teaching
My goal as a teacher is to engage students in active learning, making them want to pursue the topic in question, rather than to simply present verbally to students the information that is already available to them in the class text. Assigned readings are provided for students to gather background knowledge on a specific topic, such that class will be a time for teacher and students to go beyond the text to make the subject matter interesting and, even, enjoyable for the students. An instructor’s job is to lead the students through experiencing the material, in different and active ways, and in doing so to instill in students a desire to learn more about the subject. The best way to do this is to be memorable, and to give the students stories to tell themselves and their friends about ‘what they did in psych today’.
When teaching the concepts of word segmentation and parsing of speech, I use a demonstration involving the board game Mad Gab. This game requires players to “sound out” a common phrase from written words that sound like the phrase, but are made up of nonsensical written phrases. The first half of the class is forced to do this activity silently, while the second half of the class is allowed to verbalize while working through the answers. The sound of realization that occurs to students in both halves of the class once the verbalizing is working is a clear demonstration of the effectiveness of active learning demonstrations such as this one. By employing demonstrations such as this one, I also find that students are more likely to open up, be willing to contribute to class, and remain engaged throughout the course.
By using demonstrations such as the example above, as well as other similar activities, I provide a jumping off point from which I lead students through theoretical underpinnings of important psychological phenomena. Having done so, I then focus on novel developments in the field, discussing contemporary research. This process has led to positive evaluations both from students on course surveys, as well as from tenured colleagues on teaching inspection reports.
Just as teaching should be an active and creative process, evaluation should also not be based solely on a student’s ability to regurgitate information. The objective of education is not just learning material, but also learning how to think critically, and so I create assignments and examinations that test those abilities. These types of evaluative tools allow a student to be creative in their work, and to use the information they have learned in class to make connections with the world at large. They are then able to understand and form relationships between their formal education and their life as a whole, and in doing so can improve themselves and the world around them.
My primary goal through all of this is to provide students with the impetus to learn. This learning will take place when they complete required readings, when they do the assigned work, and while they write tests and exams. Through this process, they will show higher levels of interest in the material and this will ultimately lead to retention of the information far beyond the end of the term. This will increase their knowledge, facilitate becoming a critical thinker, and create individuals that will contribute positively to their university and their society.
When teaching the concepts of word segmentation and parsing of speech, I use a demonstration involving the board game Mad Gab. This game requires players to “sound out” a common phrase from written words that sound like the phrase, but are made up of nonsensical written phrases. The first half of the class is forced to do this activity silently, while the second half of the class is allowed to verbalize while working through the answers. The sound of realization that occurs to students in both halves of the class once the verbalizing is working is a clear demonstration of the effectiveness of active learning demonstrations such as this one. By employing demonstrations such as this one, I also find that students are more likely to open up, be willing to contribute to class, and remain engaged throughout the course.
By using demonstrations such as the example above, as well as other similar activities, I provide a jumping off point from which I lead students through theoretical underpinnings of important psychological phenomena. Having done so, I then focus on novel developments in the field, discussing contemporary research. This process has led to positive evaluations both from students on course surveys, as well as from tenured colleagues on teaching inspection reports.
Just as teaching should be an active and creative process, evaluation should also not be based solely on a student’s ability to regurgitate information. The objective of education is not just learning material, but also learning how to think critically, and so I create assignments and examinations that test those abilities. These types of evaluative tools allow a student to be creative in their work, and to use the information they have learned in class to make connections with the world at large. They are then able to understand and form relationships between their formal education and their life as a whole, and in doing so can improve themselves and the world around them.
My primary goal through all of this is to provide students with the impetus to learn. This learning will take place when they complete required readings, when they do the assigned work, and while they write tests and exams. Through this process, they will show higher levels of interest in the material and this will ultimately lead to retention of the information far beyond the end of the term. This will increase their knowledge, facilitate becoming a critical thinker, and create individuals that will contribute positively to their university and their society.
© COPYRIGHT 2020. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
|