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Advice for the First Day of Class

By Michelle Estes, EdD, ET, ABD, Director of Professional Learning at Paradigm Education Solutions

The first day of class can be a big deal for educators. It can set the tone for the rest of the days to follow.  Communication with your students is key and you have great flexibility in how you go about it. In his advice guide, “How to Teach a Good First Day of Class,” James M. Lang shares four key principles that can help you decide which activities will best draw your students into the course and prepare them for the first day of class.

I hope you will find these principles very helpful and will use them as a resource as you embark on a new semester. These principles gave me a sense of responsibility in making sure that I do all that I can to set my students up for success and assure them that I am on this journey with them all semester and beyond.

Foster Curiosity

Lang’s first principle recommends that you consider the first day as your best opportunity to spark students’ curiosity and have them make a connection to the content of the course. Explain why it is important that they are taking this course and how it benefits them in the future. Even though it is outside the norm, it is suggested that you do not begin the first day of the semester by immediately providing the syllabus. Instead, show students the course content and objectives of the course to spark their curiosity.

Create a Sense of Community

In his second principle, Lang recommends creating 30-second videos and discussion boards to build community. As an educator, it is important that you humanize yourself to students with occasional self-disclosures and humor. Also, when the opportunity arises, it is essential to greet each student with some type of dialogue, so you are acknowledging them and letting them know you are glad they are in your class. Allow them to communicate with one another. Ultimately the goal is that the more comfortable the students feel with you and with one another from the beginning, the more comfortable they will be participating throughout the semester.

Start Engagement in Learning

Lang’s third principle is to get the students learning on the first day. For example, have students do a pretest to assess their knowledge of the content in the course and give them multiple attempts to complete the assessment. The students’ partial or unsuccessful attempts to complete the task will give them a clear view of their strengths and weaknesses. Encourage the students to reflect on what they have learned about themselves by doing the assessment and have them share their reflections with their classmates. The point is that if you want your students to be actively engaged throughout the semester, engagement must start on day one.

Set High Expectations

The previous three principles will guide you in devising creative, engaging activities for the first day. But you can’t ignore the fact that students will bring a host of expectations—things they will want to know right away—into the class with them. 

It is very important to designate time the first day of class outlining the parameters of the course beyond subject matter: materials, policies, key dates, and deadlines. Have all of this information readily available in a carefully constructed syllabus. Set aside time for questions even in the form of an assessment, such as a syllabus quiz given on or immediately after the first day of class, ensuring that all students are familiar with the most important aspects of the course.

In summary, putting these key principles into practice requires a few practical considerations before the semester starts. Doing some advance work to familiarize yourself with the students, the space, and the technology available in the classroom will support the activities and approaches you have planned.

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