New Faculty Teaching Newsletter # 3 (August 20, 2009)
First Day of Class, Classrooms, Waiting Lists
1. Classrooms
It's surprising how many faculty never look at a classroom until the first day of class. You should make it a habit to check out your assigned room in advance, to see if it has the features you were expecting. If you must change rooms, all departments have room schedulers, and you should check with that person.
For physical classroom maintenance problems (desks, chairs, windows, chalk, blackboards, etc.), you can contact Classroom Central: 642-2800 or send an email request. For audio/visual equipment requests, contact Educational Technology Services: 643-8637 or make a request online.
2. Waiting Lists and "Shopping"
You can view your waiting lists online at bspace, but every department has a different method for handling waiting lists, so check with your departmental administrative assistant or a colleague.
Remember that in many classes, students are "shopping" on the first day, so don't be surprised if there is turnover. On the other hand, this should not prevent you from conducting the first class as if all those present will be there for the duration.
3. The First Day of Class
We've gathered some ideas here from a couple of sources:
"Be Early. Arrive 5 minutes early for class. Whether inside or outside the classroom, let students know that you are ready to talk with them: smile, nod, make eye contact, chat, whatever suits your style.
Shake Hands. This simple gesture communicates. In your large classes, greet a few. You will find that those who are welcomed are more ready to respond in class.
Have Students Meet. Have students greet someone else in the class. Even if this ritual takes only 30 seconds, you should find that your class warms up considerably. Add some fun: have students use greeting rituals from various cultures, or ask students to create and lead the daily greeting (no embarrassing tricks allowed).
Social Ice Breakers. While often misunderstood and over-used, the right ice breaker can help a group of students get over the chill of anonymity.
Attention Grabber. Use a problem or a demonstration to capture students' imaginations about what is to come. Often, an intriguing example will provide a guiding context for the material that follows." (from "Getting Started the Right Way on the First Day of Class,")
Use the whole class period, tell your students about yourself, discuss your teaching-learning philosophy, demonstrate your mode of teaching, cultivate your students' trust, foster a spirit of free and open inquiry, display your enthusiasm for the subject, and finally, display a sense of humor. (University of Colorado Teaching Excellence Program).
To all of these, we would add a couple more.
Always make a real beginning to class-not just on the first day, but every day. Don't say "We might was well get started" or "Let's get started." On the the first day, say, "Good Morning, I'm Professor Lopez. Welcome to Sociology 10." (Actually, please substitute your own name. We don't encourage all faculty to call themselves "Lopez.") And then every day, say "Good morning," etc.
And, especially on the first day, don't run out of time. Have a real ending to the class, and then conclude with something like "I look forward to seeing you on Wednesday."
Remember, too, that you might consider handing out some kind of questionnaire, "pre-test," or quiz to get to know your students, and to let them know what they will need to know. (Some examples.)
If you'd like to see a couple of masters in action on the first day, we suggest looking at the following webcasts, from Biology 1 and General Human Anatomy. Both Lew Feldman and Marian Diamond are recipients of the Distinguished Teaching Award. What they both do on the first day is discuss their hopes for the class, their enthusiasm for the subject, and most importantly, why they have chosen to do things in certain ways. You will need RealPlayer, available for free.
Lew Feldman webcast
Marian Diamond webcast
You can also get to these and videos of other Distinguished Teachers in the Classroom on the teaching.berkeley.edu website, of course.
Good facts to know:
Good website to know: blu.berkeley.edu. Change your W-2, see your earnings statements, link to "at your service" which is the website for payroll deductions, 403b (ha! I know) contributions, etc.
Be sure to let me know when you get a Berkeley email address. And if you’re lost or confused about anything, I’ll help you find the answer.