Making the most of the first week of classes

I’m not entirely sure how it happened, but we are over half-way through August. The first week of class is quickly approaching.

The Novice Professor is on a mission to start out the school year with a bang. We recently did a series of posts about our New (academic) Year’s resolutions (about our goals on research & writing, teaching, professional development, and productivity), followed by an open letter to undergrads applying to graduate programs this year.

Now, we are focusing on making the most of the first week of classes. 

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Those first few fundamental courses can set the tone for the class, but they are also often missed by students. What is the best way to treat these first few classes? Do you dive straight into the material (after all, there never seems to be enough time to cover all the content), or do you review that 12 page syllabus the students never actually read?
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We at TNP certainly don’t claim to know the best way to approach week one. But we do plan to give you a glimpse into what our courses look like in the first week, to give you ideas for how to start the semester off on the right foot.

And, as always, share your thoughts about how you approach the first week of classes! Have you crafted the best ice-breaker activity ever? Or are you fundamentally opposed to asking a classroom full of strangers "one thing that no one knows about them"? Do you know the key getting students into the back-to-school groove? What is your secret for getting students to actually read the syllabus? Please share in the comments, or email us about it! We would love to share your thoughts on our blog! 

Written by Karly Schleicher