Getting to Know Your Students

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Getting to Know Your Students

• By Jessica Buffone and
• Val Edmunds

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Benefits of Getting to Know Your Students

• Encourages a positive learning environment
• Students feel comfortable in taking risks, and
  sharing personal experiences
• Can incorporate traits of students into lessons
• Helps teacher learn first names, and family
  history
• Builds respect amongst classmates
• Introduces students to a classroom community
• Can lead to student improvement

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• Students change and develop throughout the course
  of the academic year, so it is important to
  continue to incorporate these activities into
  lesson plans for all the different subject areas.
• Here are some fun, effective new ways that we
  have collected to better develop teacher- student
  and student- student relationships within the
  classroom.

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English

• Personality in a Bag
• Me Book
• Both of these activities are a great way for a
  teacher to be able to learn more about the
  students as a whole being. Assessment is based on
  the written component, and the oral component
  with a presentation.

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Art

• Time Capsules
• students are encouraged to draw pictures of
  themselves, family, house, pets, favorite places,
  activities, books, food etc. Have students write
  down their goals for the year, or include any
  other material that is special to the student at
  the time. Also, students can add a piece of
  homework that they are proud of from any other
  time to encourage growth and to also show
  improvement. Students can decorate the outside
  of time capsules to reflect themselves. Students
  will be given class time for this assignment that
  will occur over an extended period of time.

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Math

• Measurement
• have student measure the dimensions of a room in
  their house (appropriate for grade 8
  curriculum). Teacher can see a visual
  representation of the students living
  arrangements, while students are practicing their
  skills in these strands of mathematics
  (Perimeter, area, volume and mass).

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Social Studies

• Family Tree
• students learn more about their historical
  backgrounds, and where they came from. Have them
  take note on any different languages, countries
  or religions that may be drawn out from these
  trees. (this is a good activity to do with your
  class because it can be tied into numerous other
  subject areas).

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Gym

• Active Games can take any shape or form.
• The ball name toss Thank you Jessica, here you
  go Val!
• Switch Switch if you
• Fox and the Hare

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Closing Thoughts

• Remember It is important to have the students
  actively engaged in the lesson being taught by
  having discussion questions that relate. Have
  students think about how the matter being taught
  relates to their own lives and personal
  experiences.

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Discussion

• As a teacher, how do you notice that these
  activities have made an impact in your class?
• What are some of the activities that you have
  used with your class that you found to be really
  effective in getting to know your students?

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Some web sites to check out for more active
games/ icebreakers

• http//www.teachervision.fen.com/students/teaching
  -methods/2878.html http//www.teachervision.fen.
  com/education-and-parents/printable/2282.html ht
  tp//www.education-world.com/a_lesson/lesson/lesso
  n196.shtml http//www.education-world.com/a_less
  on/lesson/lesson019.shtml http//www.educationwo
  rld.com/a_lesson/lesson/lesson242.shtml http//w
  ww.nap.edu/readingroom/books/str/8.html http//w
  ww.teachersfirst.com/knowyou.cfmm http//www.in
  spiringteachers.com/articles/beginning/knowstudent
  s.html

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