The first day of class

The first day of class is the most important day in the whole semester or grading period. That is the day of first impressions, and first impressions – as the cliché goes – always last. It is crucial, therefore, that a teacher be better prepared for the first day than for any other day in the term.

Here are some tips from the bible of teaching tips, “Tools for Teaching,” the book by Barbara Gross Davis that is now online (http://teaching.berkeley.edu).

“The following suggestions, intended to help you get your class off to a good start,” writes Davis, “address the three important tasks of the first day: handling administrative matters, creating an open friendly classroom environment, and setting course expectations and standards.”

Following are her tips, some of which are applicable only to tertiary classes. These are all based on solid educational research. If you want details and sources, go to the website.

“Visit the classroom before the first meeting.

“Build a sense of community in the classroom.

“Address students’ concerns.

“Set the tone for the rest of the semester. Start and finish class on time.

“Make the time worthwhile.

“Expect some awkwardness.

“Write the course name and number on the board.

“Take attendance.

“Mention department course policies.

“Explain the procedures for the course’s sections.

“Review any prerequisites for the course.

“Define your expectations for student participation.

“Tell students about campus policies on academic honesty.

“Hand out and discuss the course syllabus.

“Invite students to attend your office hours.

“Review safety precautions.

“Review emergency procedures.

“Bring copies of the required texts to the first class meeting.

“Tape the session, if appropriate.

“Introduce yourself to your class.

“Ask students to fill out an introduction card.

“Begin to learn students’ names.

“Give students an opportunity to meet each other.

“Ask students to interview each other outside of class.

“If your class is small, conduct a ‘people search.’

“Break students into small groups.

“Encourage students to exchange phone numbers.

“Discuss the objectives of the course.

“Ask students to list the goals they hope to achieve by taking the course.

“Describe how you propose to spend class time.

“Give your students ideas about how to study and prepare for class.

“If appropriate, give a brief diagnostic pretest.

“Ask students to do a group exercise.

“Work through a problem or piece of material that illustrates the course content.

“Give an assignment for the next class session.

“Ask students to write their reactions to the first day.”

I have used most of the techniques listed by Davis. In particular, I am fond of the “Name Game,” which she describes in this way: “In small classes, ask the first person to give her name. The second person gives the name of the first person and his own name, and the third person gives the names of the first two people followed by her own name. The chain continues until it returns to the first person, with the instructor preferably near the end.” When I was younger and had a better memory, I would always be the last in line, reciting the names of all the students (sometimes as many as 50).

When I observed classes as a department head or as an accreditor, I was always impressed by a teacher that called students by name and did not have a record book in hand to note down recitation points. One sign of a good teacher is remembering who recited correctly and marking the students only later in the quiet of his or her office or desk.

One of the reasons I retired from teaching is the loss of my memory for names and faces. I think that a teacher that cannot address a student by first name or, even better, by nickname has no business teaching. A teacher teaches human beings, and the most important word for any human being is his or her name.

Similarly, a teacher that cannot remember who participated in a class discussion should consider retiring. I know how harsh that sounds, but unless our teachers become as good as, or even better than, corporate managers that can remember who is doing what and how well, medical doctors that can remember all the drugs he or she prescribed to you several months ago, or lawyers that can cite cases decided by the Supreme Court decades ago, teaching will never improve.

We know that the weakest link in our educational system is teaching. We can add as many years as we can to basic or higher education, build as many classrooms as we can afford, buy the best textbooks and the most expensive equipment, and study the latest teaching strategies and techniques, but if teachers cannot even remember the names of their students or recall everything that happens in their classrooms, we will never get out of the bottom of the world’s education food chain.

A good teacher needs three things: knowledge of the subject matter (confirmed by academic degrees), training in teaching strategies (confirmed by education units or attendance at seminars), and love for students (this is innate).

CORRECTION: The fee for attending my Literary Theory for Teachers lecture series at Far Eastern University on May 9-13 is P500 per session, not P300 as previously announced.