Tchudi+&+Mitchell+(ch.+5)+“Getting+Started”+-+RM 

Tchudi & Mitchell (ch. 5) “Getting Started”

“The teacher’s task is to figure out how to design a class to maximize strengths and help every student succeed, thus creating a strong unit, a community of learners who are willing to work together.”

This quote reaffirms my belief that creating a positive classroom climate is extremely important. I want my students to feel accepted, important, and respected in my classroom – both by me, their teacher, and their peers. I really like the idea of an introductory letter based off of several questions. I think these questions should be a mix of academic based questions (in order to get to know how they feel they learn best, what they do and do not like in the classroom, what their expectations for the year are, etc.) and personal ones (who do they spend the most time with, hobbies, favorite authors/bands/movies).

I really liked the example of the condescending “who owns this school” excerpt from a syllabus. When I read it I didn’t really think much about it (other than it was kind of stupid) but the author really broke it down and reminded me to be honest and upfront with my students and treat them with respect. As someone who really appreciates humor, this is something that I need to remember. Not because I ever plan on patronizing my students(!), but because I’m sure my joking nature may not be well received by some students, ESPECIALLY before building rapport and a relationship with them.

“When teachers believe students are bright, students tend to perform well. When teachers are negative about student capabilities, performance drops to match.”

This is another quote that really resonated with me. I remember learning about this in a class taught by Dr. Heather Davis. I want to make it clear that I believe in and support all of my students – overtly and subconsciously! For my first class, I’d like to greet my students at the door (smiling!). That way I can knock out attendance and hopefully remember names a bit easier. Next, I’d like to introduce myself to them using something like a Prezi. This will allow them to see a personal side of me and a little bit into my personal life. Perhaps I’d share a picture of my family, my cat, me at my graduation, etc. After this, I would like to go around the room and have them introduce themselves and share an interesting fact.

Next, I’d like to have my students write the letter that I described earlier, with the mix of personal and academic based questions. After this, using 3 big sticky notes (the huge ones), I’d like to create classroom rules together as a class. One sticky would be what I expect of them, the second what they expect of me, and the third what they expect from one another.

At the end of class I would like to instruct them to bring in an object that is important to them for tomorrow’s class (nothing living or dead!). This could be as simple as their baseball glove or as personal as a photo of their grandmother. Dr. Beal did this in her class and it was really nice to share our items with the class and see a more personal side of our classmates.