In the last post, I looked at two ideas to break the ice, but in this post I am sharing ten ideas for successful first lessons. It is incredibly vital to ensure that your first lessons are a success as this can either make or break the rest of the course with your students.

You can either watch the video above or read on for more detailed information.

1. First Impressions

The very first impression that students form regarding you as a teacher is just as important as any icebreakers. I always find it important to consider greeting students as they enter the classroom, possibly standing by the door with a smile to reduce the nervousness that students (and myself) has with their first lesson. Students will notice that you are professional and welcoming, and this goes a long way for the rest of the semester.

Getting to the classroom 15 minutes before the start of the first lesson is really important as it sets the tone for the rest of the course, with students seeing that you are prepared. If you have more time available, you could always organise the classroom for the first lesson by moving the tables and chairs.

2. Seating Arrangement

In the past, for those first impressions and lessons, I would move all the tables out the way and place chairs into a horseshoe with myself at the front of the class. This makes organising the first lessons tasks a lot easier without having students moving the chairs or tables themselves.

There are a number of other ways you can organise student seating such as getting the tables and chairs arranged into islands. This makes it easier for students to move around the classroom for any task that is set. An alternative is getting students in concentric circles with those on the inside facing out and those on the outside facing in. This makes the task for students to complete a speed speaking activity a lot easier, and you can set a timer of 2 minutes with those on the outside moving one to the left or right at the end of the 2 or so minutes.

For larger classes, you can place student names on the desk and you nominate where students are sitting as they would normally gravitate towards those that they already know. This spontaneity and randomness of sitting will make it a little easier to decide where they are sitting.

3. Student Names

Learning and using names is incredibly important and despite it being even more difficult with large classes, it is still vital that you remember their names. Students will notice that you use their first names and will leave a positive impression. I make an effort to remember names and, as with the previous post, you could get students to create their own student name cards.

I have known teachers to take photos of students holding their student name cards at the front of class to help them recall their respective names, but you obviously have to get class consent. An alternative is by drawing a class map and adding names to it, so it is easier to recall.

4. Breaking The Ice

In a future post, I shall be sharing ten icebreakers for teachers but a successful icebreaker will relax students with each other as well as allow them to relax with their new teacher. Play some background music for students as they enter the class, giving them the chance to feel a more relaxed environment rather than strictly walking in and diving straight into the lesson.

Here is a video of five icebreakers that you could incorporate immediately into your lesson which I created a number of years ago though.

5. Introduce Yourself

Any icebreaker should give the students an opportunity to learn more about their teacher, which is why this point is important. Students getting to know the real person who is teaching them will give them a chance to feel that you are accessible throughout the course, as well as after their course has finished.

A way to get students to know the real you is by allowing them to ask you any questions. One of the first things that I do is give students three minutes to think of any questions that can be personal. This is the only and last time that they can ask me anything personal. Many students would be interested in why you decided to become a teacher, what you do on your time off, as well as your hobbies. It just demonstrates that you are more than just a teacher, you are a real person with students understanding who you truly are.

6. Develop Student Rapport

Connected with the previous point, try to develop student rapport which will offer some dialogue between yourself and your students. There are a number of approaches when it comes to forming rapport with learners, and I was always told during the CELTA course that this is the most important element of any lesson. Without any rapport with students, you will find the class much more difficult.

Another element to consider is also getting students to formulate rapport with themselves. This is often overlooked so you can include a variety of first lesson activities so this can be achieved, with such lesson tasks being a “Find Somebody Who”, Two Truths and a Lie or a ball passing game where students shout a question and the student catching it must answer.

7. Establishing Classroom Rules

The seventh thing to consider for successful first lessons is establishing classroom rules with the students. In the past, I have got student to contribute to the classroom rules by deciding on what students and teachers should be expected to undertake.

I tend to give groups of students a blank document which is divided into two columns, with the column on the left being “Students Must …” and the column on the right being “Students Must Not …”. They then create a list of ideas in their small groups. Once students have finished this activity, I get the students to write up 10 rules for each row as a whole class which they must all agree upon. You could then keep the class rules up on the LMS or in the classroom for future reference.

Classroom Rules (ELT Experiences)Download

An alternative to the classroom rules is for students and teachers to sign a class contract where both agree upon a set of suggestions for their lessons. This could be based on various elements of the class such as attendance, participation, homework, etc. Feel free to download the class contract below if you need some inspiration.

Class Contract (ELT Experiences)Download

8. Setting Course Objectives

The eighth consideration for first lessons is setting and sharing the course objectives with students, so they are familiar with assessment criteria, what they are likely to achieve by the end of the course as well as a syllabus if this is something that is shared with students on your course.

I like to outline to all students all assessments that will be used for the course as well as the corresponding rubrics. Within a university environment, students are required to complete a variety of regular assessments, mid-term assignments, as well as a final exam. I give a lot of thought about what is being assessed and making it as transparent as possible.

Furthermore, as students are assessed with the grade curve and a limit of grades being shared to avoid grade inflation, it makes things are competitive as possible. So at the beginning of the course, I tell students how many grades are awarded at A(-/+), B(-/+), or C(-/+) and throughout the course, I give feedback and towards the end of the course, I explain the anticipated grade.

Your institution may have a different approach when it comes down to grades or assessments, so it is always good to give this some thought so all are aware of the course objectives and grading policy.

9. Mobile Phone Use and Technology

Mobile phones are wonderful and allows us all to connect remotely. However, they can also frustrate teachers if their students have their heads down staring at their smart devices. One thing that I give some thought to is mobile phone use and technology in general. I try to incorporate some class rules regarding this and seek student input.

More recently, I have asked students their input regarding AI generative work and how they should use it more ethically. There was a lot of ideas floating about but overall, students were quick to share their thoughts about how much they should or shouldn’t rely on AI. I was also quite candid with my own opinions with learners so we could have a constructive dialogue about it. In this, I shared my experiences of the previous term when there was an over reliance by students using AI to complete some of the mid-term written tasks and the tell-tale signs that AI has been used to help complete some writing.

Students were very receptive and gave their own thoughts about how far AI should be used and have adapted my classes to accommodate some aspects of AI use, but still getting students to write down their own ideas during the lesson and documenting evidence to prove AI has not been used to write the essays. Anyhow, give some thought about how much you will accommodate technology into the lessons, as I have got students to place their mobile devices at the front of the classroom.

10. Personalise Lessons

The final idea for successful first lessons is personalisation of classes. It is always a good idea to plan your lessons, but always give some thought about who you are teaching. There are elements that you could personalise depending on the age group of your students.

For young learners of around 6-11 years of age, they are likely wanting to enjoy their English lessons rather than studying anything too formally. Such students are also likely to have been signed up for lessons by their parents. You can personalise your lessons so young learners are able to have fun and also learn something at the same time.

For adolescent learners, around the ages of 12-17 years, they are perhaps being forced to take lessons against their own will and just want to do anything other than studying English. Try to be as patient as possible but also to create lessons that are engaging for that age group, such as technology, movies, video games, etc.

Adult learners will have their own personal motivation to study English ranging from passing an exam to getting a job promotion. Try to establish the key aims from students so you are able to help them achieve their goals.

I hope this post and video helped you give some thought about first lessons, and that it helps achieve success in your classes. Let me know what you think is important when it comes down to achieving successful first lessons in the comments.