I was complemented often at Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp for my perceived ability to learn names quickly. Indeed, learning the names of my campers, my students, and my peers is important to me.

I’ve talked before about the functional use of knowing names for teachers in group settings.

A teacher’s ability to give direct positive or negative feedback, as well as praise or redirect negative behavior is dependent on the knowledge of the name of people in their classroom.

Furthermore, in using someone’s name a teacher is acknowledging to a student that they are seen and heard. When someone is called by name, their individuality is affirmed.

Another observation is that when kids know each others’ names, they are far more likely to interact with each other. Just knowing the name of someone else can break down the awkwardness enough to then start sharing experiences together.

Names are powerful things.

So, of course, I worked hard at camp to learn the names of the campers in my cabin, in music history class, and in violin sectionals as quickly as possible. But I don’t think my success comes from an innate ability to remember more names, or pick up names more quickly than others. I just have a few tricks up my sleeve.

FIRST DAY

Many counselors and teachers plan self-made student introductions on the first day that a group meets. Even in my current college classes, it is common to spend at least 10 minutes on the first day of class going around the circle sharing name, hometown, instrument, etc. On our first day of camp, every counselor planned an activity like this.

The problem is that when 10 people who are brand new to your life share their name (a rather arbitrary, disassociated fact), you aren’t likely to remember it. In order to help those names start to stick I would focus on names for quite a while on the first day. These are the activities I used to make the learning fun.

• Go around circle. Say name, and a _______ you like that starts with the same letter (adjective, musical instrument, food, color)
• Circle name game challenge (I picked this up from Carrie Beth Hocket). Just say your name as we go around in a circle. Then say your neighbors name. Then go around the circle backwards. Then say the person name of the person two people in front of you.
• Circle order. I start by saying the name of one person, they choose someone who hasn’t been said, they choose someone who hasn’t been said, and we go in the order until everyone has been selected. Then you can pass information along IN THIS SAME ORDER. For example, if I chose Sarah for the last round I could say, “Sarah likes the color?” And Sarah would respond, “Orange! Shelby likes the color?” And Shelby would continue, “Blue! Grace likes the color?”
• Pop quiz. At the end of the meeting I would ask questions like, “Hey Grace, what is Sarah’s favorite color?” or, “Who likes the color orange?” I would also just point at people and the whole group would tell me their name.

This could sound like I’m taking the name learning a little far, but I propose that these activities actually serve many purposes at once. First and foremost, the new campers are playing an awkwardness free ice breaker. Second, they are learning each other’s name in a risk free, game-like environment. Third, I am demonstrating how much I care that names are learned (from my side and theirs). Finally, throughout the whole process I am learning the names really well. I work extra hard to know the name of everyone before the end. Before any camper calls on the next, I try to say that name in my head.

TAKE PHOTOS

At Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp neither counselors nor campers could use cell phones. In a school environment or group setting where phones are allowed, I would take a picture of the group and take notes on each person’s name and interests.

On the first day of teaching Strings Class at Ithaca College I wrote down the order the students sat in, noted descriptive features (hair, instrument, interesting facts) and studied my list before the next class. Ideally I would have students write their name on a name tag and I would take a picture of them with it to study at home. An alternative might be an email application or school attendance platform that provides student pictures next to their name.

IF YOU FORGET…

One problem I see often, is that the intros on the first day is the last time is the last time it is socially acceptable to ask for someone’s name.

I encourage students, from day one, to ask if they don’t know someone’s name. I even give them a little script… “I’m sorry, but will you remind me of your name?” I have them use this script during the name games on the first day, in meals, walking to and from meals, or when answering someone’s question in class.

This is a tool that many students didn’t have at the beginning of camp, but were masters of by the end of camp.

I encourage you, even if you missed learning the names of all your student on the first day, to continue asking and quizzing yourself until you know everyone’s name by heart.

Lastly, a sort of hack I picked up was using the kids as an opportunity to learn someone’s name again. If had forgotten one student’s name, I would give a “pop quiz” to someone in the class asking them what that student’s name was. It seems a little deceptive, but at the end of the day helps more people learn someone’s name.

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I hope you find that adding this tricks to your teaching repertoire will help you better reach your students, and help them to engage with each other!