Get In-Formed: The Power of Forms to Get to Know Your Students
By Brent Warner
Many teachers start their classes with icebreakers so students can build relationships with each other, but these activities do not necessarily help teachers build relationships with their students. Warner suggests using online forms for this purpose. In addition to completing the survey themselves, teachers should also read their students’ answers before the second class.
He recommends changing the questions from the ones that most teachers use that only require a one-word or single sentence response to some that require more information, such as “Share one way you hope that learning English can improve your life.” and “Describe in detail the best meal you’ve ever had.”
Another recommendation is asking students to share links to their favorite song with the question, “What memories come up when you hear this song?” The teacher could create a class playlist from this. Other questions such as “Who should I follow on Instagram or TikTok?” or “Favorite app that isn’t social media” might also be included.
A final group of options are uploads, like a photo of a pet with a description of its personality with an incident that demonstrates it. Also among the options is a recording of the sounds from a place the students like to go.
These types of questions can make students feel that their professor is interested in them as people.
You can view all of Warner’s questions and get your own copy of his form here.
“A well-organized classroom with engaged students who trust and feel valued by the teacher is a classroom that’s set up for progress everywhere else.”
