Teaching tips for the beginning of the semster:
- Get to know your students’ names. Learning names (and greeting students when they enter the class, even if you don’t remember every name) will help foster a sense of community and belonging (Elliott et al, 2016). If you’re teaching online, consider using icebreaker discussion boards and other activities to connect students with each other and yourself.
- Ask your students what they’re interested in and what brings them to the course (which can be done in any class modality). A sense of common interest or common purpose can also solidify a classroom and a community (Elliott et al, 2016).
- Consider how you want to continue that sense of community throughout the semester. We can focus on getting to know our students and icebreakers in the first part of a course, but these efforts carry the most weight when carried throughout the semester. In addition, community building is possible in large classes as well. The University of Waterloo offers suggestions on connecting with students throughout the semester no matter what your class size.
Intentional work to connect with your students is a time and effort investment, but one that will create a better learning space for both you and your students.
Elliott, D., Gamino, M., & Jenkins, J. J. (2016). Creating community in the college classroom: Best practices for increased student success. International Journal of Education and Social Science, 3(6), 29-41.