The First Day of Class

What are your goals for the first day of class? This important first meeting can set the tone for the rest of the term. Some possible goals for the first day might include:

• Frame the course content
• Assess prior knowledge
• Create a comfortable classroom climate
• Complete essential administrative tasks/information
• Establish expectations
• Engage with course content
• Establish motivation by conveying the importance of the subject matter

Students may not understand the importance of your subject matter or what kinds of questions your discipline seeks to answer. Perhaps they signed up for your class because it fit into their schedule. Perhaps they know they need it for their intended major, but not why it is relevant. A meeting that focuses only on the syllabus, expectations, and administrative tasks may leave students still wondering what the class is really about. Engaging the students with the course content early can help make this connection and set expectations at the same time.

Ken Bain, in his book What the Best College Teachers Do (2004), suggests the following ideas for the first class:

• Frame the course content.
  • Start with a question.
  • What essential questions will this course answer?
• Recognize students come into the class with their own mental models.
• Create natural critical learning environments.
  • Learn something new the first day.
  • Whatever you do in class, do it the first day.

Engaging students in the content right up front can help you inspire interest and determine what sort of prior knowledge and misconceptions students have. Perhaps you plan to have class discussions regularly, or maybe you will have frequent in class writing assignments or engage in group problem solving activities. Whatever you do, do them the first day to set expectations for an active and engaged classroom.

Here are two nice references with ideas for the first day of class:

Make the Most of the First Day of Class - From the Eberly Center for Teaching Excellence and Instructional Innovation at Carnegie Mellon.

The First Day of Class: What Can/Should we do? - an essay from Dee Fink, author of Creating Significant Learning Experiences.

What do you plan to do the first day?