So you have made it through yet another semester with a fresh group of students, or either this is your first time teaching and you are amazed you made it through. How do you end the class on a high note?
If it is a yearlong course or even a course for either 14 or 15 weeks in a post-secondary school, sometimes everyone, that includes both the students and the professor, lose some of their initial enthusiasm for the course. This is when a professor really needs to start to think creatively about how to infuse more life into the class. Here are some tips:
· Field trips are not something that are just for students in grade school. Field trips can be a great way to infuse some life into a class that has gone on for many weeks and stir things up quite a bit
· Bringing in a guest speaker in the few final weeks of the course can be a great way to break up some of the monotony of the course material. Let’s face it too, sometimes students may get bored of seeing the same professor week after week, sometimes even as much as every day depending on the program – this can be a great way to introduce them to a new face and give the professor a well needed break to make sure the class finishes strong
· Keeping in touch with students through convenient devices such as e-mail can be a great way to make sure that student attendance does not suffer in those final weeks of the course. If a professor notices that a student has not been coming to class, they should contact the student to find out what is going on, as well as letting them know they care
· Organizing classroom activities such as debates and interesting games in language classes can be a great way to spice things up in the final weeks of a course
· Depending on the program a professor is teaching, the final weeks may serve as a perfect opportunity to have a more flexible schedule when it comes to the student needing to attend the class. One-on-one consultations can be planned with students where they have an opportunity to fully develop a project they are working on and have the professor’s full attention to ask questions. Many students would probably really appreciate this teaching method because they would be so bogged down with homework from their other courses
When that last day of class does arrive, keep in mind that is not appropriate for a professor to go out to any special place, such as a restaurant or café where alcohol is served. If you choose a campus cafeteria, this may be a great way to say a fond farewell and also to conclude the class in a more relaxed environment.
The final class can also be a great way for a professor to let their students know of any upcoming activities, courses, research or work-related projects they may be involved in. At the same time, it is good time to find out what the plans of the students are. Many professors should encourage their top students to ask for recommendation letters at the end of the class when the instructor would have a good sense of the student’s final grade – this way it avoids the need to write a reference letter for the student years after a professor may have forgotten about their performance in the class.
For more information about how to end a class well, please visit www.developfaculty.com.
