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One of the biggest challenges for middle school and high school teachers is to learn the names of all the students. It is never easy to quickly learn over 100 student names. One particular high school teacher had five classes of 17, 21, 22, 22, 26 students. The teacher shared the following tips.
Assign Seats on the 1st Day: Having students in the same seats each day is very helpful for so many reasons. If kids are moving around each day, the task of learning names will be even more difficult. The 1st step is having assigned seats.
Phonetic (Phone et ick) Name Tags: To make a student feel comfortable in your class, it starts with the proper pronunciation of the name. Having the students make a note card of the phonetic spelling of their name is very helpful. There is bound to be a few tricky names, so seeing it phonetically, might just help a teacher remember a few more names. It also requires the students to think a little because most students will have never completed this type of name tag.
Examples:
Toomey = Two Me
Mahoney = Ma Hon E
Malone = Ma loan
McGonagle – Mic Gone Eh Gill
Take Attendance Each Day: This is a requirement in many schools. But it is especially helpful for a teacher to say each student’s name at the start of class when taking attendance. Try to make a connection between the face and the name.
Collect Papers: It is always good to collect papers during the opening days of school. It could be as simple as collecting the name tag. At the start of class on the following day, stand at the front of the room (or sit at a desk) and call out the student names. Each student should get out of their assigned seat to come to the teacher to get the paper.
Having the students get up and walk to the teacher saves some steps and avoids having a teacher walk back and forth to student desks. A teacher can also speak with the student as they come to get the paper. Ideas could include asking a question about a sports team if they have a sweatshirt on, or if they have a shirt from a travel destination. It also could be a school question like who is your English teacher or what is your next class.
A teacher can see the student differently than just sitting at the seat. A teacher can see the height and body type. This will be helpful when a teacher passes a student in the halls. A teacher can focus on making a stronger connections with the students he/she is struggling to remember.
Name Review: During the 1st few days, a teacher can have the students work quietly on an assignment. The assignment can be a quiet reading or skills worksheet that can be easily completed on their own.
The teacher can sit at the front of the room with the seating chart. The teacher should look at each student and try to name the student without looking at the seating chart. When the teacher draws a blank on a name, the seating chart can be reviewed. A teacher may also want to write the names of students that they can not identify easily.
Once the class has been completed a few times, the teacher can mix up the order and go from the back of the class to the front or maybe right to left, or left to right.
Draw a Self-Portrait: This is an unorthodox activity, but could be combined with name review. The drawing can be a simple black-and-white drawing. It can be a half page or a full page. It also could be helpful if a teacher has the student write the 1st and last name at the top of the page.
The drawing could include the student doing something that they are passionate about, such as a sport or instrument. The passion or interest will also allow a teacher to understand the whole student and possibly have a stronger connection between the name and the face. The drawings also might be helpful in making a stronger connection between a few students and their names.
This could be an activity used at the start of class on the 2nd or 3rd day.
Family Drawing: This one can be a little tricky. But if the teacher and students were comfortable sharing, a family portrait would also provide the teacher with additional information. This may also be an activity that a teacher might avoid because there may be some students who are not comfortable sharing this personal invitation.
Quadrant Drawings: This could be incorporated with the self-portrait and be completed on the other side of the paper. A student can flip the page over and create four drawings.
Some ideas for the quadrants:
- Nationality Flag: Have the student draw the flag or country that their family identifies with. A teacher could allow the students to use cell phones for this activity so a student can see the flag. Some students might end up tracing the flag with their phone. (We know cell phones are are being discouraged in many of classrooms, however, when teachers are selective and supervise students using them appropriately it can enhance some activities.)
- Country: Just like the flag drawing, the student can draw a map of their country. If students do not have a connection to another country, they can draw a map of the United States.
- Hobby or Interest: Draw a picture that illustrates a hobby or sport.
- Pet / Favorite Animal:
- Favorite Food
Teachers can get creative with the ideas for the quadrant drawings. These drawings can be really silly, like favorite cartoon character. Maybe one or more of the 4 drawings might help a teacher identify better with the student and the name.
At the top of the picture you can have them phonetically spell out their name again. A teacher will have a second version of a name.
Signature: Lastly, have each student sign their name at the bottom. A teacher can identify who knows cursive. It is just another way of putting a student name with a FACE.
I Forget You Name Notecards: Even with the best attempts to learn 100+ names, there will always be a few names that a teacher struggles with. Make up note cards for the 2-10 student names that are a struggle. The TEACHER should write out the name phonetically and review the notecard throughout the day.
Keep in mind, as silly as some of these activities are, the ultimate goal is for a teacher to learn each student’s name as quickly as possible. This is critical, so a teacher can develop a relationship to with a student. Once a connection is made with a student, REAL learning can begin.