The first day of class is your opportunity to present your vision of the class to prospective students. It is helpful if you can introduce yourself as a scholar and educator and provide insight into how you will teach the class and what you will expect them to contribute to the learning process.

Consider that several of your students may be “shopping” for a schedule the first week of classes. They may be looking for a class that will fill a particular time slot, include a particular learning environment (i.e. lab-based or lecture style), or a class with a certain workload to balance the demands of their other courses and extra-curricular responsibilities. Thus, students will appreciate a clear roadmap of what you will require of them over the course of the semester. You may also want to model, as specifically as possible, the classroom environment you intend to foster during the class. For example, if they will spend a good deal of time doing group work over the course of the semester, you may want to break them into groups the first day.

Welcoming:
How to Create an Inviting Classroom

“Professors who established a special trust with their students often displayed the kind of openness in which they might, from time to time, talk about their intellectual journey, its ambitions, triumphs, frustrations, and failures, and encourage students to be similarly reflective and candid.”

–From the chapter “How Do They Treat Their Students” in Ken Bain’s What the Best College Teachers Do (Harvard Press, 2004), available in the CFT Library

Introduce Yourself

The point of an introduction is to establish yourself as a unique individual sharing the classroom with other unique individuals. Other than providing your name and the name of the course you’re teaching, here is some information you may consider sharing:

• Personal biography: your place of birth, family history, educational history, hobbies, sport and recreational interests, how long you have been at the university, and what your plans are for the future.

You can write a book review and share your experiences. Other readers will always be interested in your opinion of the books you've read. Whether you've loved the book or not, if you give your honest and detailed thoughts then people will find new books that are right for them. For more videos, resources, and tips, head to www.NewTeachersThriving.org. When you think of the first day of Winter for Oklahoma, you probably don’t think of sunny skies and highs in the 60’s but that’s exactly what we will see. The 60’s will stick around for. 1 Peter 1:1-25 ESV / 41 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful. Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who are elect exiles of the dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood: May grace and peace be multiplied to you.

• Educational biography: how you came to specialize in your chosen field, a description of your specific area of expertise, your current projects, and your future plans.

• Teaching biography: how long have you taught, how many subjects/classes have you taught, what level of class you normally teach, what you enjoy about being in the classroom, what do you learn from your students, and what you expect to teach in the future.

• In making your decision about what information to share, consider how much you want them to know and how much you want to reveal about yourself.

Allow the Students to Introduce Themselves

This is your opportunity to focus on students as unique and diverse individuals. Consider how introductions can lead into a productive and welcoming classroom environment. Instead of just asking general questions concerning their name, major, and years at Vanderbilt, ask them questions that are pertinent to the subject and the atmosphere you want to build through the semester. Here are some examples:

• In a geography or history class, you may want to ask students to introduce themselves and explain where they are from. You could mark these places on a map of the world as they talk.

• In a math class, you may want to ask the students to introduce themselves and state one way mathematics enriches their lives every day.

• You may also want to have the students break into pairs, exchange information, and introduce one another to the class.

This may also be a good time to give your students an exercise that enables teachers to assess the state of their students’ previous or current learning. Examples of these Classroom Assessment Techniques (CATs) can be found on our Web site, but include the following.

• The Background Knowledge Probe is a short, simple questionnaire given to students at the start of a course, or before the introduction of a new unit, lesson or topic. It is designed to uncover students’ pre-conceptions about the area of study.

First Daypart 1teach To Be Happy Birthday

Discuss and Evaluate the Room Environment Together

As your students are introducing themselves and you are talking to them, ask your students to comment on the acoustics and remain conscious of how well you can hear and see each of them. Consider, with their input or alone, how you would change and optimize the seating arrangement. At the end of the introductions, ask them to move to optimize communication and make note of unexpected needs for a microphone, lighting changes, seating arrangements or other environmental controls.

Truth in Advertising:
Course Expectations and Requirements

First Daypart 1teach To Be Happy Birthday Wishes

“What happens between you and your students in your classroom or lecture hall depends largely on what you want to happen. How you treat each other and how you and your students feel about being in that place with each other is modeled and influenced by you.”

–From the chapter “Classroom Contracts–Roles, Rules, and Expectations” in David W. Champagne’s The Intelligent Professor’s Guide to Teaching (Roc Edtech, 1995), available in the CFT Library

• Course overview: Provide a map of where the class will start and end, and what you expect them to understand at the end of the semester. See the Course Design page for resources on creating and summarizing course goals.

• Departmental Requirements/Expectations: If your department sets standards and requirements, you may want to establish that you are required to work within those parameters. Vanderbilt Teaching Assistants may want to refer to Questions TAs Might Ask Their Supervisors for assistance understanding this information. This may be the best time to discuss Vanderbilt University’s Honor System.

• Presentation of material: Tell your students how you will provide them with the materials they need to be successful in class. Do you post Web-based materials on Brightspace, or rely on electronic course reserves through the Library? Will your students have to schedule evenings to watch films or attend performances? Will you lecture and expect them to take notes on your presentations?

• Expectations for class time: How will the student feel confident and competent in your classroom? Is the class discussion-based? Do you follow your syllabus or do you improvise? Do they need to bring their books every day? Tell them what they can expect and how can they interact within those expectations to thrive in your classroom.

First Daypart 1teach To Be Happy Wishes

• Expectations outside of class: Provide them with an idea of what they will need to prepare for the course outside of class. Is their preparation primarily reading and writing individually, or will they be working in groups? Will they need to turn in assignments electronically outside of class hours? Give them enough information so they will be able to plan their schedules accordingly.

• Instructor responsibilities:
  • Establish what you will provide for your students to be successful in your class. This may include in-class material, study guides, meaningful and prompt feedback on assignments, facilitation of discussion, attention to students with special needs, and a positive and welcoming classroom environment.
  • Assert your boundaries: Let your students know how to contact you and when. For example communicate or provide your office hours, office phone number, availability for instant messaging, email, and when you do not respond (evenings, weekends, and traveling for example). If you are traveling during the semester, you may want to explain the dates that you will not be available.
  • You may also want to alert your students to the events, habits, or situations that detract from your ability to fulfill your responsibility. For example, if late assignments, lack of participation, or sleeping during your lectures distracts you from timely and persuasive teaching, explain why you cannot tolerate these events and how you handle them when they occur.

• Student responsibilities: If attendance is required, participation is mandatory, or you want them to read the assignment before class, explain to your students that this is expected of them throughout the semester. Explain policies on absences, make-ups, emergencies, and accommodating special needs. You may also remind them that they are responsible for their success and communicating with you when they have need assistance or have other concerns. The university launched new Title IX and Student Discrimination, Student Access Services and Equal Employment Opportunity offices to serve students, faculty and staff Jan 15, 2018.

• Assessment: How will you assign the course grade at the end of the semester? How many assignments will you grade? Do you have grading policies and/or rubrics or criteria for grading?

• Cooperation/communication/resources: Finally, you may want to spend a few minutes discussing university, department, library, or other resources for students to use in through the course of the semester.

“By giving students an interesting and inviting introduction, I was able to reduce anxiety about the course and help students view the class as a collaborative learning process. Every field has its own exciting research or striking examples, and it is a good idea to present a few of these up front. The teaching challenge is to find special ideas within your own field. Your class will thank you.”

–From “How to Start Teaching a Tough Course: Dry Organization Versus Excitement on the First Day of Class” by Kevin L. Bennett, in College Teaching, 52(3), 2004

Additional Resources:

• Angelo, T. A., and Cross, K. P. Classroom Assessment Techniques: A Handbook for College Teachers. (2nd ed.) San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1993.
• Erickson, B. L., and Strommer, D. W. Teaching College Freshmen. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1991.
• “The First Day of Class: Advice and Ideas.” Teaching Professor, 1989, 3(7), 1-2.
• Johnson, G. R. Taking Teaching Seriously. College Station: Center for Teaching Excellence, Texas A & M University, 1988.
• McKeachie, W. J. Teaching Tips. (8th ed.) Lexington, Mass.: Heath, 1986.
• Scholl-Buckwald, S. “The First Meeting of Class.” In J. Katz (ed.), Teaching as Though Students Mattered. New Directions for Teaching and Learning, no. 21. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1985.
• Serey, T. “Meet Your Professor.” Teaching Professor, 1989, 3(l), 2.
• Weisz, E. “Energizing the Classroom.” College Teaching, 1990, 38(2), 74-76.
• Wolcowitz, J. “The First Day of Class.” In M. M. Gullette (ed.), The Art and Craft of Teaching. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1984.

Other Vanderbilt Center for Teaching Resources:

Summary Checklist

• Introduce yourself
• Allow the Students to introduce themselves
• Discuss and evaluate the room environment together
• Course overview
• Departmental requirements/expectations
• Presentation of material
• Expectations for class time
• Expectations outside of class
• Instructor responsibilities
• Student responsibilities
• Assessment
• Cooperation/communication/resources

This teaching guide is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

IELTS speaking part 1 topics and questions. Prepare for your test by developing ideas for topics and practicing answering questions. Download a free pfd copy of most of the topics and questions on this page: IELTS Speaking Part 1 Topics & Questions

A face to face interview with the examiner (4-5 minutes)

12 Questions based on 3 Topics

Questions about yourself, your life and your country

Below is a list of topics and questions that the examiner can ask you in part 1 of the IELTS speaking test.

• Work
• Study
• Hometown
• Home
• Art
• Birthdays
• Childhood
• Clothes
• Computers
• Daily routine
• Dictionaries
• Evenings
• Family & Friends
• Flowers
• Food
• Going Out
• Happiness
• Hobbies
• Internet
• Leisure time
  Music
• Neighbours & Neighbourhood
• Newspapers
• Pets
• Reading
• Shopping
  Sport
• TV
• Transport
• Weather

These four topics are the most common in IELTS speaking part 1. You should prepare ideas and practice answering these questions.

Work
What is your job?
Where do you work?
Why did you choose that job?
Is it a popular job in your country?
Do you like your job?
Do you get on well with your colleagues?
What was your first day like?
What responsibilities do you have at work?
If you had the chance, would you change your job?
Do you plan to continue with your job in the future?

Study
What do you study?
Where do you study that?
Why did you choose that subject?
Is it a popular subject in your country?
Do you like that subject?
Do you get on with your colleagues?
What was your first day like?
What are the main aspects of your subject?
If you had the chance, would you change subject?
Do you plan to get a job in the same field as your subject?

Hometown
Where is your hometown?
Do you like your hometown?
Do you often visit your hometown?
What is your hometown like?
What is the oldest place in your hometown?
What is there for a foreigner to do or see in your hometown?
How could your hometown be improved?
Has your hometown changed much since you were a child?
Is there good public transportation in your hometown?
Do you think your hometown is a good place to bring up children?

Home
Where is your home?
Do you live in a house or a flat?
Who do you live with?
Are there many rooms in your home?
What is your favourite room?
How are the walls decorated?
What would you change about your home?
Do you plan to live there in the future?
What facilities are there near your home?
What is your neighbourhood like?
Do most people live in houses in your country?

First Daypart 1teach To Be Happy Hour

Art
Are you good at art?
Did you learn art at school when you were a child?
What kind of art do you like?
Is art popular in your country?
Have you ever been to an art gallery?
Do you think children can benefit from going to art galleries?

Birthdays
Do you enjoy your birthdays?
Do you usually celebrate your birthday?
What did you do on your last birthday?
Can you remember a birthday you enjoyed as a child?
Do most people celebrate their birthdays with a party in your country?
Which birthdays are considered important in your country?

Childhood
Did you enjoy your childhood?
What is your first memory of your childhood?
Did you have a lot of friends when you were a child?
What did you enjoy doing as a child?
Do you think it is better for children to grow up in the city or in the countryside?

Clothes
Are clothes important to you?
What kind of clothes do you usually wear?
Do you ever wear the traditional clothes of your country?
Where do you usually buy your clothes?
Have you ever worn a uniform?
Do most people in your country follow fashion?

Computers
Do you often use a computer?
How do you usually get online?
Do you prefer desktops or laptops?
What do you use your computer for?
Do you think it is important to learn how to use a computer?

Daily Routine
When do you usually get up in the morning?
Do you usually have the same routine every day?
What is your daily routine?
Do you ever change your routine?
Is your routine the same today as it was when you were a child?
Do you think it is important to have a daily routine?

Dictionaries
Do you often use a dictionary?
What do you use dictionaries for?
What kinds of dictionaries do you think are most useful?
Do you think dictionaries are useful for learning a language?
What kind of information can you find in a dictionary?
Useful video lesson: Dictionary vocabulary

Evenings
What do you often do in the evenings?
Do you do the same thing every evening?
Do you prefer to spend your evenings with family or friends?
Do you ever work or study in the evenings?
What is a popular activity for young people in your country in the evenings?
Do you do the same thing in the evenings as you did when you were a child?

Family & Friends
Do you spend much time with your family?
Who are you closest to in your family?
Do you prefer spending time with your family or friends?
Who is your best friend?
Are you still friends with people from your childhood?
Is family important in your country?

Flowers
Do you like flowers?
What’s your favourite flower?
When was the last time you gave someone flowers?
Do any flowers have a special meaning in your country?
Why do you think women like flowers more than men?

Food
What’s your favourite food?
Have you always liked the same food?
Is there any food you dislike?
What is a common meal in your country?
Do you have a healthy diet?
What do you think of fast food?

Going Out
Do you often go out in the evenings?
What do you like to do when you go out?
Do you prefer going out on your own or with friends?
How often do you go out in a week?
Where do most young people like to go out in your country?

Happiness
Are you a happy person?
What usually makes you happy?
Does the weather ever affect how you feel?
What makes you feel unhappy?
Do you think people in your country are generally happy people?

Hobbies
Do you have a hobby?
What equipment do you need for it?
Do you think hobbies should be shared with other people?
Did you have a hobby as a child?
What hobbies are popular in your country?
Why do you think people have hobbies?

Internet
How often do you go online?
What do you use the internet for?
How do you get online?
Do you have your own computer?
What’s your favourite website?
Do you think children should be allowed unsupervised access to the internet?

Leisure Time
What is your favourite leisure activity?
What did you enjoy doing in your free time as a child?
Do you prefer to spend your free time with other people or alone?
What is a common leisure activity in your country?
Do most people in your country get two days off a week?
Do you think leisure time is important?

Music
Do you like music?
What’s your favourite type of music?
Can you sing?
Did you learn music at school?
If you could learn a musical instrument, what would it be?
Do you think music is important?

Neighbours & Neighbourhood
Do you like your neighbours?
Are neighbours usually close to each other in your country?
What is your neighbourhood like?
Do you think your neighbourhood is a good place for children?
How could your neighbourhood be improved?
Do you think it is important to have a good relationship with your neighbours?

Newspapers
How do you usually get your news?
Do you often read the newspapers?
What kind of news do you usually follow?
How do most people get the news in your country?
Do you think international news is important?

Pets
Do you have a pet?
Do you like animals?
What’s your favourite animal?
What is a popular pet to have in your country?
Did you have a pet as a child?
Why do people have pets?

Reading
Do you often read?
What is your favourite kind of book to read?
Do you often read newspapers?
Do you have any e-books?
What books did you read as a child?
Do you think it is important to encourage children to read?

Shopping
Do you like shopping?
What’s your favourite shop?
Do you prefer shopping alone or with others?
What kinds of shops are there where you live?
Have you ever bought anything online?
Do you think men and women have different opinions about shopping?

Sport
Do you like sport?
What’s your favourite sport?
Do you often watch sport on TV?
Did you play sport as a child?
What is the most popular sport in your country?
How do most people in your country keep fit?

TV
Do you often watch TV?
What sorts of things do you watch on TV?
What is your favourite TV program?
Do you ever watch foreign programs or films?
What did you watch on TV when you were a child?
Do you think children should watch TV?

Transport
How did you get here today?
What is your favourite mode of transport?
Do you ever use public transport?
Do you like the transport system in your country?
What is the difference between taking a bus and taking a train?

Weather
What’s the weather like today?
What’s your favourite weather?
Do you like the weather in your country?
Is the weather the same in all parts of your country?
Does the weather ever affect the way you feel?
Does the weather in your country ever affect transportation?

More IELTS Speaking Topics

Topics and questions for speaking part 1 and speaking part 2.

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