Remembering the names of students comes easy for some, not so easy for others. I like to know student names because it helps build a bridge between instructor and student, which can lead to greater interaction. Knowing each other’s names helps us form a classroom community. It’s also respectful and mutual respect is something I like to foster in my classroom. Also, when there are grades allotted for participation, like class discussion, it’s imperative to know who is speaking.
In small classes it can be much easier to get to know each student, but once you get up to class sizes of 30, 50, 80 or more it becomes more difficult.
At the beginning of the semester I provide markers and paper in contrasting colours and ask each student to make a name tent to put in front of them on the table or desk. What other methods do you use to help you learn names? Do you teach in a space where students move around a lot? If so, what do you do to help you remember?
I’ve always thought of myself as having a terrible memory, especially for names, but I’ve been trying harder lately because of some of the excellent reasons mentioned above. Most of the time, my lack of confidence has me resorting to never mentioning anyone by name. Instead, I use what I call the “hey, I recognize you!” friendly-smiling expression, which can communicate a respectful amount of acknowledgement without provoking the anxiety of “Oh no! Why does this person know me by name? Is it bad? Is it good?”
There are a few other tricks I’ve been trying to use even outside of the classroom, such as repeating a person’s name out loud when you first experience a connection between their visual appearance and what their name is (“It’s nice to meet you, Candace!” or “Ah, so you’re Elizabeth!”, though even more subtly mentioning the name can work too). After saying the name once, I am much more confident in repeating it later, especially if I am not corrected on the pronunciation (though asking about pronunciation might actually be a helpful way to learn a person’s name, too). If it seems awkward to say it out loud, I try to repeat it to myself in my head a few times, and I try to associate the name with other people with similar names, or even with words that have similar sounds. According to some articles I’ve read about these kinds of mental acrobatics, the sillier the association, the better… but I’ve never implemented this trick successfully, perhaps because my creativity is stifled by the worry that I’ll remember the association but forget the actual name.
In classes, especially the smaller tutorials, I have made it a part of my practice to hand out a questionnaire at the beginning of the semester, trying to get to know the students and their academic interests a little better. One of the first two-part questions I ask is what the person’s name is as they write it on their assignments, and also how they would prefer to be addressed, since sometimes the assignment version of their name is more formal than they would feel comfortable responding to in class. Having this knowledge increases my confidence when I do eventually address them, since without this knowledge I wouldn’t know if the person hates having “David” shortened to “Dave”, or vice versa, or if they actually usually go by their middle name, or first and middle, instead. When these questionnaires are returned back to me, I glance at this question and thank them by name for bringing it to me… but it doesn’t work well if a bunch of people hand them back at once, or if someone brings up a handful of other papers with them. But the idea is still sound, and could be applied by others looking for ways to remember names!
I have tried a trick similar to Qrystal’s above, but with a twist I suppose. I have played the game “I am the one who” (an ice-breaker introduced to me by my graduate supervisor). To play the game, the instructor begins to introduce him/herself by completing the sentence “I am the one who” with a unique fact about him or herself. For instance, I would say something to the effect of “Hi my name is Melanie and I am the one who never had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich until 2010″. Then the students each take a turn to introduce themselves. As they do so, I record a few notes next to their names on the roster, and I use these points to help myself remember who is who. This trick also helps to bring a little ‘teacher-transparency” into the classroom; the students learn something about me that (hopefully) helps them to see me as a person (not just a teacher) and this, I have found, helps to create a more comfortable learning environment (and not just for them I might add!)
I’ve used “tent cards” which are basically 8.5 X 11 sheets of paper folded into a triangle along the long side of the paper, where either I have their names printed out ahead of time on the sheets, or students/participants can fold and display themselves. Have a fat black marker available for students/participants to write their names on the front/back of the cards. That way, those behind them or in groups, can see the name, as well as you from the front of the class.