How to Get to Know Your Students
Designate five minutes a day for chatting with students., Express interest in their well-being., Have classroom discussions.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Designate five minutes a day for chatting with students.
To get to know your students, designate five minutes at the start of every class to engage in casual conversation with them.
Ask about their extracurricular activities, favorite movies and music, or other topics that do not involve schoolwork.
Getting to know your students’ interests will give you insight into their personalities and provide the opportunity for future conversations.For instance, once you know a student’s favorite sports teams, you can easily engage them in conversations about games, trades, and other sports news. -
Step 2: Express interest in their well-being.
Forge a connection with your students by regularly asking them how they are doing and showing an interest in their well-being.
If one of your students is upset, speak to them one-on-one and ask questions to figure out what is going on.
Regardless of how the students answer, continue asking them about their lives to demonstrate that you care.For instance, if a normally outgoing student is quiet and withdrawn, ask something like, “How are you doing today? I noticed that you didn’t say anything during our class discussion.
Is anything bothering you?” , Discussion and debate are excellent teaching tools, and good ways to get to know your students.
Start a class discussion on a key topic being covered in your course (e.g. global warming) by posing specific questions asking for your students’ opinions.For example, start a conversation by proposing questions like, “How do you feel about the issue of global warming? Are we doing enough to address it?” Fuel ongoing discussions by posing follow up questions or by acknowledging the opposition of different opinions within the classroom (e.g. “Many of you seem to agree that global warming is an imminent threat to our planet, but some of you are shaking your heads as if you disagree.
Do you mind sharing your opinion on the issue with the class?”) -
Step 3: Have classroom discussions.
Detailed Guide
To get to know your students, designate five minutes at the start of every class to engage in casual conversation with them.
Ask about their extracurricular activities, favorite movies and music, or other topics that do not involve schoolwork.
Getting to know your students’ interests will give you insight into their personalities and provide the opportunity for future conversations.For instance, once you know a student’s favorite sports teams, you can easily engage them in conversations about games, trades, and other sports news.
Forge a connection with your students by regularly asking them how they are doing and showing an interest in their well-being.
If one of your students is upset, speak to them one-on-one and ask questions to figure out what is going on.
Regardless of how the students answer, continue asking them about their lives to demonstrate that you care.For instance, if a normally outgoing student is quiet and withdrawn, ask something like, “How are you doing today? I noticed that you didn’t say anything during our class discussion.
Is anything bothering you?” , Discussion and debate are excellent teaching tools, and good ways to get to know your students.
Start a class discussion on a key topic being covered in your course (e.g. global warming) by posing specific questions asking for your students’ opinions.For example, start a conversation by proposing questions like, “How do you feel about the issue of global warming? Are we doing enough to address it?” Fuel ongoing discussions by posing follow up questions or by acknowledging the opposition of different opinions within the classroom (e.g. “Many of you seem to agree that global warming is an imminent threat to our planet, but some of you are shaking your heads as if you disagree.
Do you mind sharing your opinion on the issue with the class?”)
About the Author
Lori Webb
Specializes in breaking down complex crafts topics into simple steps.
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