![]() Ask the person who is reading the student newspaper what is in the news today.Have students write down what they think the important issues or key points of the day's lecture will be.Elicit student questions and concerns at the beginning of the class and list these on the chalkboard to be answered during the hour.Start the lecture with a puzzle, question, paradox, picture, or cartoon on slide or transparency to focus on the day's topic.Make a grand stage entrance to hush a large class and gain attention.Greet students at the door when they enter the classroom.Find out about students' jobs if they are working, how many hours a week, and what kind of jobs they hold.Ask students to write about what important things are currently going on in their lives.Seek out a different student each day and get to know something about him or her.Explain the difference between legitimate collaboration and academic dishonesty be clear when collaboration is wanted and when it is forbidden.Show students how to handle learning in large classes and impersonal situations.Announce office hours frequently and hold them without fail.Put in writing a limited number of ground rules regarding absence, late work, testing procedures, grading, and general decorum, and maintain these.Explain how to study for the kind of tests you give.Hand out supplemental study aids: library use, study tips, supplemental readings and exercises.Tell students how much time they will need to study for this course.Direct students to the Academic Success Center for help on basic skills.Give a learning style inventory to help students find out about themselves.Call attention (written and oral) to what makes good lab practice: completing work to be done, procedures, equipment, clean up, maintenance, safety, conservation of supplies, full use of lab time.Start laboratory experiments and other exercises the first time lab meets.Give an assignment on the first day to be collected at the next meeting.Hand out an informative, artistic, and user-friendly syllabus.Introduce teaching assistants by slide, short presentation, or self-introduction.Take attendance: roll call, clipboard, sign in, seating chart. ![]() Hit the ground running on the first day of class with substantial content.Here, then, are some ideas for college teachers for use in their courses in the new academic year: Helping Students Make Transitions to build a sense of community in the classroom.to encourage the students' active involvement in learning and.to support beginners and neophytes in the process of learning in the discipline.to spark intellectual curiosity-to challenge students.to direct students' attention to the immediate situation for learning-the hour in the classroom.to help students make the transition from high school and summer activities to learning in college. ![]() The rationale for these methods is based on the following needs: These suggestions have been gathered from UNL professors and from college teachers elsewhere. Even if the syllabus is printed and lecture notes are ready to go in August, most college teachers can usually make adjustments in teaching methods as the course unfolds and the characteristics of their students become known. Not just the first day, but the first three weeks of a course are especially important, studies say, in retaining capable students. It is a catalog of suggestions for college teachers who are looking for fresh ways of creating the best possible environment for learning. The following list is offered in the spirit of starting off right. Students will decide very early-some say the first day of class-whether they will like the course, its contents, the teacher, and their fellow students. Whether it is a large introductory course for freshmen or an advanced course in the major field, it makes good sense to start the semester off well.
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