How to learn your students' names

[sister_luck]

• Hand out large index cards (A6) which the students then fold in half producing a pretty little name card that can stand on the students' desks.


• Provide felt-tip pens for the students (preferably dark colours) and have students write out their first names and if there are more than one Laura or Simon also the first letter of their surname.


• After two lessons realize that most students have misplaced their name card or forgot to get it out of their bag.


• Take a digital camera, ask students to hold up their name cards just like in a mug shot and take a picture of each student providing a lot of amusement and hilarity and improving everybody's mood.


• Batchconvert the pictures compressing them and rotating them.


• Assemble a document containing all the students' names and the small version of their picture above it. This may be slightly time-consuming, as getting the lay-out right and identifying the students might be a bit tricky.


• Keep the document on your desk and use it to help you refer to the pupils' by name. You can also use it to memorize names and corresponding faces.

Comments

[frances-lievens.livejournal.com]

Last year I took class photographs, to decorate the classroom. Actually they were for me to be able to remember names. With my small groups (8 max) I don't let them use name tags. I remember their names quicker without them.

In secondary school I pass a paper through the class and let the students write their names on it. When it reaches me again, I've usually finsished with my introductory words, and call off the names to match them with the correct faces. Because the piece of paper is passed through the class you know who is sitting where, and then it's just a case of making sure no-one switches places for at least a month.

But in a class of 27 I still had difficulty matching the correct name to the correct face of two girls that were always together, and hardly ever said something in class.

And then there's the case of the kids switching names...

[sister-luck.livejournal.com]

I've got three completely new groups - that's about 80 new faces. I sometimes have the kids write up a seating plan, but that doesn't work that well when you're doing a lot of cooperative work with lots of different groups - and when you're in two different classrooms with the same group.

There are two girls I had for about a year - both very quiet and best friends, one blonde, the other brunette - I still don't know which is which and I've got them again this year. One of the girl's name starts with a B so I thought that might help me until I realized that both blond and braun start with a b.

Now in my year 11 there are three boys that I find difficult to tell apart, because they look so similar to me, but I think I've got it sorted out now.

[frenchani.livejournal.com]

I'm too lazy to do that, so I rely on my memory, even in a class of 37 students!

[sister-luck.livejournal.com]

Well, as class interaction is a huge part of my lessons (hardly any lectures) I really need to know the names. Also, 50% of their mark is made up of what they do outside of exams - in lessons, homework etc., so I really need to know who's who. It was self-defense, really!

Last year one of my really bright pupils kept getting bad marks in Physics and we were really confused about it until we found out that the teacher had her confused with somebody else!