We're nearing the end of the fall semester here (not a moment too soon), which perhaps explains my recent inattention to this blog. I've finally managed to match the (mostly English) names of my 65 first-year English students with their faces; I suppose when we come back from winter break I'll have forgotten again. Fortunately, first-year English goes for a whole year here (is "fortunately" the word I should use?), so by the end of next semester I'll have their names and faces all matched up again.
We're using Neil Anderson's Active Skills for Reading in our class; I told my students that back when Dr. Anderson was teaching at Ohio University, I had the honor of taking a summer class in language testing with him. One of the things that struck me the most was that he could identify every student by name by the end of the first class (and there were over 30 students, if memory serves me). And he didn't forget our names after the first class. Of course, I'm a little embarrassed to mention that, since it has taken me so long to remember my own students' names...
4 comments:
I've been working harder at this, but there are still pockets of students that I confuse...last semester it was two young women whose only resemblance was long blonde hair. And three guys with buzz cuts in the same class. Any suggestions on methods for remembering names and attaching them to faces?
I've tried several approaches to this problem. What works best for me to put students in groups once in a while instead of letting them choose their own groups. Then I put the ones whose names I don't know together with ones whose names I know. Seems to help.
I use one of those iZone cameras (you know, the instamatic cameras that produce miniature photos?). One the second day of class, I snap a photo of each student and attach the photos to index cards with the stude's names on them. Then, I can flip through them in my office, and try to commit their names to memory. And, if I need to, I can pull them out in class, flip through them, and call on people by name.
Heather S.
hmshearerATcazenoviaDOTedu
That sounds like a good idea, Heather. I've traditionally had students bring in their own pictures to paste to index cards, but they typically give me some picture from high school that predates their new college hairdos/hair-dyes, plastic surgery, or whatever it is they do to themselves the summer before their first year of college...
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