Hi! I find it very challenging to match students' face and their name, how did you do it? How many students in your class? Thanks in advance!
For me they have to sit in alpha order at the beginning of the year. While they work on warm up exercises, I work on their names. It takes awhile to get all 160. The biggest challenges are twins and other students whose appearance is similar.
When my students come in for staggered entry, I take a picture that goes on the name tag. When labeling the cubbies, I study the name with the picture. I usually have 18-25 students each year.
I have a seating chart with pictures. I’ve got between 15 and 35 kids per class, with 5 to 6 classes a day.
An idea I've used is to associate a mnemonic clue with the student. For example, Kyle--perhaps his face is somewhat shaped like a kite (you have to use your imagination quite a bit). Maybe Mary has a big smile that makes her look merry. First day of class, I quiz myself by trying to remember the students' names, a few at a time (I just concern myself with first names at this point). The students appreciate that I am taking the time to learn their names and they enjoy watching the teacher's struggling memory in action. I have difficulty remembering faces, and I find that as time goes on, I remember other features more than faces, such as the manner in which a student walks, facial expressions (which surprisingly vary from student to student), and other physical features. The big problem occurs when I see someone out of context, such as at the mall. It's a weird phenomenon! I don't recognize the person at first, but then all of a sudden it's like an explosion in my brain. Kaboom! I realize whom I'm seeing. A couple of humorous examples. I was teaching one day and my sister suddenly appeared in the door. I did not recognize her at first, not until the "kaboom" moment. After school one day, my parents were walking down the hall. Same thing--another "kaboom". Another weird example, back in my camp counseling days, a kid at camp looked surprisingly like a kid in a popular TV show. He didn't have the same name, and he tried very hard to convince everyone that he just happened to look like that TV kid. Anyway, a few years later, I was watching a movie on TV that featured this kid and noticed the specific way he was walking in the movie--"Kaboom!" It was him!
This sounds weird, but at the beginning of the school year I try to say their name as often as possible in the first few weeks in order to associate the student’s name with their face. To demonstrate, and this is a fictitious example, but it should hopefully drive the point home: “Good morning Samuel. Did you enjoy your weekend? Well Sam, I hope you remembered that we have a quiz today and studied to prepare for it.” I do this in such a way that it doesn’t sound overly redundant and the students don’t catch on to what I’m doing. My motto is: “Repetition, repetition, repetition I repeat, is the only way to master a feat.” I heard this phrase from of my many science teachers in high school and it just stuck with me. Take it as you will.
I don’t use seating charts unless I need to for classroom management purposes so as I do the class roll I make sure I really look at the face associated with the name and try to memorise some distinguishing features. I have about 110 to 140 names to remember each year and I try to memorise all their names by day 3.
Over the summer I look at the yearbook for the previous year to learn all of the kids coming into the grade I teach. Also, I get a lot of siblings of former students, and sometimes that helps and sometimes not!
This past year I had a little fun trying to remember the names of my middle schoolers. I took the last 5 minutes or so of class and had everyone line up across the room and face me. I would go down the line and try to give each kid's name. If I messed up, I had to start at the beginning of the line again until I could go all the way through or the bell rang. By the third day, I could go through pretty much the whole line with only a few I messed up because I always have problems with students who I think they look like a different name haha! The kids seemed to like it because they thought it was funny when I messed up and had to go back to the beginning.
I teach grade 3. We sit in circle on perimeter of carpet. First kid says his name. Second kid says first kid’s name and then adds his/her name. Third kid says first and second name and adds his/hers. Continue around circle, if someone forgets a name, that child whispers name to help. I go last....
I make a seating chart with pictures a few days before students arrive and spend a few minutes each day looking at it. By the time students get settled, I know them by seat, and I can typically match name to face (and seat) by lunch.
Oddly enough, remembering names of students has always been very easy for me. I have 12 students. In the beginning of my teaching career (years 1 and 2), I had around 35 students. Had no difficulty with remembering their names.
I would imagine it would be very easy with just 12-35 students! When I subbed in elementary I had the whole class memorized within the first 30 minutes. I have to actively try to memorize my high school students' names. I typically have 100-170 students. The first two periods are easier than the rest. I guess I get brain overload, lol. My students sit alphabetically and I give them partner work that lasts about 20 minutes on the first and second days. I use this time to study their names and placement. I can't remember them outside of class for a couple of weeks though.
Seating chart, whether I create it or they pick their seats (depends on the class). I look at that when they're working and quiz myself. Handing back papers helps the most for sure. I also always make sure to address them by name if they raise their hand. My class sizes range anywhere from 2-20. It takes me about four days to have 95% of the kids' names down.
I find a seating plan makes a big difference. Make a plan and sit the kids where you want them to be. Then have the plan printed out when you take the class. I would put the plan on Publisher and project it as the class arrived so they knew where to sit. If a pairing caused problems I could move a kid and adjust the plan. I always kept 2 seats right in front of me empty and if a kid was a pain in the lesson I could move them closer to me. Also with the plan I could put the kids' books out in the correct place before they arrived so no arguments.
I have a seating chart. Students use name tents for the first two weeks. After that, I'm good. I have 6 classes a day, 25 to 30 students per class.
Hello! I will be averaging 28 students per class this school year. I am terrible with remembering names of students. I have students sit in the same seat for the first few weeks and I work on remembering names while I pass back their work. For some reason it is easier for me to remember their name with a specific location. You can also have students make name tags to put on their desks. This can be turned into an assignment where students have to put information about themselves (with pictures) on the inside of their name-tag so you can learn about their interests, hobbies, etc. Some students will think it is childish to create name tags. Just remind them that prestigious business schools have their students complete the same assignment so teachers and classmates can learn each others' names. Hope this helps!
I have used seating charts that show the student's picture with the name below it. I have had a software program that did this, but created the same type of thing making each name and picture a jpeg that I can move from class roster to class roster. Probably just spending the time working on these helps commit the name to the face. I work with constantly changing student population and rolling admission.
I teach at a private school, where the student:teacher ratio is like 15 to 1, so not much memory is needed after inserting a seating chart. However, I worked in the public school system for 12 years prior to, where the ratio is like 25 to 1. So long story short, a seating chart is the way to go, unless you have insanely good memory.
I memorize before we even get into the classroom. As we are lining up for the first day of school I make sure I'm outside early enough to beat all the students to the line. Then as the students line up, I ask each student their name, taking careful notice of their eye color, why? I don't know. Memory trick someone told me once I think, and I repeat their name. Then after each new kid arrives I go back down the line and quiz myself on their names. Never not worked. I know everyone's name before we reach the classroom.
This is a very good question, lots of teachers face this problem. For me it is an organic process, it happens gradually and on its own. It starts with those students who are most attentive and respond most enthusiastically to my lessons, then there are those at the other extreme, lazy, lethargic, completely disinterested. At the end come those who are in between.
