Student Information Sheet

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Assignment by Sarah Heidebrink-Bruno, Bedford New Scholar 2020

During the Bedford New Scholars Summit, each member presented an assignment that had proven successful or innovative in their classroom.

For my “assignment that works,” I shared a version of my Student Information Sheet, a form that I typically hand out during the first week of class as a way to A) establish the tone of the course; B) get to know more about my students and their learning needs; and finally, C) gather information that I then use when I am lesson planning. 

In the sheet, I ask them about their preferred names (if any), their pronouns (if they feel comfortable sharing that information with me), and what kinds of learning environment and activities they prefer. For example, I include a list of possible activities, such as Think-Pair-Share, answering questions in small groups, Check Out tickets, and more. They can either check off boxes in the list of options or add additional suggestions.

After everyone has completed the sheet, we then discuss how we best learn and what kind of learning spaces have been the most impactful. I tell them about my own learning and teaching techniques that have worked for me in the past, with an explicit emphasis on the fact that I need and expect for them to give me feedback on pedagogical choices and activities in the classroom to make sure that I am reaching folks where they are.

I will note that although I’ve used a hard copy of this form in the past, it would be very easy to create a version in Google forms (or another digital space), which would also allow the instructor to easily see what the most popular choices are. The instructor could then use that information for an ice-breaker activity or discussion at the beginning of the next class.

Student’s Name:

Preferred Name or Nickname (if any):

Pronouns (in other words, when others refer to you, do you prefer she/her/hers; he/him/his; they/them/their; or other pronouns? If you like, I can keep this information private.):

Your preferred learning style (please indicate your top three):

• Small group work (discussing a topic in a group of 2-4 students)
• Large group work (discussing a topic as a class)
• Volunteering to speak
• Cold calling
• Going around in a circle, so everyone speaks in a certain order
• Writing a short response (free write) in class before speaking
• Online Forum Posts on Course Site to organize your ideas
• Using slides
• Visual or audio examples
• Writing notes on white board or chalk board (or on a Jamboard/Google doc while on Zoom)
• Workshops where we practice writing and revising skills together in class
• Other? Please list here:

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