing until each student has read every card. Then I elicit common themes and put them up on the board. I find that this technique goes a long way toward allaying the students’ concern that “I’m the only one who feels this way.” This technique also allows every student’s “voice” to be heard. If I simply had a discussion in which I asked for volunteers to share their concerns, not everyone would speak up. But by sharing every card, everyone’s response is heard. This technique can be used as well in other situations in which it is important to hear from everyone – e.g., in a discussion of certain controversial issues or incidents.¯¯¯ Classroom Discussion Norms Jay Howard Sociology Indiana University-Purdue University Columbus Sociologists have long been interested...