I just finished my first class of "Physics for Elementary Education Majors". The maximum size for the class is 32 students and it is very interactive. I make it a point to learn student names as quickly as possible. This is something I am terrible at.
Should you memorize names? If it is a reasonable size class, I completely recommend it. Even in one short class, I noticed a difference in the atmosphere by knowing all their names. Here are my criteria for memorize or not:
- Class size less than 40
- Meets more than once a week
- Not just a plain lecture class
Well, those aren't really the criteria but rather things that I consider. I can not memorize a large lecture of 95 students. In those cases I purposely don't know anyone's name (to be fair).
Here are my tricks for learning names. I have students sitting at tables (in this class and in labs). As they are working on something, I go around and write down who is sitting where. Yes, this means that you have to actually ask each student what their names is (I hate that part). After I have a "seating chart" I just keep practicing while they are working. If a student talks to me, I make sure and use their name. I will look it up on the seating chart if I have to. This just takes a couple of class times of practice till I have them all (well, most of them) memorized. There are always a couple of students that I just can't get.
I have tried other things in the past. One year, I video taped everyone as they left and had them say their name to the camera. Awkward. Another year, I obtained all the student pictures from their administrative profiles (that was a lot of work). Then I used this to make a "quiz" webpage for myself. That worked pretty well, but it was a lot of effort. One year I tried name tags - that was a pain.
In conclusion, I always feel silly trying to learn names. Afterwards, I feel much better about it. It makes the class seem more friendly.
