Opening rituals
Students coming into your class on a given day are thinking about many things apart from the topic of the class. Maybe they just had an argument with their friend, or they are running late from another class or their campus job. They are likely worried about something they have to do later. In any case, even if they did their homework and are prepared, they probably don’t walk into the room thinking about the specifics. How can you use the time before class starts to welcome everyone and get ready for the day? Say goodbye to the awkward silence, where everyone is just on their phones waiting for you to start. Use the time to welcome students, have them feel comfortable together, and get in the mind of what you’re going to teach that day.
Take time to greet students. As students walk in, it’s a great time to say hello and ask how they are doing. Use their names if you can or use the time as a way to keep learning names and meeting students individually. Making sure students feel seen in the classroom is a great start to helping them engage and connect with each other, too.
Put something on the board for discussion. It could be a provocative quote, an image, or a question about the topic. Whether it’s a prompt from the reading or a question tapping into prior knowledge about the material, getting students talking in pairs and thinking about the material before you start is a great way to get everyone warmed up and engaged in the topic at hand.
Play music. In a course I took on the history of education, the professor started each session with music from the time period we would be exploring. Each week we came in eager to hear what he would be playing to get us in the mood. Even all of these years later, I remember the music and the fun it brought to that class. Depending on your topic, you could make a Spotify playlist and even ask students to contribute to it. During the pandemic, we leaned into music as a way to help make Zoom less deadly and more welcoming, and my great friend and colleague Rebecca made several course-specific playlists to build fun and community into our seminars. Check out her playlist for discussion leading!
These days I have been going to more meetings where I don’t know many people, and I am not sure what the expectations are, and I am reminded of the connections between leadership and teaching. Good teachers make good leaders, and I wish more leaders would implement techniques like this. Why not make your meetings welcoming and engaging? I think there is a fear, maybe especially in academia, that using strategies like this could make you seem less serious, or make it look like you are trying too hard. But these things don’t have to be contradictory; strategies that help people engage do not detract from the importance of the content and can help make meetings more productive.
What did I miss? How do you like to start your classes or meetings? I’d love to hear from you.
