For Teachers: Our first day of class

I know that many teachers know what to do in a first-day class because of experience. However, I remember when I started teaching and I had no idea what to do. I was so scared of how my students would be, what I should say, if I had to start directly with the first lesson because time is important, etc. So this post has as an objective to give some ideas of how to act the first day of class, or to refresh ourselves these ideas.

Before we start, it is very important to have some time to check our students' background if it is possible. Perhaps we can ask our colleagues the performance of the group, their level, their attitudes, or we can check it in a data base (it is possible that schools or institutes have it). If it is not possible at all - maybe these students are totally new- we can ask some questions which I will say later.

When our first day with a group starts, the first thing we have to do is to introduce ourselves. I know it's obvious, but it's also an opportunity to allow our students to introduce themselves. We show them how to introduce ourselves and then they can do it. We can use the following prompt to help them if necessary (it depends on their level):

• My name is ______________.
• I am ___ years old. 
• I live in _________________. 
• I like ___________________.

We can start these introductions using some dynamics such as passing a ball or using cards for order, but it depends on you.

Remember the questions I said before? Well these are just some ideas:

For beginners 

• Are you familiar with English?
• Have you learnt English before? 
• Do you know some words? 

(It may be possible that students won't understand what you are asking, so you can reformulate the questions in a simpler way, for example: English or no English?)

For non-beginners
 In this case, you can ask them about the content taught the previous courses in order to know their level.

It is also important to inquire after students prospects: What do you  expect of the course? Why are you learning English? 
Then, it is so important to show our students the general objective of the program or course they are taking so that they can know where they are going to and what they have to focus in. Furthermore, it's so necessary for students to know the rules of the game. They have to know what to and what not to do and how you are going to evaluate them. We are the guides, so we have to guide them through rules and assessment, which students have the right to know. Besides, it is so much better when everything is clear between teachers and students.

Finally, in my opinion, we can show our students some key phrases that they can use for interaction. You can choose the most important key phrases for you. Remember that, in this case, you are aiming for interaction. (In a next post, I will show you some ideas).

Maybe this post was like a step-by-step how to act in a first-day class, but you have to remember that this day is very important, and your attitude is, too. You have to be in a very good mood, show predisposition and patience, and students will notice it. This way, you are going to create a good atmosphere, which is basic in every teaching-learning process.

I hope that I could help you.

Good Luck!