Let me first say that John D. is right on. I know that he has a first-rate
mind from reading his posts on Phys-L, but I am beginning to suspect that he
is a first-rate teacher as well. I hope to get sit in on a class or two
someday.
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I have some specific advice for the start of the next semester. I firmly
believe that what you do in the first minutes of class on the first day will
play a lasting role all year. Start out right!
My Top Seven Suggestions For the First Day
1. Put the name of the course over the door and on the board. A big student
fear is that they are in the wrong room. Why not ease it?
2. Greet each student as he or she enters the room. "Welcome to Physics 101.
I'm Mr. Kossover, you are?" You will now get the students to pronounce their
names to you and you won't mispronounce them later, a real pet peeve among
students.
3. If the class is less than about 40 students, make up folders for each
student from the class roster. Hand it out to them as they enter. Keep a few
blank ones for the students not on the roster. Explain in class that this is
how you will return work to them or give them important papers. Also,
explain that you can use it to tell who is in class. (Should attendance
count? Not for the students who are doing well. But for the others...
Perhaps it is good for them to know that you know.)
4. Assign seats. There is a complicated dynamic in how people select seats
for themselves. (I actually studied this in college.) It will be a relief
for them not to have to do it.
5. WITHOUT FAIL, LEARN THEIR NAMES BY THE END OF THE FIRST CLASS. Obviously
I think that this is important. Do whatever it takes, even if the class is
huge. I learned 110 names for one summer course. Use the entire class period
if necessary; it will not be a wasted class. I have even taken pictures with
a digital camera and made flashcards. Lately I have played name games so
that they learn each other's names as well.
6. Set up procedures, explain them to the students, practice them, and then
stick to them. For example, I want everything turned in to me on 8.5 x 11
inch paper folded vertically like a book with their name scrunched up
against the top edge on the outside. This arrangement allows me to grade
their papers anonymously. So on the first day they practice doing this and
then putting their papers into my drop box.
7. Start every class with a short quiz that goes over the material from the
class before. Make it easy to grade, as you will have a lot of them to
grade. Start ridiculously easy and get harder. The early successes will make
most of the students want to continue to be successful. Very few students
are motivated by failure.
I didn't think of these things on my own. I take instruction well. I
recommend _The First Days of School_ by Harry Wong. I know it is written for
the high/middle school classroom. So what? The stuff works.