Until I met Ms. Jacque Semakula, an instructor at Akilah Institute, I did not know this unique attribute good teachers possess. To her, every good teacher knows her/his students by name and her secret ingredient to the tough job of learning names is scotch.

While some instructors believe personalizing the atmosphere by learning everyone’s name is not required for a positive classroom climate, she strongly believes knowing exactly who each student is helps to improve the classroom climate. I couldn’t agree more since building rapport with your students goes a long way toward developing a positive classroom dynamic and facilitating the students’ overall learning experience. Indeed, one of the simplest ways to begin connecting with your students is to learn their names.

Even then, many do find learning students’ names difficult and frustrating. If the classes are large lecture classes, the problem may seem insurmountable. Despite working closely with all kinds of students, they can’t always easily retrieve names on demand—especially during the first weeks of school, when faced with both new students and new responsibilities. Even worse is that biology does us no favors by storing visual information and names in separate parts of the brain.

Consequently, some teachers turn to awkward work-arounds like "Hey, Boss!” or "Good to see you!” or "How is my favorite person in the whole world?” which are obvious giveaways, and "Can you spell your name for me?” might be answered with "T-i-M.” All the same, there are numerous tools you can use to jog your memory. Some methods work better for smaller groups, while others may be used with large classes. Finding which works best for you will take some trial and error. You’ll need to experiment to find "the one” which helps you the most.

Well for starters, scotch it up. Have students write their names on scotch and mask it on their chest, armrest or table depending on what works for you. This serves as a visible reminder to you and the rest of the students. Your task is to ensure to use the names as much as possible during the class. You can then reinforce the names learnt by personally returning assignments to your students during individual or group activities. While this can be time consuming at first, it allows you to associate written names with faces. It also allows you to associate the work, style, penmanship, etc. with the student. You can assign several short written assignments in the first week, and then practice names (”Well done, Natasha”) as you personally return papers.

Alternatively, you can prioritize talking to a different group of five students every day for the first few weeks of school and while at it using their names frequently during your conversation. Greeting students by name as they enter the classroom also works but it wouldn’t be sacrilegious to ask for help from learners whose names you cannot recall. Once you’ve learnt some names frequently use them, those who participate, who come to your office, whom you find memorable for any reason. Students whose names you don’t use will tend to feel that you know them, as well. This strategy is especially effective in large classes.

The good news is, learning even the most unfamiliar of names isn’t impossible if you make the effort. Try these techniques and you will be calling your students by name in no time.

The writer is a Language Consultant