the college classroom week 9 - the first day of classes

The College ClassroomMarch 6, 2013

Week 9:The First Day of Class

Pull out your copy of The First Day of Class (or pick one up) and talk about it

with a neighbor:What surprised you?

Clicker question (crowd-sourced)What recommendation in CWSEI’s First Day of Class [1] surprised you the most ?A. Don’t go into detail.B. Caution about using ice-breakers.C. We need to actually introduce TAs?!D. Avoid emphasizing rules/penalties.E. Ask students stuff (background, etc.)

collegeclassroom.ucsd.edu #tccucsd

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Evidence for today’s class


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The ideas, suggestions and best-practices discussed in today’s class are not the direct result of research

We won’t refer to a peer-reviewed study examining the impact discussing academic conduct in the first class.

However, the content is based on experience of

Peter Newbury, Beth Simon, Carl Wieman, Science Education Initiative at CU-Boulder & UBC,

others

which is based on peer-reviewed researchAmple research and evidence for benefits of situated learning(teaching content when it’s needed)(www.peternewbury.org/2012/06/situated-learning)

Big Picture: Set the EnvironmentThe first day of class can have a large influence on students’ perception of the entire course. By the end of the first day, you want students to have a good sense of why the course is interesting and worthwhile, what kind of classroom environment you want, how the course will be conducted, why the particular teaching methods are being

used, what the students need to do (generally) to

learn material and succeed in the course


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Big Picture: Set the EnvironmentAt the first class (especially 1st and 2nd year) you’ll have enthusiastic students who chose to take

the course students who must pass this required

course to get into their actual interest (e.g., bio before med school)

students who are shopping for courses students who are in the wrong room


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Regardless of their motivation for being there, you want every one of them to leave the first class thinking, “Yeah, this will be a good course, I’m okay being here.”

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How do you

do all that?

That Huge Lecture Theatre by teddy-rised on flickr CC

1. Establish Motivation

Provide an entry level preview of the course material

Explain why the course material is important & interesting

Avoid jargon as much possible Where applicable, make connections to:

Real world/everyday life What students know What students will need to be successful in

future studies or career What students are interested in, current events, …


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2. Personalize the learning experience

Welcome students to your class – make it clear that you are looking forward to working with them.

Who would like to rehearse their opening line?


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Welcome students to your class – make it clear that you are looking forward to working with them. Introduce yourself


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Clicker question


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What did you decide about how your students will address you?A) Dr. SmithB) Mr. / Ms. /Mrs. SmithC) Professor SmithD) Michael / Elizabeth (first name)E) Mike / Beth (familiar, nickname)


Welcome students to your class – make it clear that you are looking forward to working with them. Introduce yourself. Describe your background and interests in connection to the subject, e.g.:

Why you find it interesting, exciting for them to learn

How it applies to other things you do (research, …)


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Students—especially those majoring in the subject—say it is inspiring to hear about the instructor’s background (such as what kind of research they do) and how it is relevant to the course.


Introduce teaching team TA’s and anyone else involved that

students will be interacting with (could show pictures or have them come to class)

Make an effort to find out who the students are and their expectations, motivations, and interests, e.g.:

Ask them a series of questions about major, goals, background,

perhaps use clickers or a survey


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If appropriate, ask them to introduce themselves to other students they will be working with.Use with caution: some students say

it makes them uncomfortable if used as a general “icebreaker”, but it is appropriate to introduce themselves to group members with whom they will be working.


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Think-pair-share: What icebreakers have you used (as instructor? student? attendee?)

friend students

class twitter acct professional acct professional/personalfollow students

will you initialize google hangouts? participate in them?

class pinterest

class flickr acct

Clicker question


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How many of these social media channels do you think you’ll use to connect with your students?

other?

Numerical i>clicker question:Click i>clicker into numeric mode (“123”)Use up/down buttons to toggle through 0-9,–Click SEND

3. Establish expectations

Describe overarching (course-level) learning outcomes; big picture view

Emphasize that you want them to learn and your role is to support their learning

Explain how course will be conducted: what will happen in class expectations for out-of-class work (eg, number

of hrs) overview of schedule (esp exam sched, if

you’ve got it) marking scheme (% final, % midterms, %

participation, etc.)collegeclassroom.ucsd.edu #tccucsd

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Better if also handed out and online, not just spoken, so you (and they) can refer to them throughout the course.


Explain why you’re teaching the way you are teaching, how the different components support their learning (especially important if you are teaching differently than most other courses are taught); e.g.:

Teaching methods based on what is known about how people learn

Students need to construct own understanding

Especially important to get student buy-in for peer instruction with clickers. www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGx7EzDQ-lYSee www.peerinstruction4cs.org/general-pi-tips/


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Describe (generally) how to succeed in your course

Learning and improvement take practice and effort, as well as timely feedback

Give general description of how assessments are used for both feedback and marks, leaving details to be read on course website

Give advice on how to study (“Review the clicker questions like you do them in class: think by yourself, pick an answer, talk to friends, vote again, check answer.”)

Express that you feel they can succeed if they put in the effort collegeclassroom.ucsd.edu #tccucsd

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4. Course details: don’t

Don’t go into details during first class; give links to more details on

course syllabus detailed schedule detailed learning outcomes academic (mis)conduct deadlines rules/policies (eg, late assignments, missed

exams…)

Could give an assignment involving reading these.


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In what order?


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1. Introduce yourself2. Welcome student to your class3. 1. Establish Motivation4. 2. (rest of) Personalize the learning

experience5. 3. Establish expectations6. (4. Don’t go over details)

First class do’s and don’t’s


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Check out classroom before the first class

clicker hardware? podium computer? lapel mic? Try it. presentation

remote works from back of room?

assume you’ll be able to figure it out at the time.

let a technical problem ruin your only chance to make a first impression.

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Do Don’t

Start the class on time.(establish expectations)

arrive late (what expectation does that establish?)

have “intimate” conversation with students in the front rows while you wait for others to wander in. This doesn’t “personalize” the class.

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Do Don’t

Tell students you think they can all succeed if they put in the effort.Fine to say the course is challenging as long as you also express it is

interesting/worthwhile

do-able with appropriate effort

Say threatening things like

telling them you expect some to fail

telling them that students don’t usually like the course

telling tell them that students find the course extremely difficult

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Do Don’t

Try to give them an authentic experience of what the class will be like.

If you’re going to use clickers, do it in the first class (even if some don’t have clickers yet.)

email pre-reading assignment 2 days before class

Use teaching practices that are inconsistent with how you’ll teach the rest of the time:

don’t use clickers if you’re not (really) going to use clickers

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Do Don’t

Involve students during class

Talk the entire class time

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Do Don’t

Address academic conduct in context throughout the course:

talk about plagiarism when you give out a writing assignment, not now

Emphasize rules and penalties on the first day:

sends a message of distrust

they’re not listening anyway

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Do Don’t

End class on time with a slide containing pertinent info:

your name office hours contact info course website homework important thing

End class early(establish expectations)

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Do Don’t

Repeat vital info at the beginning of the 2nd class, too

your name contact info course website

Assume everyone was there in the 1st class.

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Do Don’t

Reinforce all of these messages (motivation, personalized learning, expectations,…) periodically throughout the course, at the appropriate times.

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Do Don’t

Have a growth mindset about your students’ abilities to learn.

Have a fixed mindset about your students’ abilities, including

your job is to find 5% who will be like you

your job is to filter out students from advancing to the next course

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Do Don’t

What recommendation will you try hardest to follow the next time you teach the First Day of Class?


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The College ClassroomMarch 13, 2013

Week 10:Succeeding in an Educational Career


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References

1. Carl Wieman Science Education Initiative (2009). First Day of Class – Recommendations for Instructors. Available under Instructor Guidance Resources at cwsei.ubc.ca

the college classroom week 9 - the first day of classes

Education

alfollow students students

enthusiastic students

thecourse students

students stuff background

class flickr

class pinterest0

course material

good course