Transcript Declaring Disaster: Researching the Politics of

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First Day
First Week
Assessing Student Understanding
Interactive Activity
(Please note: This presentation is a combination of information from previous
New Faculty Orientation “Launching a Successful Semester” strategy sharing
sessions and from the Tech Center for Teaching and Learning.)
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What is a typical example of a first class
meeting?
Essential Question to ask yourself – What
message(s) do I want to communicate to
students on the first day(s) of class?
 Remember “What if a tree falls in a forest, but
nobody hears it. . .”
 Like Dr. Watson said – it’s actually about
Learning – we can teach brilliantly all day long,
but if the students don’t learn, nobody “heard
the tree fall.”
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“Research shows that:
◦ Students learn more when they actively discuss subjects in and
out of the classroom (SGA President)
◦ And work together in small groups
◦ And in order for classroom climate to be established –
 One which not only allows but promotes participation and
discussion –
 Current research and practice also indicate that it must begin
the first day of class.”
Arthur W. Chickering and Zelda F. Gamson, Seven Principles of Good Practice in Undergraduate
Education (The Wingspread Journal Special Insert, 1987)
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You may want to:
◦ Plan for a substantive first meeting that addresses student needs and gives you
useful information and insights
◦ Create a positive image of yourself and the classroom for arriving students
◦ Start class with an ice breaker
◦ Begin learning student names right away
◦ Take a picture of each student in class, or have them each email a picture to you
(to help you learn names)
◦ Fill out a student information sheet
◦ Clarify your course objectives & expectations by reviewing syllabus &
embellishing with useful detail
◦ Whet appetites for the course by sharing interesting and pertinent material
◦ Reassure students that the course is a wise investment of their time and
resources (what Dr. Biller said about our incoming freshmen)
◦ Complete an open ended evaluation at the end of class (more on that in a minute)
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“Name Game” – know your team members’ names by next
Tues.
Take up to six M&Ms (not too many of the same color)
For each piece of M&M candy you took, you will say your
name and answer a question, depending on its color.
Red candy: favorite hobbies
Green candy: favorite foods
Yellow candy: If you had to trade places with someone, who would it
be?
Orange candy: area of emergency management that most interests
you (tell of any emergency management experience you might have
here)
Brown candy: most memorable or embarrassing moments
Blue candy: if you could have any talent what would it be?
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“Name Game” – know your team members’ names
by next Tues.
First person says his/her name
Second person says first person’s name, then says
his/her own name. . .
When it comes around again, first person has to
say all the names and his/her own.
Next:
The person who was second in the last game is
now the first person.
Say your name and a word that is relevant to you
(e.g. a sport, hobby, etc.). . .
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What is the difference between the work life
(age 25-64) earnings of someone with a
bachelor’s degree versus someone with just
a high school diploma?
Approximately $1,000,000.
http://www.census.gov/prod/2002pubs/p23
-210.pdf
◦ “The beginning stage of a course includes the
all-important first day and first week of class.
◦ During this formative period, it may be useful
to view the process of building class
community as the first ‘topic” that needs to be
addressed in class.
◦ Allowing students early opportunity to interact
with each other and with the instructor is a
fundamental or foundational experience that
should be ‘covered’ before any other topic is
introduced.”
Joe Cuseo, professor of psychology at Marymount College in Palos Verde, CA, who
has contributed a great deal of scholarship to the field of the First-Year
Experience. http://www.bgsu.edu/downloads/provost/file11002.pdf
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To orchestrate positive first impressions.
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To introduce yourself effectively.
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To clarify the learning objectives and your
expectations.
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To help students learn about each other.
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To get to know your students.
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To whet students’ appetites for the course
content.
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To teach your students to do well in the
course. (McGlynn)
To establish expectations with regard to
student behavior. (McGlynn)
To develop a community of learners in
the class. (Cuseo)
To avoid Millennials using their “remote
controls.” (P. Gray)
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By Assessing Student Understanding
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At the end of class have students complete
a “One-Minute Paper” evaluation by
completing the following:
◦I
◦I
◦I
◦I
◦I
came expecting . . .
got. . .
am looking forward to. . .
am hoping. . .
could be helped by. . .
Dr. Fleniken, past Director of the Tech Center for Teaching and Learning
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As students conclude their first week in your class, it is wise to assess
their perceptions in an anonymous, nonthreatening manner.
Doing so helps you identify stumbling blocks before they can grow into
large barriers later in the term, which lead to withdrawals, and most of
all, reduce the success that students could otherwise achieve
Invest two minutes to distribute paper or 3 x 5 index cards on which
students may reply anonymously to several open-ended questions, such
as:
◦ Who was the most interesting person you met in this class?
Why?
◦ What things are you most looking forward to in this class?
◦ What concerns you about your ability to be successful in this
class?
◦ What questions do you have that are not yet answered?
◦ What has surprised you the most about this class so far?
http://ezinearticles.com/?Professors---Launch-Your-College-Course-Effectively--Closing-Out-the-First-Class-Meeting&id=1709031
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Analyze the information you collect from the student
feedback
Note any patterns among students’ feedback
Reflect on the week as a whole and self-assess
Identify actions you want to make as a result of the
feedback
Construct an email to each class member (small class),
the class as a whole, or address at the beginning of the
next week’s class session.
Continue to learn student names
Create a profile of each student with information
sheet, picture, and feedback evaluations
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How will you maintain the momentum that you have
generated with a successful beginning?
Content assessment:
◦ End of each week (or topic), on a 3x5 (or bring in recycled
paper from your ofc.)
◦ What can you tell me about ________(this is something you
want them to know – you will test them on it)
◦ What is the most interesting thing you learned this week?
◦ What questions do you have?
Groups (white board option)
◦ Ask a key question or two and they answer on it, you walk
around and comment on what they’ve written. (e.g., list
three reasons the Roman Empire fell? Or list three reasons
everyone hates lawyers?)
Pair them up and ask a question that they discuss, then you
ask for feedback from the pairs
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Each person at the table spends time individually writing/considering answers to the
following questions. (approximately 10 minutes):
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
What do you do on the first day or during the first sessions that has/have been
successful?
What other techniques have you heard or read about that could be considered
useful -- Is there anything you've always wanted to do on a first day but never
done? What has kept you from doing it?
What is your definition of a successful first day, week and month?
Given your answer above, what are your goals for the first day, week, and month?
What are some negative first day experiences you remember from when you were
in college? How do you prevent the same experience?
What question/questions do you have as you begin your teaching career at
Arkansas Tech?
Members of each team discuss their answers with others at their table. Have a
member from each team capture the answers on a flip chart in preparation for
sharing with the overall group. (approximately 30 minutes)
Have a member from each team summarize their findings for the overall group.
(approximately 30 minutes)
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