Ralph Waldo Emerson is credited with the following quote: "What you do speaks so loudly that I cannot hear what you say." I think that while this statement applies to many areas of life, it can also apply to my physics class.
From the very beginning, students are making assumptions about the teacher and the class, and these assumptions are very hard to change. Getting students involved in an activity, lab, or discussion on the first day can go a long way to show them what your class can be. Telling them all of the ways you are going to involve them (by reading the syllabus) sends them a mixed message. They learn (whether you intend them to or not) that they will be recipients of information and that you will lead the class.
I need to walk the walk. Good intentions are one thing, but to hit the ground running this fall has to be my new reality. I want to put the onus for learning on students from the get go.
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