Last week, I sent out a friendly email celebrating the arrival of our new students and calling on colleagues to share their ideas about first day strategies that work.
Six of them very kindly did so: dara, Rick Cassoni, Lisa Fast, Louisa Moon, Chad Tsuyuki, and Marti Klein. Thank you so much to each of you. I have included everything they shared below in this email, but in case you lose this inspiring email, you can always find it forever archived on our joyful teaching blog.
From dara (letters)
Even though you didn’t ask for a word, my immediate thought about this was a word, “expectations.” And I think it’s a fun, exciting word—not meant to daunt. When we have rooms filled with new students, we want to articulate our expectations of them and what we want them to expect from us. We might lay out a first day that’s fun to welcome them in, or we might lay out a first day that’s all business thinking it will somehow demonstrate a level of seriousness. I have even heard students say they’ve had instructors who will “act super mean” on the first day to weed students out of class. Then they’ll come back with their “real teacher” self. Who would trust someone who would do that?
Mainly, though, when I think of expectations, I think about the futures of our students. Many of them have NO idea of their potential for greatness and happiness. Many of them don’t expect to succeed and/or exceed the expectations placed upon them by their families, their communities, their country, or themselves. That I can expect greatness from them is something I spend time on the first day articulating.
Word.
From Rick Cassoni (Computer Science and Instructional Technology)
Yeah, the students are here!!!!
Prosperto, P3, Darth LodeStar, Instructor Extraordinaire, etc, etc,
Maybe blog worthy. I have students do a discussion board before the first day of class patterned after my entry (see below) and have them add a pix or avatar. In class on the first day, I have students interview each other (speed dating style) ~1min and then I will read some tidbits and the class has to guess who the person is. The class uses this info to find a popsicle pair (PPs) for the semester. Students take weekly quizzes with their PPs and take exams one by themselves and once with their PP. Builds community and students are more likely to come to class since they will be letting down their PPs. Also, I give out stickers for perfect attendance. Each sticker is worth 0.1% towards final grade (caps at 0.5%). Hopefully this makes sense J
Best,
Rick
ENTRY TO COPY
Name: Rick Cassoni
Occupation: Professor, Computer Studies and Information Technology (CSIT) Dept, MiraCosta College
Major – BS Physics, Univ of Utah, 1991, MSBA Information Systems, San Diego State University, 2005
Goal for THIS COURSE and Beyond: All students achieving at least a C or better in my courses with the goal of a B or better. (Note this is my goal. I have never had any student that applied them self ever get less than a C. In fact if you turn in all work on time and study for the exams it is hard to get less than a B in this course. So have another goal other than passing this course 🙂 )
Study Styles – I will sometimes procrastinate (a little pressure helps sometimes), but complete major assignments leaving myself at least one day to review / proof the final version. However, if in group situations, I will morph to how the group wants to complete a project – early or per a schedule. However, I do not like last minute throwing something together for group work. So maybe I am not much of a procrastinator 🙂 I like to work both virtually in group settings as well as working face to face with groupmates. I am on campus Mon through Thurs and many Fridays. I can also meet at a coffee house – Starbucks, etc. (If this was a student entry perhaps something like), I live in North County Coastal – LaCosta / Carlsbad if anyone wants a groupmate that likes to meet in person occasionally.
Hobbies / Interests – I am a computer geek and spend way too much time on a computer a day. Probably 10hrs a day, sometimes less depending on much I teach that day in class. I also love gardening (container and raised beds), composting, and energy (have solar power). Last years electric bill was $130 that included ‘juice’ for my car (11K miles) and eBike. XBox360 every once in a while. I also like watching pro football (at least the playoffs), maybe less this year with the Bolts up north. Besides riding my bike along the beaches in Carlsbad up the 1, I also like tennis and volleyball, though I am very rusty at volleyball.
One (or a couple of interesting) things about me – I am US Navy Veteran (23 yrs). I started off in the nuclear power field as a Reactor Operator, got picked up for BOOST (Seaman to Admiral), went to school at U of Utah, and then back into the nuclear power community as an Ensign. I was a submarine warfare officer. So I have down to the depths of the ocean and also got my private pilots license although I am not current now. I was proud to have served 23 yrs and never thought that I would retire as a Commander (O-5). Over the break I created 7 new courses for the new cyber security degree and went to ethical hacker training.
Rick Cassoni, CISSP, PMP
From Lisa Fast (Psychology)
On the first day of class students are usually eager to find out what will be required and to make connections with other students. So after I go over the class syllabus and students are losing their focus, I use a class activity to give their minds a rest and do something fun. I project a list of seven qualities on a powerpoint slide and students are asked to find someone in the class who has each quality. For example, find someone in the class who: can play a musical instrument, whose birthday is in the same month as yours, has met or knows a celebrity, etc. The attributes change over time, but the last attribute is always to find someone who is willing to sing for the class. The last question encourages each student to talk to MANY other students because most are not willing to sing. Even the most timid students tend to feel comfortable in this activity because they have a very clear purpose for interacting. Perhaps surprisingly, every semester (so far) one person has been willing to sing. And when he or she does, it creates a unforgettable moment. Students are very supportive of the person willing to sing, and that supportive tone tends to last throughout the semester. The activity usually takes about 15-20 minutes and has been helpful over the years.
From Louisa Moon (Philosophy)
(a wonderful tribute to and recognition of Lisa’s activity)
Suggestion. Ask Lisa Fast to post about her first day activity. On the first day of class, she always asks one student to volunteer to get up in front of the class and sing. She says it sets the students at ease, because someone has already done the most embarrassing thing they could be asked to do (in a psychology class). Aidan was the volunteer in two of her classes, and then I think he showed up to a third class in a semester when he wasn’t enrolled in the class, just to volunteer for the singing portion. LOL!
The first class, I believe he sang “Don’t Stop Believing.” The second one he sang “I’ll Make a Man Out of You” from Mulan, complete with hand gestures, to his friend, Nick. She said someone always sings, but that was the first time there were hand gestures.
Anyway, I’m sure she’s had many interesting experiences, and probably has a much more robust explanation than I’m giving of how it helps the class psychologically. I’d like to know if someone tomorrow sings “Total Eclipse of the Heart.”
Yeahhhh, students!
Cheers,
Louisa
From Chad Tsuyuki (Letters)
This Day 1 activity takes about an hour. It’s primarily designed to build community and offer a sense of the course, largely by allowing students to tap into their own capital. Below are the steps I use, and here’s what it looks like in Google Slides: Click here!
- 10 min – Index Cards: Have students introduce themselves via index cards: names, preferred pronouns, special needs, favorite ice cream, talents, favorite ice cream, last meal, etc.
- 15 min – Pairs & Groups: Using their index cards, have students introduce themselves in pairs (be sure to remind them to listen carefully). Next, have have them create small groups where they introduce each other’s partner (without looking at index cards).
- 15 min – Mega Meal: After introductions, introduce the mega meal activity, which essentially requires each person to contribute an item or two from their last meal to create a mega meal (think Voltron). This mega meal then gets presented to the class as a group presentation. When introducing the activity, it’s good to first do so verbally, so students aren’t reading the slide. Show the slide after they have a sense of the activity so they have something to refer back to during the 15-minute prep time. (Why only 15 minutes? Because it’s actually enough time to put something promising but not polished together. This is great for the following discussion where the idea of potential can be addressed, and how, in an English class, we have to give ourselves time to imagine, develop, fail, and succeed.) In general, I start this creation part of the activity 15 minutes before the break so groups have the option of using the break to rehearse outside. After the break, groups present and I briefly share what’s effective about each group’s presentation.
- 15 min – Discussion: After each group has presented, ask a simple question: “How does this activity relate to an English class?” By this point, students are feeling pretty comfortable and have no problem offering connections. This discussion eventually leads to my list of connections and ultimately the idea of how the activity captures the essence of the writing process. This is how I inductively/Miyagi introduce this concept.
From Marti Klein (Geography)
I require that the students post a short bio (in narrative format) on the Introductory Discussion Board. It is always enthusiastically received by the students.
Requirements include answering a few specific questions (such as what is your major, what school do you attend, and have you taken online classes before), and providing at least one thing about themselves that makes them interesting and unique, and is appropriate for an academic class. They are also invited to attach a photo of something special to them (family, pets, car, artwork, etc.).
It tells me something about them, ensures that they know how to use the Discussion Board, and creates a sense of community.
The students can’t wait to post their bios, and many attach photos of their children, pets, or treasured items, as well as some “selfies.” Most enjoy this exercise, checking the board frequently, and posting comments to more students than are required. There are several online conversations.
They are also required to post at least two comments to their classmates, welcoming them to the class, and to respond to all questions posted to them. I make sure that every student receives at least one post showing interest in their hobbies, career plans, etc., and encourage other students to participate, by posting at least one question to each student, and try to carry on short conversations with as many students as possible, based on their responses.
Many of them discover that they have something specific in common (such as Marine wives, hobbies, places they have traveled, sports in which they participate, or a shared interest in a musical group), or know the same person. Some talk about their upcoming weddings, or their newlywed status. Interestingly, a few share their medical disabilities. They congratulate their classmates on their achievements, and admire them for participating in activities such as volunteer work. They also share their thoughts about online classes, including hints for success, and encourage their classmates to succeed.
The Introductory Discussion Board remains open for the entire semester, in case any students want to refer back to it.
From Jody Johnson (Child Development)
I came across a rather interesting way to get students to talk and connect on Day 1 in face to face classes. Rather than dividing into small groups and exploring questions such as whats your major, what do you want to achieve in this class/life (besides a particular grade/be a millionaire), what do you do in your spare time type of questions, I intentional searched (truthfully, I stumbled) across some rather interesting and non-scientific personality tests that I use as provocation for introductory conversations.
Students break out into groups of 4-5. I hand out the “personality test” and watch and facilitate what has been an amazing connection between students form right before my eyes. There are many of these tests available if you search for them–I was recently surprised to find one based on a series of questions that unscientifically determines one’s personality traits then connects the outcome to a particular part of the eye! Very wierd.
By far, my favorite “personality test” is called “Doors” (search term=doors personality test). I provide one copy of the Doors pictures to each group (sharing is caring!); students look at a graphic that includes pictures of 10 doors, each numbered 1 through 10. The instructions I use are, “given the doors pictured, which one of the doors are you most likely to walk through?” After all students in each group have chosen their “door”, I hand out another paper with a description of the personality traits associated with each numbered door. Usually, students are blown away by how accurate the descriptions are for their personality (or is it the power of suggestion?). If students struggled choosing between two doors, I suggest they read both applicable personality descriptions and, sure enough, they find bits of each are correct.
When I have the honor of facilitating the Adult Supervision and Mentoring course, this activity has been a fabulous springboard for further discussions regarding leadership strategies with staff with differing personality traits. Students get so excited about how the outcome of their test “nailed them” they want to have their friends and family members do the test to see if it “works” for them as well. In addition, early childhood program directors and supervisors have shared that they brought this activity to a staff meeting and the conversations that ensued led to candid discussions about cultural competence, tolerance, empathy, acceptance, etc.
In an online class I am facilitating at another CCC, I tried this activity as the Introduction Discussion Board. I uploaded both files with a warning of “no peeking at file #2 (the personality trait descriptions) until students had completed the work in file #1 (choose your door). After posting their response to a set of prompts about their result, students were asked to Reply to one person who chose the same door number and to one student who chose a door with a personality description that was very different from their door/personality choice. While I feel that I gleaned the same information I could use when intentionally forming project groups, the students’ discussions were not nearly as rich or extensive as those in the face-to-face class setting.
Scientific or not, this activity promotes a “buzz” in the classroom that I have yet to replicate on Day 1 with any other activity. The students’ discussion seems to create a sense of connection when students find they share similar personality traits, which leads to discussions about what they also might have in common. Building a sense of connectedness and community is, to me, one of the primary goals of Day 1.