Article: Instructional Practices
How to Teach a Good First Day of Class
Chronicle of Higher Education
Derek’s
Recommendation
James Lang details four principles for making the most of the first day of class (curiosity, community, learning, and expectations) that tap into both cognitive and affective domains. He also provides example first-day lessons from experienced educators in a variety of fields, including me!
On that first day, I would argue, your students are forming a lasting impression not just of you as a teacher but of your course, too. Their early, thin-slice judgments are powerful enough to condition their attitudes toward the entire course, the effort they are willing to put into it, and the relationship they will have with you and their peers throughout the semester.
So that first class meeting is a big deal. You want to give students a taste of the engaging intellectual journey they will undertake in the coming weeks — and you have great flexibility in how you go about it. Helping you to make that opening session as effective as possible, whatever your discipline, is the goal of this online guide.