Hit the ground running on the first day of class with substantial content.
Take attendance: role call, sign in, seating chart.
Introduce teaching assistants by a short presentation or self-introduction.
Hand out syllabus - informative and user-friendly.
Give an assignment on the first day to be collected at the next class.
Start experiments in the first lab.
Identify good lab practice: procedures, equipment, clean up, maintenance, safety, etc.
Give a learning style inventory to help students find out about themselves.
Direct students to the appropriate services if they need help on basic skills.
Have a student who has taken the course explain how to succeed in the course
Tell students how much time they will need to study for this course.
Hand out supplemental study aids: library use, study tips, readings, or exercises.
Explain how to study for the kind of tests you give.
Hand out your ground rules regarding absence, late work, testing procedures, grading, and general decorum, and maintain these.
Announce office hours (in person and electronic) frequently and hold them without fail.
How students how to take notes and learn effectively in large classes
Give sample test questions and answers.
Explain the difference between collaboration and academic dishonesty; be clear when collaboration is wanted and when it is forbidden.
Seek out a different student each day and get to know something about her or him.
Ask students to write about what important things are currently going on in their lives.
Find out about students' jobs; if they are working, how many hours a week, and what kind of jobs they hold.
Greet students at the door when they enter the classroom.
Start the class on time.
Make a grand stage entrance to hush a large class and gain attention.
Give a pre-test on the day's topic.
Start with a puzzle, question, paradox, picture, or cartoon to focus on the day's topic.
List questions students have at the beginning of the class on the board and see if they are answered by the end of class.
Have students list what they think the important issues or key points of the day's lecture will be.
Ask the person who is reading the newspaper what is in the news today.
Have students write out their expectations and their learning goals for the course.
Use variety in methods of presentation every class meeting.
Stage a figurative "coffee break" about twenty minutes into the hour; tell an anecdote, invite students to put down pens and pencils, refer to a current event, shift media.
Incorporate community resources: plays, concerts, etc.
Show a film in a novel way: stop it for discussion, show a few frames only, anticipate ending, hand out a viewing or critique sheet, play and replay parts.
Share your philosophy of teaching with your students.
Form a student panel to present alternative views of the same concept.
Stage a change-your-mind debate, with students moving to different parts of the classroom to signal change in opinion during the discussion.
Conduct a "living" demographic survey by having students move to different parts of the classroom: size of high school, rural vs. urban, consumer preferences.
Tell about your current research interests and how you got there from your own beginnings in the discipline.
Conduct a roleplay to make a point or to lay out issues.
Let your students assume the role of a professional in your discipline: philosopher, literary critic, biologist, agronomist, political scientist, engineer.
Conduct idea-generating, brainstorming sessions to expand horizons.
Give students two alternative views and ask them to compare and contrast.
Distribute a list of the unsolved problems, dilemmas, or great questions in your discipline and invite students to claim one as their own to investigate.
Ask students what books they read over summer.
Ask students what current event on this subject may effect their future.
Let your students see the enthusiasm you have for your subject and your love of learning.
Take students with you to hear guest speakers or special programs on campus.
Plan a "scholar-gypsy" lesson or unit which shows students the excitement of discovery in your discipline.
Collect students' current phone numbers because you may need to reach them.
Check out absentees. Call or write a personal note.
Diagnose pre-requisite learning using a pre-test and give them quick feedback.
Hand out study questions or study guides.
Be redundant. Students should hear, read, or see key material at least three times.
Allow students to demonstrate progress in learning: summary quiz over the day's work, a written reaction to the day's material.
Use non-graded feedback to let students know how they are doing: post answers to ungraded quizzes and problem sets, exercises in class, oral feedback.
Reward behavior you want: praise, stars, honor roll, personal note.
Use a light touch: smile, tell a good joke, break test anxiety with a sympathetic comment.
Organize. Give visible structure by posting the day's "menu" on chalkboard or overhead.
Use multiple media: multimedia, overhead, slides, film, videotape, audiotape, models, etc.
Use multiple examples, in multiple media, to illustrate key points and important concepts.
Make appointments with all students (individually or in small groups).
Hand out wallet-sized telephone cards important telephone numbers listed: office, department, resource centers, teaching assistant, lab.
Print all important course dates on a card that can be handed out and taped to a mirror.
Eavesdrop on students before or after class and join their conversation about course topics.
Maintain an open updated lab grade book so students can check their progress.
Tell students what they need to do to receive an "A" in your course.
Stop the world to find out what your students are thinking, feeling, and doing in their everyday lives.
Have students write something.
Have students write what they learned in class and turn it in.
Have students keep three-week three-times-a-week journals in which they comment, ask questions, and answer questions about course topics.
Invite students to critique each other's essays or short answers for readability or content.
Invite students to ask questions and wait for the response.
Probe students responses to questions and their comments.
Put students into pairs or "learning cells" to quiz each other over material for the day.
Give students an opportunity to voice opinions about the subject matter.
Have students apply subject matter to solve real problems.
Give students red, yellow, and green cards (made of posterboard) and periodically call for a vote on an issue by asking for a simultaneous show of cards.
Roam the aisles of a large classroom and carry on running conversations with students as they work on course problems (a portable microphone helps).
Ask a question directed to one student and wait for an answer.
Place a suggestion box in the rear of the room and encourage students to make written comments every time the class meets.
Do oral, show-of-hands, multiple choice tests for summary, review, and instant feedback.
Use task groups to accomplish specific objectives.
Grade quizzes and exercises in class as a learning tool.
Give students plenty of opportunity for practice before a major test.
Give a test early in the semester and return it graded in the next class meeting.
Have students write questions on index cards to be collected and answered the next class.
Make collaborative assignments for several students to work on together.
Assign written paraphrases and summaries of difficult reading.
Give students a take-home problem relating to the day's lecture.
Encourage students to bring relevant news items to class and post these on a bulletin board
Learn names.
Set up a buddy system so students can contact each other about coursework.
Find out about your students via questions on an index card.
Take pictures of students (snapshots in small groups) and post in classroom, office or lab.
Arrange helping trios of students to assist each other in learning.
Form small groups for getting acquainted; mix and form new groups several times.
Assign a team project early in the semester and provide time to assemble the team.
Help students form study groups to operate outside the classroom.
Solicit suggestions from students for outside resources and guest speakers.
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