Engagement

students watching teacher with interest A light touch is golden in the first class and, if possible, interjecting your own brand of humor will help get things started. This is recommended only if it is your teaching style and personality to convey humor. Some people naturally convey a sense of humor while others do not. However, you do not have to be funny to be a good teacher! Do what is natural for you and try not to force your personality into the preconceived mold of a Platonic teacher. Nevertheless, be careful of jokes, cartoons, or comments that could be interpreted in any conceivable way as racist, sexist, or homophobic. Remember that as their instructor, you occupy a position of power in the classroom; any students unintentionally offended may fear to voice their objections because of fear of grade reprisal. This will sour any attempt to establish a positive rapport.

Introducing yourself

When you spend the time introducing yourself, you ease student anxieties about approaching you; students know a little about you and your approach to the course. What and how much you reveal is again a personal choice, but your willingness to be personable will break down some of the forced formality that usually hinders student-teacher communication. This is a chance to convey your excitement about teaching the course, and that your care about how each student will do in the course. Even if your class is too large for you to get to know all your students personally: giving a good introduction will establish first-day introductions, set the tome for your interactions with students, and make yourself more approachable. Not only will a nice introduction help in establishing rapport, but it is a good way to ease yourself into lecturing and helps in alleviating your first day anxieties; people are more comfortable around people they know. Warning: Although it is nice to achieve a good sense of approachability, seeming too informal can cost you the authority you need to run the class effectively.

Introducing yourself:

Sharing something about yourself can help begin a constructive relationship. This can include

sharing your own experience in the course when you first took it,

how did you study in the course, when did it come together for you, or

what you learned from the course.

You are the person in the classroom that the students will interact with most. Students are interested in who you are and how you view the material; you are a role model for how they view the subject and future related careers. Letting the students know that you are a “real person,” as they are, not only makes the course a more pleasant experience but also connects the students to success in the subject as an obtainable goal. “Dr. Ramirez has a sense of humor and likes the stuff I do; he knows the material well, and so can I someday.” Here is a list of characteristics that students like to see in professors: enthusiasm and willingness to work to make the course worthwhile, objectivity (the students will call it, "fairness"), and a sympathetic attitude toward the problems of students.

Ice-breakers

It helps to have a good “ice-breaker” planned that will help you open communications with the students. Some people do this naturally without thought while others require a little practice to get good at it. The nature of ice-breakers may involve some aspects of the introduction or asking students their opinions about topics. Some structured ice-breakers involve exercises such as:

personal introductions by the students
a naming cycle
student to student introductions
after class feedback forms
association exercises where students report what first comes to mind about a key word from the course title or description
asking students what problems or issues they would like to see covered in the class
presenting rhetorical questions about the material

When selecting an ice-breaker, it is important to consider your audience, your personality and the construction of the course.

Creating Ice-breakers

Describe one or two "ice breaker" activities that you might use on the first day. For each activity, list the purpose of the activity and how you think it might help this particular set of students.

Listening to students

Listen to your students. Depending on the size and construction of the course, this may involve a period of time in which students are asked specific questions: why are you taking the course, what do you expect from it, what is your background, or any other questions that would be pertinent. If an oral response would not work for your class, have the students answer a questionnaire. This strategy also helps you connect with the students and their needs, and eases your anxieties by familiarizing yourself with the students. Listen to students who approach you after class. Do not simply dismiss them by saying my office hours are such and such. A few minutes spent after class talking with some students will not only help in establishing rapport and better adapt to you student needs, but also ease your anxieties in subsequent lectures.