The College Classroom collegeclassroom.ucsd.edu Peter Newbury Fall 2013 Statistics

1. What do you notice?
What do you wonder?
That Huge Lecture Theatre by teddy-rised on flickr CC
1
collegeclassroom.ucsd.edu
#tccucsd

2. (Image: Tunisia 3277 by archer10 on flickr CC)
2
Amphitheater in El Djem, Tunisia. Built by the Romans in 3rd Century AD – “The amphitheater was used for filming some of the scenes
from the 1979 Monty Python film Life of Brian and was also used for filming some of the scenes from the Academy Award (Oscar)
winning film Gladiator.” (Wikipedia entry for “El Djem”)

3. Week 9:
The First Day of Class
The College Classroom
November 26 and 28, 2013
Pull out your copy of The First Day of Class and
Motivating Learning. What surprised you?

4. The First Day of Class
4
1. Establish motivation
1.
2.
3.
personal relevance and interest
choice and control
sense that one can master the material
2. Personalize the learning experience
3. Establish expectations
4. Don’t go over the details
When do you welcome them?
When do you tell them your name?
collegeclassroom.ucsd.edu
#tccucsd

5. 5
collegeclassroom.ucsd.edu
#tccucsd

6. 6
collegeclassroom.ucsd.edu
#tccucsd

7. Clicker question
7
What did you decide about how your students will
address you?
A) Dr. Smith
B) Mr. / Ms. /Mrs. Smith
C) Professor Smith
D) Michael / Elizabeth (first name)
E) Mike / Beth (familiar, nickname)
collegeclassroom.ucsd.edu
#tccucsd

8. Clicker question
8
How many of these social
media channels do you think
you’ll use to connect with
your students?
friend students
class twitter acct
professional acct
professional/personal
follow students
will you initialize
google hangouts?
participate in them?
Numerical i>clicker question:
Click
i>clicker into numeric mode (“123”)
Use up/down buttons to toggle through 0-9,–
Click SEND
class pinterest
class flickr acct
collegeclassroom.ucsd.edu
#tccucsd
other?

9. Think-Pair-Share
9
What’s the difference between academic misconduct
and academic integrity?
collegeclassroom.ucsd.edu
#tccucsd

10. Course details: don’t
10
 Don’t go into details during first class; give links to
more details on






course syllabus
detailed schedule
detailed learning outcomes
academic misconduct integrity
deadlines
rules/policies (eg, late assignments, missed exams…)
 Could give an assignment involving reading these.
collegeclassroom.ucsd.edu
#tccucsd

11. 11
collegeclassroom.ucsd.edu
#tccucsd

12. 12
collegeclassroom.ucsd.edu
#tccucsd

13. Why is this necessary?
13
 You want every student to leave the first class thinking,
“This will be a good course, I’m ok being here.”
 If you don’t do it, “students who are most likely to see the
subject as worth learning are those whose backgrounds,
and corresponding attitudes, are most like that of the
instructor. Those students whose backgrounds are
different, which by definition (usually) includes most
members of under-represented groups, will be less likely
to understand the appeal of the subject and consequently
more inclined to put their efforts into pursuing some other
discipline.” (CWSEI, Motivating Learning)
collegeclassroom.ucsd.edu
#tccucsd

14. 14
First class do’s and don'ts
collegeclassroom.ucsd.edu
#tccucsd

15. 15
Do
Don’t
Check out classroom
before the first class
 assume you’ll be able
to figure it out at the
time.




clicker hardware?
podium computer?
lapel mic? Try it.
presentation remote
works from back of
room?
collegeclassroom.ucsd.edu
#tccucsd
 let a technical
problem ruin your only
chance to make a first
impression.

16. 16
Do
Don’t
Start the class on time.
(establish expectations)
 arrive late (what
expectation does that
establish?)
 have “intimate”
conversation with
students in the front
rows while you wait for
others to wander in.
This doesn’t
“personalize” the class.
collegeclassroom.ucsd.edu
#tccucsd

17. 17
Do
Don’t
Tell students you think
they can all succeed if
they put in the effort.
Fine to say the course is
challenging as long as
you also express it is
Say threatening things like


interesting/worthwhile
do-able with
appropriate effort
collegeclassroom.ucsd.edu
#tccucsd



telling them you expect
some to fail
telling them that students
don’t usually like the
course
telling tell them that
students find the course
extremely difficult

18. 18
Do
Don’t
Try to give them an
authentic experience of
what the class will be like.
Use teaching practices
that are inconsistent with
how you’ll teach the rest
of the time:


If you’re going to use
clickers, do it in the first
class (even if some don’t
have clickers yet.)
email pre-reading
assignment 2 days
before class
collegeclassroom.ucsd.edu
#tccucsd

don’t use clickers if
you’re not (really)
going to use clickers

19. 19
Do
Don’t
Involve students during
class
Talk the entire class time
collegeclassroom.ucsd.edu
#tccucsd

20. 20
Do
Don’t
Address academic
conduct in context
throughout the course:
Emphasize rules and
penalties on the first day:

talk about plagiarism
when you give out a
writing assignment, not
now
collegeclassroom.ucsd.edu
#tccucsd


sends a message of
distrust
they’re not listening
anyway

21. 21
Do
Don’t
End class on time with a
slide containing pertinent
info:
End class early
(establish expectations)






your name
office hours
contact info
course website
homework
important thing
collegeclassroom.ucsd.edu
#tccucsd

22. 22
Do
Don’t
Repeat vital info at the
beginning of the 2nd class,
too
Assume everyone was
there in the 1st class.



your name
contact info
course website
collegeclassroom.ucsd.edu
#tccucsd

23. 23
Do
Don’t
Reinforce all of these
messages (motivation,
personalized learning,
expectations,…)
periodically throughout
the course, at the
appropriate times.
collegeclassroom.ucsd.edu
#tccucsd

24. 24
Do
Don’t
Have a growth mindset
about your students’
abilities to learn.
Have a fixed mindset
about your students’
abilities, including


collegeclassroom.ucsd.edu
#tccucsd
your job is to find 5%
who will be like you
your job is to filter
out students from
advancing to the next
course

25. Week 10: Teaching as Research and
Succeeding in an Educational Career
The College Classroom
December 3 and 5, 2013
Watch the blog for tasks to complete.

26. References
26
1. Carl Wieman Science Education Initiative (2009). First Day of
Class – Recommendations for Instructors. Available under
Instructor Guidance Resources at cwsei.ubc.ca
2. Carl Wieman Science Education Initiative (2013). Movitating
Learning. Available under Instructor Guidance Resources at
cwsei.ubc.ca
collegeclassroom.ucsd.edu
#tccucsd