Tips from the AEJMC Teaching Committee
Are your students jittery, jaded or jazzed after the first day of class?
By Carol Schwalbe
AEJMC Standing Committee on Teaching
Associate Professor
Director of Graduate Studies
School of Journalism
University of Arizona
(Article courtesy of AEJMC News, September 2017 issue)
Summer is over, and the semester is about to begin. You’ve ordered books, selected readings and finished the syllabus.
But have you paid much attention to what you’ll cover on the first day of class beyond reviewing the syllabus?
Years ago, I met an architecture professor who told me that he launched his course by skimming over the syllabus, then energizing the students about the semester ahead by asking them a thought-provoking question: What is architecture? Does it have to be a human-built construction, or can it be an inspirational space, such as Lascaux Cave? What about a circus tent? A beehive? An egg carton? A merry-go-round? A log cabin? A computer program? A bonfire?
Before long, we were engaged in a lively discussion.
I often think of this encounter as I prepare for the first day of class each semester.
Here are a variety of ways you can immerse your students in the content of your course and get them excited about the semester ahead. These activities will help you learn the students’ names, their aspirations and what will motivate them to do well in your course. The students are actively engaged. They begin to learn one another’s names, and they start doing journalism on the first day of class.
First Impressions
Students will size you up in just a few seconds. To set a positive tone, greet each student individually before your class begins.
Dive into Content
Save the syllabus review for the end of the class. Instead, use the first valuable minutes to stimulate students’ interest in your course. Ask a thought-provoking question, as the architecture professor did. Or pose an ethical issue, discuss a hot news topic or critique a media piece.
Speed Interviewing
I do a variation of speed dating known as speed interviewing. In addition to serving as an icebreaker, this activity primes students to listen for quotable quotes. We also review interviewing tips, such as keeping eye contact while taking notes.
Before we start, we discuss the advantages of open-ended versus close-ended questions, then list possible items to ask about during the interview:
Name, including the correct spelling of first name and last name
Hometown
Favorite things to do
Reasons for studying journalism
Best or worst journalism experience
Dream career
Contact information
With notebook in hand, the students pair off and interview their classmate. The students then switch roles.
Volunteers introduce their classmate and include a quotable quote. I give the volunteers a reporter’s notebook or extra credit. Afterward, the group discusses the questions that worked well and those that didn’t — and why.
If I have enough time, the students write a short bio (between 250 and 300 words) of their classmate. They then exchange the bio with their classmate, who checks it for accuracy. The students hand in the bios, which give me a sense of the strengths and weaknesses of their interviewing and writing skills.
Sharing the Syllabus
To free up time for activities like speed interviewing, I ask the students to read the syllabus ahead of time and come prepared to answer questions. Here are examples:
What two things surprised you about this syllabus?
What two questions do you have about this course?
What’s exciting you about this course?
What’s confusing or making you nervous about this course?
What would you change?
I post the syllabus in our course management system several days before the first class, then email the assignment to the students.
Divvy up the Syllabus
If you prefer to review the syllabus in class, you can save time by dividing the students into small groups. Each group reviews a different section of the syllabus and shares the five most interesting/surprising things with their classmates.
Ticket Out
In the last few minutes of class I hand out blank 3×5 index cards. On this Ticket Out the students write two things they want to get out of class besides an A, along with any concerns, questions or things they’re looking forward to. The cards are anonymous, so students can express their honest feelings. During the next class I review the students’ answers, which often reveal concerns and misperceptions I can address early on.
Wrap up 5 or 10 minutes early
For some reason, many students resent profs who go the whole time on the first day of class. It’s a quirky thing with students. If you wrap up a bit early that first day, they will appreciate it. You can make up for the shortened class later in the semester.
Bottom line
These activities make students more excited about the semester ahead than they would be if we devoted the first class to reviewing the syllabus.
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