Teachers: Practical Advice on How to Remember Students' Name

You don't have to be a new teacher to forget the names of your students since the very beginning. Experienced colleagues also suffer of this problem (included myself). It's first day of class and you are all prepared to make arrangements and discuss what it'll be the schedule, norms and graduation, when all of a sudden you are in front of dozens of eyes, some are already familiar but others are not. That's when Rhett Allain saying that he is terrible at this process, suggests:

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...

That is not his only shot, he already tried "other things in the past"

Dr. Delaney Kirk, was the source where we got the tip on this practical advice, a part of mentioning Allain's Dot Physics, she also recommends her own suggestions of why learning students' names is The Best Way To Manage Your Classroom.

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