The First Five Minutes

Marie McQuade  and Todd Conaway

This was written in small disconnected parts over the first 20 days of November and edited down to what you see here over the last 10 days of the month. It is still a bit rough, but we tried to write most everyday and the original draft was very chaotic. We stand behind the idea that the first moments of any class are important and should be addressed as a great opportunity in the act of teaching.

Introduction

As part of Academic Writing Month (AcWriMo), faculty at the University of Glasgow and University of Washington partnered up to consider collaborative scholarship writing projects with a creative pedagogical slant. Seeking partners with similar interests, participants highlighted their areas of interest and sought out like-minded colleagues to write with. Todd and Marie both flagged an interest in the precious moments at the start of class, where they set the scene for the learning to follow. Marie works with mature students who come to class after a long day at work and wanted to energise and enthuse the class to bring attention and focus to the learning for the evening. Todd wanted to consider the first five minutes of class from the student perspective and to explore how changes to teacher behaviour in the opening moments might help deliver the best learning experience. 

The title of this writing references the first five minutes and while we like the sound of that, we are really talking about the first moments of class and any rituals that faculty have and the events that happen at the start of the class. For example, in some classes it is common for faculty to begin with a short question and answer about the previous week's work or short writing exercise. Other teachers may begin with an overview of the activities for the week or class. And still others may do a mindfulness activity or jump right into the lecture. Because we are writing about “creative pedagogies,” we are hoping to share some ideas that will spark a willingness for faculty to invite new ways of being in the room, and perhaps discover activities that inspire them and the students.

The first five minutes of class in Higher Education to me, seem more significant than they first appear. They set the tone for engagement, learning, focus and trust throughout the session. Those initial moments are a frame for the rest of the class, impacting student expectations and mindset: if a teacher opens with enthusiasm, engagement and provocation, students may be more inclined to approach the class with curiosity and openness. There is often a need to transition from outside thoughts to classroom focus - students may have their minds on social plans, assignments, personal issues or previous classes, effective teachers may expect and plan for this using a mindfulness exercise, question prompt or quick discussion to help students focus. 

For this writing we are also focused on university or college level faculty. That is not to say that many of the ideas won’t have application in secondary/K12 settings or that some may have been found in those environments. Also, we are mostly focused on physical classroom settings, though we may also have activities related to online spaces or classes held synchronously in Zoom. 

This “First Five Minutes” is from the students perspective. It begins when they enter the classroom and continues through the first few minutes of class. It is not hard to picture the “average” classroom where students come into the classroom, some experiences suggest it is mostly silent because many of the students are looking at  their phones or laptops. The teacher is busy at the slow moving lectern, bringing up the LMS, or PowerPoint, or Zoom, or all three. Class has not yet officially started, but there is a quietness to the classroom, like in a library, or museum. Maybe a few more social students are quietly chatting in the corner? This writing asks us to reimagine that space into something more dynamic. More activity, more comfort, and more excitement.

Creating safe spaces for educators to learn is essential for fostering inclusive and supportive learning environments. Having a classroom culture where students feel respected, valued, and free to express diverse perspectives is vital in uncovering views, challenging approaches and reflecting on practice. Educators must model inclusive practice, invite collaboration and encourage dialogue, however there is also a responsibility to address bias or discrimination when it arises. Incorporating social-emotional learning and trauma informed approaches with students can help everyone feel secure and understood. By promoting trust, empathy and active listening in class, educators can be better prepared to create nurturing environments for children.  Students who work with children and families may come up against complex and sensitive topics in their day to day practice. To feel safe, students must be able to discuss how they would tackle complex and challenging issues such as poverty and inclusion.  

The first five minutes of class can be the space to set the ground rules or a student contract to ensure students feel safe and develop a sense of community. Rules such as listening without judgment, being mindful of language used and respecting different perspectives can set clear expectations for the class. An activity like a ‘temperature check’ can be helpful when starting a class where reading or content might be challenging in order that students can express how they are feeling about discussing difficult topics. This also creates an immediate sense of inclusion and empathy as everyone’s voice is heard, even for a brief minute. 

More Detailed Examples

A student in a Medieval Literature class said that her instructor started each class with the students choosing an illustration from a text that represented how they were doing that day. That not only had students see and identify illustrations from the period they were studying, but let them share how they were feeling that day and why. Similarly, there are faculty who start classes with a word cloud asking how students were feeling at the start of class and using that to “find the temperature” of the room and adapt the class to it. Using Poll Everywhere or similar polling tool to allow students to share how they are feeling and center them in the space and give the faculty some idea of the state of the students. 

At an extreme, we know of an English teacher who started his high school English classes with ten minutes of drumming. Working in a small private school with small classes, and long class periods allowed him to have students participate as a group creating music. Using percussion instruments like djembes, bongos, congas, and tambourines, the students held a drum circle. The focus was on working together and being a responsible participant in the group. It set a tone of working together and it was way better than “doing English.” 

Another faculty member who taught three hour long Photoshop classes started each class session with students sharing “epiphanies.” The idea was that students would have some time at the start of class to share something that they had learned since the previous class. They were able to use the lectern to demonstrate it to the class and that very often provided some breadth to the class and started a good discussion.  

What about classroom management in the first moments of class? The faculty teaching an evening Photoshop class routinely asked students to sit with people with different skills. The class was always full of students of different ages and skill sets and it amounted to splitting up a husband and wife, or pairing a younger student with an older one. The idea was that students tend to want to sit next to people they are comfortable with, or have similar qualities and the faculty wanted to make sure that they were next to someone they could learn from or teach, and also someone that challenged them. It made teachers of some of the students and allowed them to possibly develop new relationships. As students often do, sitting in the same areas or next to the same person is not just a habit, but it could actually prevent optimal learning. One of the directions the faculty often gave in the first moments of class was a simple reminder to sit by someone new. Not threatening or difficult, just an offer to share space with a classmate. 

One educator frequently arranged seating to facilitate peer-assisted learning, thereby transforming some students into informal instructors and fostering the development of new interpersonal relationships. Habitual seating patterns, where students consistently choose the same spots or companions, can impede optimal learning. To counteract this, Todd routinely issued a gentle reminder at the beginning of each class, encouraging students to sit next to someone new. This directive was framed as a non-threatening suggestion aimed at promoting collaborative learning and social interaction.

The question arises whether directing students to specific seating arrangements constitutes an overbearing or overly structured approach to classroom management. This consideration may vary across educational levels, from high school to university, and from elementary to college settings.”

It is just furniture… Yes, that is true. And in many classrooms the chairs and tables are not easily moved. Some are nailed to the floor. No matter what the configuration of the space, it can be made more hospitable without spending a ton of money or time. 

I once wrote about making chairs more “inviting.” Essentially, the way a piece of furniture in a space is positioned makes a difference. Some small, some large, they all do make a difference and sometimes small differences add up to large game changers. 

In those first moments of class, how do students move in the space? Is there ever time to tidy up the tables and chairs? Not likely given all the things happening. Maybe students can be trained to push in chairs? Set them at a slight angle to be more inviting to the next student?

Not long ago we had some classrooms converted to spaces that might promote more “active learning.” Smart, right? Well, the first argument among faculty who used them was about how to leave the room for the next class. It seemed that a number of faculty who were assigned the room wanted it to be in nice rows when they arrived to teach their class. So big signs went up that directed faculty to keep the active learning room in nice rows when they were finished with their class…  

Interestingly, Marie doesn’t recognise the quiet classroom with phone-focused students that Todd describes. My classes often start with much bustling, chatting, and a sense of decompressing. My students come from their workplaces after a busy 8-6 day,  to study in the evenings and only see their classmates once per week. In higher education, students may need to focus on how the specific material being taught applies to their real work lives, or their future career goals. The first few minutes can be an opportunity to establish relevance and make meaning of the planned class content. Making secure links to current events, industry or sector trends, or real world applications might spark student interest and make the material feel immediately relevant. 

For Marie, activities at the start of class can break the expectation of passive listening and encourage students to adopt an active learning stance from the beginning. The time can create participation expectations, signaling that contributions are expected, that everyone’s voice matters and that the class is an inclusive environment. Whether through humour, anecdotes, or thought provoking questions, the teacher can create a space where students build up confidence and are equal and active participants. In particular during the first session of a course, or the first few meetings between a teacher and class, the first minutes build a connection between teacher and students, but also between students themselves. A friendly welcome or ice-breaker can create an atmosphere where students are open to participation, asking questions and engaging deeply. 

While teaching all students, the tutor will be able  to use some of these techniques, teaching educational leaders can allow for the double impact of supporting student learning while also modelling effective leadership techniques which they can use in their practice, for example listening, mentoring, or coaching skills. 

It has also been a revelation speaking to colleagues talking about their planning in the first few minutes of class as even highly experienced colleagues talk about feeling anxious at the start of a class, despite many years of teaching, and how the rituals they create can be a way of coping with those anxious feelings, practicing self-care, creating moments of still before teaching formally begins.  

Online tools like PechaFlickr allow you to display some images related to a topic and they can be used to practice impromptu speaking in a fun way. Using words related to the class can add to the fun. 

What can happen in the first few minutes that allows students to create something? Something meaningful that can be used across the time span of the class?

Marie has been involved in a research project for the past couple of years that asks students to create a collage using an online collaging tool (freemix.com)  the collage should represent their learning journey. Has been valuable with graduates. She plans to use this in class this year as a creative way to reflect on learning during the programme - but now thinking about whether this could be a regular intro task that we build on throughout the course. Taking inspiration from many colleagues who look at creative engagement at the beginning of a session. 

In college, Todd took a class called “Imagery in Learning.” The idea was that we could do some guided visualization exercises with students to both reduce anxiety around test taking and help them better “see” the content of the course. In the case of the class, it was some elementary school math students. We started with a baseline of testing scores. Then we divided the group in half and ran these guided imagery sessions with them. This amounted to several minutes of breathing and relaxation imagery followed by some repetitions of multiplication tables. 

In college classes today we see some of this work in what is called “Mindfulness.” Or perhaps it would fall under “Contemplative Pedagogies.” Either way,  given the complexities of the world today for university students, taking some time to center them in the classroom, perhaps reduce anxiety, and help them lessen outside distractions may help. 

As a way to begin classes, this provides both a creative way to  get students moving through the class time, and one that may have life long benefits for them. Simply playing some soft music and doing a guided breathing exercise is something faculty can learn to do. 

This year, in the US, a combative election took place and there is a great deal of anxiety and stress among the population. Perhaps having had more experiences in our schooling around mindfulness, breathing, or contemplative practices, the public would know and use more practices to reduce the stress. 

Does your class have a beginning, a middle, and an end? I am reminded of the ol “Tell them what you are going to do, do it, and then tell them what you did.” I know there are variations, but be it a story or a college class, we all need a hook to get us engaged, a good story line to the book, and a conclusion. I asked a faculty yesterday if they had any ritual or typical start to the classes they teach. I got a confused look and they said, “What do you mean, I just start teaching.” I tried to clarify what I meant and used examples like greeting students at the door, making small talk with them as they are sitting down, or anything that seems like a deliberate act. Nope. They still didn’t understand what I meant. Yep, they just “start teaching.” What they mean by that? 

It is so easy to get caught up in so many details of the day that getting to the class well before it starts, making the space sacred, is all but impossible these days. Maybe the classroom you teach in is occupied right up till when your class starts? Maybe it is difficult for you to get to the room well before your class starts? 

A teaching assistant who will be teaching her first class at a university, asked for some help with her syllabus. I shared a site I had created with some faculty at UW that had several easy to share syllabus information with students. From a simple Canvas syllabus to a nice looking graphic syllabus, I shared some of the ways it can be done. She settled on a “Liquid Syllabus” and got started. She had a Google Doc started with some of the content for it, and when I first looked at it I could tell that she was trying to “make it look nice.” It had a light colored background and some colored fonts. She wanted to make a good impression.

It was interesting to see her learn to use a Google Site as a space for the template. It had navigational elements, some ways to separate content and add colored backgrounds in places. While it is a simple tool for web editing, it also has just the right amount of features to make sites look nice. It is also very mobile friendly. 

That first impression made by a course syllabus may be the very first thing a student experiences in a class. Making sure it has the right tone, the right information in the right place, is really important. It is the first five minutes of class. Literally. I feel the same way with Canvas courses. Students can see how digitally literate you are by how your Canvas course looks. Making that first digital impression is part of the first five minutes, just not the “in class” five minutes.

Are classrooms a “sacred space?” Maybe not in the same way a religious space may be, but are there qualities that are similar. Can any space be made to be sacred? If so, how is that done? 

Rudolf Steiner, the man who developed the Waldorf philosophy of schooling noted the values of creating a welcoming and respectful environment for students. Of course, he was usually addressing the needs of children, but why can’t those also be true of a university classroom? 

Steiner noted, “The need for imagination, a sense of truth, and a feeling of responsibility—these three forces are the very nerve of education.” Where do the actions of a teacher of any class fit? Is imagination only trained by a lecture or assignment or might some other activities in the class inspire imagination? Perhaps being out of the classroom is a place to start?  Or music floating through the room? Or art on the walls? 

What strategies can we develop to create a sacred space in a transient classroom - if you have no space to call your own as a teacher, no art on the walls, a maths class before you, a languages class after you… can music, a warm welcome, a community activity help to bridge that gap?  

When thinking about how the first five minutes can support a culture of openness and inclusion, it reminded Marie that it is important that students are signposted to other spaces and resources for further reflection in case discussions in class lead to reflection on personal challenges or experiences e.g. office hours or discussion boards. 

What About Online Classes?

We have addressed the first five minutes in physical classes, but what about those first moments when a student accesses the digital space of a class. Regardless of the LMS used to tools used, what does a student see? What do they need to know when they arrive there? What assumptions do they make about the class by looking at the course site? Is there a way to make them feel comfortable? Feel excited? Like they are a part of a community? 

Most online rubrics let faculty know that there should be a “Get Started” link or button that shares how to get going in the course. Most of the rubrics let faculty know that giving students a guided tour of the course in a short video is really helpful for students. Yet few faculty do this. 

During the hardest days of COVID, faculty created a way to allow students or faculty to collaboratively create a poem. It was used successfully in several faculty workshops and more than one faculty copied the structure and used it in courses with students. It was just a simple Google Drawing with many words on it. You can make a copy of it by clicking here. The words could be related to the courses in some fashion, or perhaps about emotions. It is how workshops were started and one of the participants was asked to read the poem after several minutes.  

Using Google Docs offers a number of digital opportunities to create shared content. The example above can also simply be done on a Google Doc. Using formative assessments/surveys in any class is helpful whether it is looking at emotions or class related content. Using emoji based surveys offers faculty to take the temperature of the room and gives the students a chance to contribute. LIke with all formative efforts, making sure there is some tangible result for the students is paramount. 

Todd is in a position to see many courses faculty use in the courses they teach. Online, Hybrid, Face-to -face, they all use the LMS to some degree. While there are some stellar examples of courses, many fall short of being well designed for student use. And students notice it. 

It is interesting how some simple imagery and basic design can help a student both feel like the faculty is capable in the digital space, but also help them navigate though the course without getting lost. Creating images that work in the LMS, making sure they are displayed properly, all takes time and learning. Often, faculty don’t have the time. The end result of all that is a poorly designed course that students have to suffer though. 

In response to Todd: Many courses I teach have online elements, often alternating between in person and on campus, and online delivery. A lot of consideration is given to the first moments of the online class and how to build from the engagement, vibrancy and discussion of the previous in-person class and keep the momentum of engagement going. How do students feel welcomed into a zoom room? How do they feel confident in the technology, and that they will receive an equally positive learning experience? 

Since the great digital upskilling that took place in March 2020, most staff have some understanding of online delivery however, while some have engaged in professional learning to upgrade online delivery and materials, some have kept working with tools and approaches that they developed in the urgent ‘move everything online ’phase that took place at the beginning of the pandemic. 

Marie feels that it is important to greet everyone in the class, welcoming them, where possible, by name, even if they keep cameras off. She follows this with a quick overview of the session and when appropriate a class discussion in order that everyone starts to engage in person quickly. Marie encourages cameras on where possible and at least in break-out sessions however understands that the home environments or work environment students are zooming in from can be complex. 

For a longer class, Marie will sometimes kick off very quickly with a short break out activity in order that students have a moment to ‘bed in’ to the class, speak to classmates, talk about their day - just as they would in a real life class and get ready to take part in the discussion based session. This also allows a few minutes for anyone still struggling with cameras/logins etc to join and not feel stressed about missing the beginning. 

Conclusion

Students do “feel” something when they walk into your classroom. Even if you are not intentionally trying to create an atmosphere in the classroom space. If you are like many faculty, the classroom environment you have is stark or bland. It is not something you can control. You can’t add beautiful art to the walls, or large potted plants in strategic locations. You didn’t pick the color of paint or carpet. You can’t choose the view out the window if there is one. What then can we do as instructors to create a space that is comfortable, inviting, and even filled with happiness or joy? 

This is why thinking about the first five minutes is important. In those moments your students are in a place to be inspired. They are feeling something in the room. What is it? 

Fifteen Things to Try in the First Five Minutes

Just play some music

You can play most anything on YouTube or Spotify. You can create collaborative playlists in both spaces that allow students to choose music they would like to hear. Music changes the ambiance. 

Greet students as they walk in!

It is nice to be welcomed into a space. A smile and a greeting can go a long way in making someone feel like they are in the right place. Like they belong. 

Move the tables and chairs into something other than rows

If you can, making small groups of tables or students in the room can help students “see” each other. It puts the focus on the students themselves rather than the screen at the front of the room. 

Start with Epiphanies

A lot of unexpected learning happens between classes that may or may not be directly related to the course content. Allowing students to share “epiphanies” they had encourages them to share and can sometimes lead to interdisciplinary connectivity.  

Use Entry Tickets

There are a number of ways to use an “entry ticket” but it usually involves students creating something, either on paper or the web, Padlet for example is a good digital tool. The idea is that they are asked to do some thinking and creating. It can also serve as a way to see who is in the classroom. 

One Quote: five minutes or reflection & discussion

Quotes can be inspirational. Spending some time at the start of each class reflection and sharing thoughts around a content related quote can generate some good thinking!

Quickly Create and Share Something

In small groups, you can use legos to create animals or objects, pieces of paper with single words on them to create poems (or Google Docs if you are in a digital space) and have students share stories about what they created or read the poem/story they create. It is a low stakes way to work together.

Remember “Current Events” 

Address current issues and events that have bearing on the students and subject you teach. That can be easy when teaching Government courses during an election year, but it may be more challenging in a math class.

Bring Something Important

Something that might represent a part of  you. It could be anything. And give the first five minutes of class devoted to collective meaning making and purpose. Students can share what the item means to them and why that is important. Maybe how it impacts others? 

Journalling 
It may seem weird to start with a very quiet few minutes of writing, but it can help focus students.  I also used to make a point of responding to each journal entry that people wrote.  I made them accessible just to me and so they became conversations between myself and the individuals in the class, and so if someone was a more quiet participant, they still got a share of my undivided attention at some point.  It is useful for ESL students to practice fluent writing without getting bogged down in referencing, grammar etc. 

Say Hi to a Neighbor
I ask students to speak to someone they don’t usually sit beside to say hi/how is your week going. This encourages new friendships and community in the class and may offer students the chance to learn from someone new to them. 

Share a Success
Ask students to reflect on their biggest success (personal or academic) during the week. This helps bring the outside into the space and highlights the students' experience. 

Taking the Temperature
There are faculty who start classes with a word cloud asking how students were feeling at the start of class and using that to “find the temperature” of the room and adapt the class to it. Using Poll Everywhere or similar polling tool to allow students to share how they are feeling and center them in the space and give the faculty some idea of the state of the students. 

Mindfulness Activities: Five senses grounding activity
Describe five things you can hear, four things you can see, three things you can touch, two things you can smell, and one thing you can taste.

The Classic Overview
Share the outcomes for the session then move on to propose a schedule for our teaching session and invite the students to review and suggest alternative options – having predefined the ILOs I hope that this gives our (adult) students some sense of shared ownership of the way in which the class will run.