Teaching and learning are relational processes; building significant relationships in large classes requires planning, time, and hard work. Showing genuine interest in who my students are as individuals is crucial in developing trust and a feeling of safety in my classroom.
At the beginning of each academic semester, I make sure I allow my pre-service teacher students at the Oranim College of Education to introduce themselves to me in different ways.
I devote most of the first lesson to an introductory letter in a few of my courses. In the past ten years or more, I have been following a strategy I learned from Professor Julian Kitchen from Brock University in Canada. In his article (2005)*, Kitchen relates his experience writing a personal/professional letter to his students and asking them to respond in writing. My students (pre-service and in-service teachers) are always surprised by my openness and greatly appreciate reading my authentic two-page letter. Reading their replies lets me glimpse into their worlds and connect with them as we embark on teaching and learning in the course.
I send out a questionnaire in other courses before or after the first lesson. I ask students their names and how they prefer I call them, which program they are studying, where they are doing their practice teaching, and other practical information. I also ask questions that help me gauge how the student is arriving at the course and what I should be aware of and pay attention to throughout the semester.
Some questions are closed, like this one:
The most critical questions are open-ended.
- Is there anything you would like me to know about you that is relevant (or not) to this course of study? If so, please describe it here or write that you would like to talk to me privately.
- I would love to hear your thoughts. Do you have additional comments about the first lesson, the syllabus, the course structure etc.?
I don’t always receive many responses to these optional open questions, but the opportunity to share personal information and feedback is significant for the students who choose to answer them. I have students reach out about their family situation, the conditions in which they study, health and mental health issues and learning challenge issues.
This year I noticed that when I send the questionnaire after the first face-to-face lesson, more students choose to open up and share information of personal importance with me.
How do you get to know your students beyond ice-breaker activities in the lesson?
