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Table 3.6–1. Learning Students’ Names

❑ Download the students’ photo IDs from the electronic class roll and
study them in your office.
❑ Give the students tent cards to display during class. On the first day of
the semester, end the class a few minutes early, have the students come
up in groups of four holding tent cards with their names, take digital
photos of them, and study them in your office.
❑ On the first day of class, pass a sheet of paper down each row of the
classroom and have the students write their names, inserting Xs for
empty seats. Prepare a seating chart, use it to call on students, and study
it in class during activities and exams.

for the type of job they would like to have after graduation. Compile
lists of their talents, hobbies, and career goals and refer to the lists when
looking for applications of course material.
Have your students anonymously hand in statements about why they’re
taking your course and rumors they’ve heard about it.

❦ ❦
The student grapevine is powerful but not necessarily accurate, and
students often form opinions about courses based on false or exagger-
ated rumors. Getting those rumors on the table will help you uncover
and address misconceptions and fears. For example, if students in your
course have heard that a ridiculously high percentage of the class always
fails, you might calm them down by showing a grade distribution from a
previous semester. (If the rumors are true, skip this technique.)
Have students write their expectations of you.
Students will be more likely to try to meet your expectations if they
believe they are being met halfway. Ask them to write what they expect
from you, either as a small-group exercise on the first day of class or in the
first homework assignment. Most of them will come up with reasonable
expectations, such as that you will come to class on time and prepared,
respond to their online questions, and grade and hand back assignments
and tests reasonably quickly. Identify the expectations you feel you can
commit to and state your commitment in class.
Use active learning.
Many dropouts in the early years of college can be attributed to
students feeling isolated (Astin, 1993; Seymour & Hewitt, 1997; Tinto,
1993). Active learning—getting students to work in small groups on brief
course-related activities during class—is a powerful technique that helps