the First Day of Class
Preparing for The First
On the first day of class,
your students' concerns are, "What is this course all about and what
kind of person is the teacher?" For you as the instructor,
the first day of class is your opportunity to answer those questions and
to establish a tone for the entire term. Under ideal circumstances,
you will have had at least a month prior to the first class meeting to
plan the syllabus, calendar, course sequence and lessons.
As the first day of class approaches, your attention will turn to the
logistics that will make your class run smoothly throughout the semester
- At Least One Week Before
the First Day of Class (or as soon as possible)
- Find the building and
visit the classroom.
- Find the restrooms.
- Obtain a key to the
classroom and any computer/audiovisual cabinets.
- Check textbook orders
- Prepare printed
materials that students will purchase.
- Plan for any special
supplies needed for class.
- Make sure web-sites
used to support your class are still active.
- Ask department members
to recommend sites they find helpful.
- Make arrangements for
classroom audiovisual equipment.
- Check the operation
of overhead projector, computer or VCR (recheck right before class).
- Learn about the college
library reserve system and place books on reserve in the library
- Find out your department's
enrollment management policies and forms, (e.g. if the class does/does
not fill, add/drop, wait-listing students).
- Check the sound and
carry of your voice in the classroom.
- Make sure that your
handwriting on the board is clear and readable from the back of
the room. If it is not, plan to use transparencies or PowerPoints.
- Be prepared to deal
with your specific student population. For example, if a significant
number of your students are likely to have Spanish surnames, learn
how to pronounce common names for that group correctly.
On the First Day of Class
First impressions tend to be lasting
impressions. Strive to convey organization, preparedness and enthusiasm.
- Try to arrive in the classroom
before your students and organize your handouts, roll sheet, recheck
equipment functionality, and other materials.
- Put your name on the board
for students to see as they come in.
- If there is additional
material to be written on the board, try to do so before students arrive,
if appropriate and not distracting to student involvement in the lesson.
Notes should be written/taken in context.
- Greet students as they
enter the classroom.
- Breathe. Understand
and accept that being nervous is quite normal.
- Let students know when
you'll handle enrollment issues such as signing add/drops.
- Show a human side.
- Share information about
yourself such as the history behind your teaching career and other
- Share any activities
or connections you have with the community outside of your teaching,
and any hobbies or other special interests which you enjoy.
- Make these comments
brief. (If you have students introduce themselves in pairs, have
a student introduce you.)
- Get to know your students.
- Immediately try
to associate names with faces.
- Allow students to introduce
- Ask about career
and educational goals.
- Inquire about their
expectations of the class.
- Have students write
what they want to be called on a folded card and put it on the edge
of their desk.
- If you have a digital
camera ask students to hold their plaque and take their picture.
Be very sensitive to students who may not want their picture taken.
You must have their permission.
- Avoid making apologies
for any lack of teaching experience. Your enthusiasm for the subject
matter and your ability to engage students is more important than experience.
- Use an icebreaker to initiate
the exchange of information.
Class Structure, Tone and
Probably the most important
function of the first day of class is to provide students with the
structure and expectations of the class.
- Review the syllabus completely.
- You might have students
do a paired exercise to discuss the syllabus or give an ungraded
- Identify and describe
textbooks, lab materials or supplies.
- Make your academic and behavioral
expectations very clear.
- Describe the organization
and scope of content of the class.
- If appropriate, you
may have planned to let your students identify key topics they
want to discuss late in the semester. If you have done this, you
will want to discuss the intent of this plan and how students
will be engaged in the design of the course.
- Explain attendance policies
and ground rules for class interaction (see box below).
- Explain to students
that you will frequently offer them learning strategies for your
content. And, that it will be helpful for them to pay particular
attention to learning strategies in addition to course content.
- Remember that we
learn best when doing, applying or teaching content. Get students
involved in this process.
- Be honest about the skills
needed to succeed in the class and identify college and community resources
available to support student success.
- Describe any prerequisites
for the course.
- Give time estimates
for study and assignments.
- Suggest some study strategies
that may help students succeed (see "Helping
- Clearly explain the grading
- Make sure students know
how to reach you.
- Review your contact
information, including office hours and location, email, phone
and fax numbers.
- Do what you can to dispel
the myth that a visit to your office, or other attempt to contact
you, will automatically signal to you that they are in trouble.
- Review safety precautions.
- If your course requires
laboratory or fieldwork, demonstrate the procedures for using equipment
and supplies safely.
- In ongoing classes,
large visuals, such as posters, can be a better learning cue
than a verbal reminder.
- Discuss emergency procedures
in the event of an accident, illness or natural disaster.
- Encourage questions and
allow frequent opportunities for students to ask them. Remember that
some students need reflection opportunities before they will know what
they want to ask. Anonymous questions on 3 x 5 cards or post-its can
be very helpful.
Ground Rules for Conduct
trend among faculty is to allow students to participate in the
decision-making process. Typically, faculty delineates a code
of conduct for their students within their syllabi, but in the
learner-centered classroom, students design the ground rules as
well as the ramifications for breaking them. This process need
not exclude faculty preferences that can be inserted at the end
of the process. Here is a list of typical ground rules that students
might agree upon:
- Start and end
class on time
- One speaker at
- Everyone participates
- Keep an open mind
- Focus on "what"
and not "who"
- No "zingers"
or put downs
- No one dominates
- Share "air
- Be an active listener
- Create a safe
- Stay on track/topic
- Agree only if
it makes sense to do so
This is not an exhaustive
list but it serves as a template to show what students often expect
of themselves and of one another. For those instructors who might
feel anxious about this process living up to the tried (but sometimes
not true) statement of conduct dictated by the instructor in the
syllabus, we suggest having all students verbally agree upon and/or
sign a final list that is duplicated and distributed for future
reference. Often, faculty who use this learner-centered approach
feel that the class members have more sense of "buy-in"
or ownership of their learning environment where conduct is concerned.
As stated previously, many instructors also feel that students are
capable of deciding the consequences for breaking the code, but
they find that is sometimes necessary to lighten the decided penalty
for their classmates' unacceptable behaviors.
Also, let students know
that you are ultimately responsible for maintaining a fair learning
environment. This may differ from what students feel is fair or
unfair. For a good article on what students deem to be fair in the
classroom see "That's Not Fair: Understanding Student's
Ideas of Classroom Fairness," in The Teaching Professor,
Vol. 14, Issue 4.
- Create an open atmosphere
where dialogue between the students and you is encouraged. Students
appreciate immediate feedback.
- Take two minutes the first
day to have students write reactions from the first day, perhaps on
the back of that same 3 X 5 card or anonymously if you like.
- Assess your studentsí comprehension
of the class material during each class session and more formally
within the first two weeks. The 3x5 card mentioned above is an easy
way to do this.
- Spend some time each class
period for approximately two weeks identifying issues that commonly
stand in the way of student success and help students learn how to
overcome them. Understanding
how the brain works can help your students understand their learning
- Create the atmosphere that
you feel is conducive to optimum learning of your content material.
Keep in mind how people learn as you do this).
- Demonstrate that time in
the class is important by engaging students in substantive material,
such as a paired discussion of the syllabus, or a reading, while completing
administrative tasks, such as taking role. Do not end the first class
early in order to send students off to purchase the textbook.
If they have time constraints recommend an online purchase or purchase
prior to the start of class (there are exceptional circumstances that
you will want to attend to, but as a general rule - don't let students
out early). Those students who come prepared with textbooks the first
day will have their actions reinforced by a full menu of activities
the first class meeting.
- Students will appreciate
your interest in their learning and if you follow many of the suggestions
presented here, they will have begun taking an active part in that learning.