The first impression is truly the last impression.

This is solely the reason why you must leave no stone unturned in ensuring that your very first classroom session is a rocking and super-successful one, dear teachers.

Why must Teachers Plan their First Session?

For, this is the time when your students are the most receptive.

They have been dreaming of a brand new life filled with interesting academic lessons. New textbooks. And of course, a completely new series of lectures from your end. Their young brains are eager to learn something new and grow together, as a team, along with their classmates.

Youngsters invest a majority of their time in schools, away from their homes. It is here that they are exposed to diverse learning techniques, innovative assignments, and wonderful teachers.

Therefore, they have attended your class with great expectations of a brilliant learning experience.

Bestow upon your students some of the most memorable classroom experiences by creating a lesson plan. Now, this lesson plan must involve teaching strategies that can aid you kickstart a new session with your students in the most effectual manner possible.

How to Kickstart a Brand New Classroom Session?

So, the question arises: How can teachers work their way towards gifting students a perfect new classroom session? A captivating initial session forms a strong impression on the minds of learners, triggering in them an intense desire to learn more.

Read on to uncover the tips to kickstart a new session in the following paragraphs:

#1. Get Ready

First and foremost, get ready for your class.

Jot down some of the essential points associated with your lesson in a diary. Why not prepare a lesson plan for your students? All you are required to do is check the school curriculum and compare them to the chapters in the official school textbook. Next, just write down a short summary of each of the chapters you would teach your students.

You can also make a note of the objectives of your upcoming session on the blackboard, or on a piece of paper that you can place on your desk.

What are the salient features of your lesson?

What kind of assignments are you planning to allocate to your students for assessing their understanding of the basic concepts of what you would be teaching them? And if you desire to present a lecture on a particular subject, it would be awesome if you have some notes ready!

#2. Remember Names

Try your best to memorize the names of your students.

I agree this is quite an uphill task if the strength of your class exceeds thirty, but then, trust me, it is worth the effort. If the number of students in your class is about fifty-five, it is obvious that you would end up forgetting most of the names, unfortunately.

However, there is this trick that really works in this case.

While you are taking the attendance at the beginning of your session, notice the child carefully who raises his hand as soon as you call out his name. Once he has responded, repeat his name once.

It helps you make a mental note of the student as well as his name so that next time you get it right.

As the class progresses, speak a few words to students as you ask them questions, and do that while mentioning their names. For instance, you can ask somebody, “What is your favorite subject, Rohan?”

#3. Have a Conversation

Done with practicing remembering the names of your students?

Now it is time you have a small conversation with your students. If it is a completely new session, chances are you would be an alien to students. So, introduce yourself to them all. Tell them a few things about yourself, for example, the subjects that you might be teaching them from now onwards.

Speak a little. But also make it a point to include students in your sweet little conversation.

You can ask students about their past experiences in studying the subject that you are about to teach them. Or, you can also prefer asking them about their hobbies, just to break the ice.

Speak something about your favorite subjects as well for it can enable you to befriend them by helping students relate to you.

Such short conversations between teachers and students act as great warm-ups prior to an academic session.

#4. Use Humor

While you are having a conversation with your pupils, don’t forget to sprinkle in a pinch of humor into it! Have fun with your students, if you aim to make your lessons more interactive.

It would go a long way towards ushering your students in a comfort zone, wherein they are more attentive in your lectures.

For instance, you might wish to share some of the embarrassing errors you used to make in a subject, as a child.

Or, confess about some of the common excuses you would often come up with when you missed your home assignments, for a change. This makes the classroom ambiance a happy-go-lucky one while at the same time issuing a polite but firm warning to students not to offer any excuse for not completing their tasks.

A generous dose of humor in classroom scenarios can help students relax, let their hair down and enjoy the learning processes to a great extent.

#5. Be an Energetic Teacher

Smile more.

A smile is contagious and carries an immense potential to spread happiness and warmth all around you. Therefore, be cheerful while you are around youngsters, I mean students. Smile a little more. Try and appear slightly friendlier towards your young learners.

Remember teachers, an ideal educator is somebody who inspires students to love what they learn.

So naturally, you must put your best foot forward in coming across as an enthusiastic educator who is keen to share wisdom and keep the flame of knowledge alight among students.

It is just the first day of your session with a bunch of excited young students.

Obviously, you are eager to have them around you and get them listen to you. So act like you bask in their company. Be an energetic teacher who loves attending her session and meet her students.

#6. Manage Administrative Tasks

Next, focus your attention towards the administrative tasks that you got to take care of, dear teachers. Wondering what they are? Well, there are many.

Firstly, you must take the attendance of your students.

Doing so serves multiple purposes. Firstly, you are familiar about the aggregate number of students present in your classroom. Secondly, you are also introduced to the students, that is, you get to know them by their names. Thirdly, you also get to know the students who have attended your session and the ones who are missing from the list!

When you enter a particular classroom session for the first time, you need to do one more thing: make announcements.

Communicate your rules to your students. For example, if you prefer your students to be present in your class five minutes before the commencement of it, make them know about it. Another thing you can do is distribute handouts to students, before you start teaching them a particular topic.

#7. Treat your Students like Adults

Teachers tend to treat students like little kids, immature and timid.

However, do you know that children dislike being looked upon as ‘little kids’ always? It adversely impacts their confidence levels as well as their interest in the subjects they have been trying to learn at school. On the contrary, they glow with confidence and joy when elders treat them as if they are adults.

So why not start treating your students like ‘responsible adults’ right from the very first day?

For instance, one of your students might have been late for a particular lecture. Your immediate reaction is: “How dare you enter my class late? Look at the clock, you are nine minutes late, Amit!” And you scream at the top of your lungs, furious at such an irresponsible display of student behavior.

Please give it a pause, my dear perplexed teacher.

If your student has missed a portion of an important lecture, it is his loss. You simply need to make him understand it, politely but firmly.

#8. Ask Questions

Try to maintain a healthy and lively classroom environment by making sure that you engage students in constant interactions.

When you have just started with a lesson, do not proceed further without assessing if your pupils are capable of interpreting it appropriately. You can go about it by asking numerous questions to your students.

For example, if a student asks you any question that is associated with the lesson you have been imparting.

Do not just answer that question immediately despite your desire to do so. Instead, ask the same question to all your students by announcing it aloud in the class. Before you do that, appreciate the question asked by your student. This is one of the most intelligent techniques that has the power to increase student participation in learning spaces.

These are some of the best strategies that you can choose to adopt if you seek to end up with a marvelous plan of making your very first session really productive. Wishing you all the very best for your new session. I sincerely hope you meet with success in your endeavors, dear teachers.