Taking time to welcome students to the university and to your classroom is a great way to communicate a personal approach. Of course, the one place to begin is by encouraging a more friendly atmosphere in our classrooms. Here are some tips. Be ready to greet your students as they arrive in the classroom. In the five minutes before class you can shake hands and have an informal chat with some students.
Students say that it matters when teachers know their names.
Help students build bridges to your material by asking them to share and analyze relevant information. Asking students to explain where their names come from can build bridges to history, sociology, linguistics, etc. Use index cards to collect information about students. Limit the information to that which you can use. As you prepare lessons, use this information in selecting examples to connect the course materials to their lives.