Learn the Students' Names: much of this article is difficult to apply to our experiences here at ML. We don't get a roster of names the day before, they rarely stay in one spot long enough to associate them with which portion of the room they sit. We don't have 15 mins for them to respond to an essay, in which time we can study their features, as well as use the essay to get to know them a little better. We barely have five minutes to spend on just learning their names. Although some of these techniques are probably very useful in a classroom setting. I definitely agree with the assessment that learning names is critical. I love the last line of the article. "Teachers cannot claim to be concerned about how well their students learn, if they themselves do not try as hard as they can to show they care about one of the most important possessions anyone can have in a mass civilization: a face and a name."
Monday, October 24, 2011
Showing love through names.
Love and the Cabby: The belief that one person can make a difference. How do I maintain that faith? How do I continue to work hard at being a positive influence on everyone that I come into contact with? Even though we may never see the result of our efforts, we still need to keep trying. I often want to know that I am making a difference. I want it to be a tangible result in some way. I wish for some measure of recognition, some knowledge that what I am doing matters in the long run. This story made me think, how often do I remember to tell someone when something they say or do makes my day?
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I purposely spend time the 1st day of a school year learning names. I go around the room - handshake and name to everyone. Then I go through all their names, they are surprised. Then I give them 30 seconds to switch seats and I do all their names again. They are really surprised. It helps for day 2, and on...
ReplyDeleteAs you stated - name and face (my handshake the first day)
I do something similar to Matt with my groups. I learn their names and turn my back and have them switch places in line. I works for me. I also like starting at the stations like cider or granary because it gives me more one on one with the students and I can pick up on a lot of their tendencies.
ReplyDeleteI started out looking at some learning names articles, but I too found that they are much more applicable to a classroom setting where you already have a roster in front of you. So far I don't think I've really come up with any tricks. I just go through everyone, have them tell me their name, have them switch around (like Aaron does), and then try to go through the line again. It's been pretty hit and miss so far, but I feel like I'm getting better at it. Maybe as time goes on I'm putting more and more emphasis on learning the names, even if it's just subconciously
ReplyDeleteI try to say thank you to everyone that does something for me, but I never go out of my way to do so. For example, I will say, "thank you for bagging" at the grocer, but I never walk up to the custodian and say "thank you for sweeping the floor." It's a good point that we should continue to stretch ourselves in our kindness to strangers.
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