This customizable template for iPad or Mac will help you start the school year on the right foot by getting to know your students. Students will use their voice to share information about themselves to help teachers get to know them better. Common themes from the students can help you integrate student interests into future lessons plans.
Download the template below to get started!
BUILDING RAPPORT
Building rapport and fostering relationships with your students is a vital component to a well-rounded classroom. Establishing connections with students should be a critical component of your overall teaching strategy. McKay, C., & Macomber, G. (2023) found that students are motivated to learn when the teacher builds strong relationships and learning decreases when teachers are not interested in their students. The CASEL Framework also stresses the importance of relationship building in the classroom.
ACTIVITY INFORMATION
To begin, choose the page you would like to use with students. There are 5 different background options. Next, determine the five things you would like to know about your students. The starter topics are on the pages, and the last page includes additional ideas you can just copy and paste on to your page. Delete the teacher page and the other pages you will not be using. Then share the template with your students.
Student Tasks
- Students insert their picture in the placeholder and type in their name.
- Next, go to Insert > Record Audio on a Mac or Tap the Media Icon > Record Audio on iPad
- Click the record button and begin speaking the answer.
- After speaking, click or tap the stop button.
- Students can preview their audio or edit it at this time.
- When they are satisfied they can click or tap insert and it will insert the audio as a speaker icon on the page.
- Drag the audio icon to the correct box, and then work on the next interest area.
EXTENSION ACTIVITIES
To help students learn more about one another, you can play the audio during a morning meeting at the beginning of the year and have students guess who said it. The template can be exported to an ePub and shared with others.
McKay, C., & Macomber, G. (2023). The Importance of Relationships in Education: Reflections of Current Educators. Journal of Education, 203(4), 751-758. https://doi.org/10.1177/00220574211057044
July 26, 2024
Thank you for making this so easy to customize! Great way to begin the school year!
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