Tyler Miechiel Mayer

January 20, 2016

Professor Horton
EDUC 356- Article Summary #1
Abstract: Research Report
1. Full citation (A.P.A. style)
a. Shadiow, L. K. (2009, March). The First Day of Class: How It
Matters. The Clearing House, 82(4), 197-199. Retrieved from Pro Quest.
2. Search terms/Keywords (These are normally listed below the abstract but they
are not used in all articlesskip if they are not available):
a. Keywords: critical reflection, ethic of care, narrative
3. Research questions/hypotheses:
a. Why does the first day of class matter to the rest of the school year? How
does it set you up to succeed or fail?
4. Method
a. This research article does not specifically complete its own study, but
what it did was report on another study that talks about the lesson of
shared trust. If further detail it dives into a study done by Nel Noddings.
In Noddings book, Educating Moral People, she explicates four
components of the ethic of care. These being modeling, dialogue, practice,
and confirmation.
5. Salient findings:
a. Teachers can take the concept of trust between authority vs student and in
a way throw it out the window. When teachers create an environment that
shows in a way that you are on the same playing field, it opens so many
doors and possibilities for discussions and impactful moments in the
classroom. Students want to succeed because they see themselves as
adults and makes them in a way take the content being taught more
seriously. It also creates excitement. When students are excited about a
topic they tend to be more engaged and that is what I feel the author of
this article is trying to say through first-hand experience.
6. Implications for Practice:
a. Modeling- Asking questions like, What is something unique about
yourself that brings value to this class and our time together? This builds
an instant connection/trust to the relationship between you and the
student. You are modeling that you care about the student and what he has
to offer, rather than implicating that you are the only one as the teacher
who brings value to the class. It should be about the students not
ourselves.
b. Dialogue- Asking questions like, How can I help you learn better,
How do you learn best, and What is a question you have about me or

Tyler Miechiel Mayer

January 20, 2016
Professor Horton
the class? This shows that you are here for the student and that you can
about helping him/her learn the most from your time together.
c. Practice- Asking the question at the end of each class period, What did
you not grasp in todays lesson? This type of question creates a
reciprocal relationship between you and your students. It puts them in the
teachers seat and you in the students seat. You are learning how can I
tailor my next lesson to that of my students so that I am ensuring they are
grasping the concept of the subject or topic at hand. As teachers it is our
job to not just evaluate the student but evaluate ourselves and improve the
next class period.
d. Confirmation- By confirming and communicating together as one, you are
building trust and rapport with your students. When you do this it creates
a sense of trust that is indicative of who you are as a person. When you do
that, you will be able to dig deeper into conversations not just about
academics, but about life.
7. Critical Analysis & Recommendations for Future Studies:
a. After reading this article I see how important it is to build trust
immediately on the first days of class with your students. It sets the tone
for the rest of the semester and for future classes you may have with your
students in semesters after. This article shows, not with quantitative data,
but with assumption that you will have better discussions and your
students will get more out of your class if you build that trust immediately
and show them that you care more about them as people, and not just the
content that is being taught.