Month: May 2009

We have tried many different ways to increase engagement this semester, from review sessions to group work, PODS to study tables…many of these ways were attempts to not just engage them during class, but outside of class, too.

REVIEW SESSIONS.  The way I handled review sessions got better and better for me.  I went into the first study session with the knowledge in my head, but quickly learned that coming to the study session just “knowing the material” does not suffice in teaching students material off of the exact same notes I have…I started coming up with different examples and ways to phrase things to help them understand more completely.  Afterall, for many of them have gone to lecture almost everyday I have and have the same book I do…many of them are at the review sessions because they feel they need more, an extra boost…not the same material they already have, regurgitated to them. 

GROUP WORK.  I could tell that this really increased engagement in class and was one way that Gurung could engage students on an even more personal level.  I noticed group work went the best (and fastest) when we gave them the worksheet with explicit directions and the questions already on it.  Students had a good idea of what was expected of them.  It was hard to keep 260 minds on the same page on a little group assignment, some groups just didn’t catch on..and I guess you’ll have that.  A possible future suggestion would be to have an example question or scenario with the example answers or phrases that would be correct for that question/scenario on the top of the page.  Many of the students were overthinking it and were like, “wait- do you mean like this?” So I think an example at the top of the page or a walk through right before the exercise would be helpful.  It would make it go smoother, instead of explaining midway or at the end. Students get more anxious when they know they are getting graded, the “getting into groups” things seems to cause them enough stress! ha  Also, I think when Gurung started giving them the questions/answers to the in-class assignment, it let students come full circle and learn from their mistakes…otherwise, they don’t even know what they got wrong and don’t have a chance to correct it before it counts.

STUDY TABLES.  It was a good way to show that the TAs were available and eager to help students.  I was a bit disappointed by the numbers that attended.  I did 3 hours of study tables over the course of the semester, and I had a total of 3 people attend.  Maybe one-on-one time is too intense and just not needed for most.  I think its safe to say that people are comfortable learning in big groups.  I do not think though, that the numbers we had this semester should discourage future professors from using the technique.  If the TAs have a few collective hours each month to sit down in a non-lecture setting, go for it.  I think it is one of those ways that we can “be the word to one person” even if to us they are just “1 out of 260.”  If we can catch them before they fall between the cracks, I say do it. 

PODS.  This idea was very new to me and I was pretty excited about it.   I HAD MY VERY OWN POD!  The students didn’t seem as excited, though.  And even though I had no personal e-mails regarding my “podcasts,” other TA’s testimonies made me feel that maybe I was bothersome to my pod, too.  Consequently, I was more reluctant to send out a podcast.  I did use it though as a reminder when I started getting questions on the same topics.  I don’t think that students were acquainted with us enough to feel like they “belonged” although that was my intention.  I know a few didn’t even know who their Pod leader was…they knew the name but not the face, or vice versa, or just had no clue.  We even had a picture with a name and all of our info…but to some, going on d2l and clicking on a link was too much effort outside the realm of class.  This is a puzzling one.  Maybe in the future, having students get acquainted with their pods in a way that works with class material…maybe saying “T-POD” raise your hands, or “stand up” for whatever example is brought up in lecture.  I hope Pods change and continue to evolve, as I think its another way for students to feel connected.

As a TA, as the semester went on, I saw myself become more and more of an extension of Gurung’s work rather than a witness to it.  I did not realize how much time and effort he put into meeting with students, e-mailing students, preparing for lecture, etc..  One man can only go so far, and I think we TAs helped him get closer to reaching and engaging every student, which I think, to a degree, is a real goal of his.   It is apparent that many professors have different philosophies than him, but his ways work really well with the incoming Freshman classes.   If every professor had the energy to keep them awake, the passion to keep them interested, and the real world connections to keep lecture relevant, college lecture would be a more happy place, and woudn’t have such a stigma to the word “lecture”.   I am confident to say that I now have a sense of what its like when a professor puts his all in teaching…many people look at it as a stable job that they can relax and enjoy the ride.  But I’ve learned in the “teaching enterprise” that teaching is a science.  I have found so much literature on so many topics, it is truly unfortunate that many teachers do not see it as a science and do not tap in to what the literature is saying.  If there is one thing that I vow to do, if I ever become a professor, it will be to not only just keep up  with the area I’m teaching, but teaching itself, because without the right bridge, the message will never get across to its audience.

So…I just realized that I saved a DRAFT of this post and didn’t actually post this. So…this post was actually completed quite a while ago…(like last Saturday).

What have you learned about yourself and the teaching enterprise by being a TA?

The teaching enterprise:

I would say that I was surprised by the amount of time it takes to be a professor, but because I was raised by educators, I’m really not. They bring their work with them wherever they go (family vacations, the occasional 3 hour car ride, etc.) and I just assumed that this is what other professors did as well. I believe that childhood assumption is correct after having witnessed the behind-the-scenes work completed by you. However, I am rather surprised at what goes on behind-the-scenes and the amount of effort put into each element of the teaching process.

• Before Prep: I find this very strenuous. Planning out exactly what each day’s topic will be and ensuring all pertinent information is given is difficult to fathom. Many teachers fall behind, but I don’t believe you did (or at least not to the extent I’ve seen in my college career). Learning the names of students to increase engagement is something I have absolutely never witnessed in classes this size and is something for which I greatly respect you. I looked through the pictures that were posted of the class on D2L…it was NOT easy to even decipher some of the names much less figure out who was who from day to day.
• Day of: The media usage is something that continues to impress me. I’m pretty tech-savvy and some of the media in this classroom is pretty confusing to me (for example, the lovely light switches that really seem to have absolutely no order whatsoever). Additionally, the energy that it takes to be in front of a group of college students – much less a group of 250+ – is…well…awe-inspiring. I’m pretty extroverted and 20 minutes was enough for me for about a week. Also, the effort to engage the class – this makes class time much more memorable.

I’ve learned that in order to be a great professor – one must put every ounce of energy he or she has into absolutely every aspect of the teaching process. Teaching is about offering learning opportunities and truly linking learning to life. It is not easy to do this for every class, but as psychology is very applicable to the individual, even more effort needs to be put into linking learning to experience. I say this because the entire point of psychology, to me, is to study the way others think and feel and how this effects the individual. Since each of us is an individual, the topics covered in psychology are very accessible and effective teachers will be able to drill this point home and utilize this feature to his/her advantage.

All the different components of teaching are very daunting – quizzes, pretests, review sessions, ERLP, emailing, following up with students on individual and group concerns, relaying important information to all students in a timely manner, etc. This whole process is just very time-consuming. That’s not necessarily a negative comment though.

Finally, I’ve learned that teaching…is just not for me. I do think I could be good at it, but I think I would be simply too exhausted because I refuse to pursue a career unless I can be the best I can personally be at whatever that career may be. And to do this…and do it well, I would need to spend a ton of time organizing and strategies methods for engagement. Not horrible…but not ideal. I’m grateful I learned this now!

What I’ve learned about me:

I am the type of person who is always seeking opportunites to develop more as a person, and as a result, I’m constantly working on improving some aspect of my personality. Soinstead of learning numerous new things about myself, there were aspects of improvement that became very apparent to me throughout the semester. Something  that has plagued me throughout my life is self-confidence and doubt. While I am easily able to project self-confidence, rarely do I feel completely self-assured. I didn’t realize how deep-seeded an issue this was until this semester. It causes me to be very cautious in my approach. Instead of concerning myself with what anyone else thinks of me, I need to find a way to really relinquish the fear of disapproval and love being myself – fully. It’s really much easier said than done.
I learned that I need to learn how to be more skilled with my time management. While I really believe that I was pretty adept at it this semester, there were some involvements that took a hit because I became very focused on being a good TA and being a great executive member of NRHH. Luckily my academics improved (for the most part) this semester!
I know now that being a professor is most likely not what I should do with my life, not because this was in any way a negative experience, but because my eyes were opened to what it takes to be a great professor. I want to be great at whatever I choose to do and I don’t know that I have the passion or dedication to be a phenomenal professor.
I loved collaborating with the other TAs and truly learned how to do this effectively this semester. It now is something that I feel defines me. I enjoyed this experience very much. I had the opportunity to work with a professor I greatly respect, got to engage students with a subject I love, and met 5 phenomenal women whom I have grown to respect very much.

So thanks for the opportunity and I really look forward to continuing my college psychology career. 🙂

Let the Final Blog Begin:

It just seems like yesterday, that Michael said his infamous quote, “SHOW ME THE DATA!” and the TAs did their end of the semester TA lecture. That is just hard to accept, the end of the semester, we were just having so much fun! Why does it have to end? I guess it is fair, Dr. Gurung DOES need to have a summer break too!

Engagement for 250+

            I have to be honest and I have never seen such a huge class be as attentive and involved with the lecture as this class. I have had Intro. to Psych in Rose Hall 250 before and it was completely different in so many ways. This semester’s set-up with the selective 6 TAs and having Dr. Gurung’s teaching energy and overall strategies have made quite the difference. The Teaching Tips book really goes into detail about using many different types of media and tools to help keep student attention during a lecture, and I really think that in this class, we had used it all very well. From the TA lecture to Dr. Gurung’s lectures, it was NEVER the same old slide-show lecture. I really believe the spontaneity in lecturing is crucial and that goes for the in-class activities. The Teaching Tips book has also praised and encouraged applying and using the class material to solve a problem in a collaborative group setting. These activities weren’t so hard to conduct and they really helped with gauging retention, application, attendance, and these activities were relatively easy points. The in-class activities were also spontaneous and very meaningful; I really do think that students appreciate the application and the points.

            We don’t need to read a book or have to be told that students will become more engaged in class if they are called on, by name and feel like the professor and TAs know who they are. The fact that Dr. Gurung took the time to memorize a good 2/3 of the student’s names and know where each student sat in the classroom shows effort and consideration on his part. The students truly feel more important and a big part of the lecture when they are asked for input or their opinion. Sending out a friendly concerned email out to students who had missed some class also added to the feeling needed in class and cared about (hopefully not adding any kind of entitlement). Class doesn’t seem so daunting to the students when the professor and/or TAs know your name; this is especially important for first year and non-traditional students coming to college for the first time. Our school prides on being a school where professors and students have a personal and close interaction, unlike other schools where it is sometimes rare to have a professor even teach class. Even being an undergraduate and having the opportunity to be a TA is rare; this is where UWGB stands out and offers more opportunity to its students.

Brainstorming for Student Engagement

            The G-Team had done well coming up with ideas and ways to prepare for 250+ students and how to engage such a large group of various students. I had a background of knowing how to engage first-year students and the potential benefit of using Facebook as a tool to help. However, I have learned that this doesn’t work for all groups of students and my research in social networks have sent me in circles. I have found that social networking is important for first-year students, students who are extroverted and involved to begin with (according to my experiment’s results). Past research on the matter has explained that introverted or socially awkward Facebook users are logged-on to the network more but are not socially engaged like their extroverted counterparts. I feel like that our use of Facebook did help; I feel like any use of it will do more good than no good. The use of Facebook for our class did bring out an extra source for our students; adding the neuron video and welcoming students and TAs to post interesting psych links just added more connections for these students to make between life and class (Connecting Learning to Life). We did well making sure that the group didn’t get too cluttered with useless and inappropriate information. Having the group as an option for students to join also gives students an extra feeling of belonging and feeling like a part of the class. I think use of social networks in college (just as how we used it) gives the idea to the students, that the professor and TAs are approachable (more human-like as opposed to being super-human) and are informed about current trends. When used appropriately, I feel like Facebook and other social networks can be used for engagement and another outlet for learning.  

            The Pod emails were another good use of internet technology. I had used emails for my seminar group but I didn’t send out nearly as many emails as some of the TAs had for this course. There were times where I sat there in my chair thinking, “Is anybody really reading my emails?” but with time, the students came around and responded, soon after I was meeting with students outside of class for their benefit. I started out using the Pod emails every week but was soon after, discouraged to send a weekly email; the students frankly thought that the pod emails were annoying and useless. I took that lesson and cut-back on the emails but did not complete eliminate sending the pod emails in order to continue the benefit for those students who relied on those emails for last minute reminders and tips. When I sent more meaningful emails such as Study Table/Review Session reminders and Exam tips, my pod students appreciated those more than the “check-in” emails (those may have been more meaningful for seminar students or in the beginning of the semester but certainly not weekly).Perhaps some groups of students appreciate those weekly emails more than my group did but that is something that has to be determined through trial and error.

            I am not sure if I can speak for the other TAs but from what I have seen and heard, I feel like that I saw a greater number of students after each exam and for the paper. I did not mind that at all and I am not complaining, I just feel like I did something right and somehow I made myself more approachable for students who may feel very vulnerable, especially after bombing an exam. That “something right” may have been an inherited skill and experience gained from working with first-year seminar students (and I like to think that I have a good personality that makes students feel comfortable talking about such issues with me, I hate to think that cause I feel conceited). I had also dedicated my time after each review session to stick around and answer the questions that students may have had but were too shy to ask in front of the group (I know that I have earned the skill of reading confused expressions from my seminar work). I had also took the time to talk with students before, after, and outside of class to make myself more approachable and useful. I have learned a lot by meeting the students throughout the average day, and for example, I was asked outside of class by a couple of students if there could be a study table later on Monday or Tuesday nights. That is how the waterfall study table sessions started and they were highly attended and surprisingly easy to handle on my own.

            There are going to be some students who just aim low in and achieve with such low standards, making it hard for the Team’s high standards of having a perfect or high attendance and quiz score rates. I mean, the Team had done well brainstorming for ideas and ways to increase these rates and meet our standards but we cannot engage those students who have set their low goals and put their mind to things other than attending class. I have learned this ALL too well working with my seminar class where I had two brilliant students just suddenly fall off the face of the earth. I have learned not to take it personally when a student fails to show up for class, take a quiz, or even talk in class; no matter how much effort and time you put into each student to stay engaged there is nothing you can do to help when a student has checked out or made their mind up not to come to class. It is a hard lesson to learn and experience but as a peer mentor, a TA, or a professor you can only go so far and from there, the student has to make the decision to meet you at that point in order to move forward.

            As for future on-line quizzes, TAs could send out reminders to their pods reminding students about an on line quiz but this would cripple students for they need to learn responsibility. One way to encourage more students to take more on-line quizzes without crippling their ability to be more responsible, you could have the times, dates, chapters for each on-line quiz clearly posted on the syllabus or Facebook group page. If on the Facebook page, this would be a good place for students to check in and see what is happening with the page more often and you know that students procrastinate by roaming Facebook (chances are they will notice that they have an on-line quiz they need to take).

            Having two different books could have added to the chapter confusion for each on-line quiz but that really doesn’t explain how having one book would encourage all students to take the on-line quiz. Perhaps changing the weight of the on-line quiz points would encourage students to do all of the on-line quizzes promptly and efficiently. Changing the point value of the quizzes would have students complete the quizzes and read the book more often!

Final thoughts, concluding this novel of a blog:

            I want to start off by first saying thank you to Dr. Gurung, Trudi, Katie, Mandy, Josh, and Caitlyn, without the G-Team this TA experience would have been completely unfruitful and empty without an aspiring group. We were faced with a challenge and we have worked collaboratively to tackle the problem and bring out the best in a completely jammed class. You guys and dolls were extraordinary and I would have to say that we were the G-Team of the Year! You ROCK, gang!

            Wow, 250 is a dramatic difference from 25 but there are similar struggles and goals for both numbers: 1.) Increasing student engagement and textbook reading.  2.) Providing the best learning experience and benefits for each student. 3.) Making the students comfortable seeking for help from TAs and approaching professor. I feel like we have done the best to ensure that our 250 students felt comfortable approaching each TA and professor which helped with enhancing each student’s learning experience. Although, there were some of those students who just failed in aspiring to go to class more and completing all the on-line chapter quizzes, we have to say that we gave it our best effort. We have learned and we can now grow from this learning experience. Our class attendance and engagement I felt were very successful than what I had anticipated. I felt like the Gang had done well in this area.

I had gained a lot of insight on the mechanics of teaching and learning for both large and small groups of students. I understand that as a mentor or teacher you can only go half-way for a student and the other half is dependent on the student; you can only do so much for a student but if their mind is made up  to check-out, there is no stopping that student. As mentors, TAs, and professors, is it important to provide as many opportunities and benefits for students to take advantage of. Along with these opportunities, next comes providing the proper scaffolding that engages, challenges, and enables every student to learn the material to their full potential. If the students can connect the knowledge given to them from this course to everyday issues and problems and apply their skills and knowledge to solve these issues, then we have successfully completed the mission. This mission starts with a professor and his TA team, aiming for 250+ student classroom success.

 

This blog topic has definitely taken me the longest to address. It has required me to adopt a more professorial viewpoint, which is not something to which I’m particularly accustomed. The question I’m addressing in this blog post is as follows:

You have seen different attempts to increase engagement. Some students still do not attend or do not take their quizzes. What are solutions to be tried in the future? Include your suggestions for best practices of POD use and communication.

Perhaps utilize the Discussion section of the D2L page. Somehow encourage the class to post more questions there. I did tell students that the TAs looked there occasionally and encouraged people to post psych-related questions there, but I noticed only a few students really utilized it. If it were emphasized in class, perhaps that could be changed. It also allows for a different method to gauge participation. Some people do not like to talk in class, so participation points can be very difficult to obtain. When participation is required,one has to balance offering those that want to participate the opportunity to do so while understanding that not everyone is as open and gregarious as the next person. But I think you circumvented the whole “you must speak in class to get participation points” very methodically – attendance sheets, group activity days, and answering questions on individual notecards.

As far as the quizzes go, I don’t think there’s much more to do that you’re not already doing. Apathy is, sadly, unavoidable. Here’s what I’ve come up with:

1. Actually mention the quizzes each class period before they’re due.
2. Tie quiz questions to class somehow. (like mentioning in class a question quite a few people got wrong)
3. Pod reminders each week
   • These things could just get annoying and tedious for you and the TAs. Plus, it’s their responsibility to stay on top of them – not yours
4. Perhaps make book specific quizzes. I don’t know that this will increase quiz taking, but it may decrease frustration. The downside is that some people might think that those with the other book had easier questions.
5. Have some of the questions on test come from these quizzes as a sort of positive reinforcement to those doing them. Perhaps emphasize this after the first test, seeing who noticed, etc.
6. Perhaps make it a “clicker course” and do some in class clicker quizzes.

   As far as utilizing TAs:

1. Using pod emails as reminders (again, babying)
2. Asking about the quizzes at review sessions and going over tricky questions

More on Pod usage and communication:

My very first thought upon hearing that we would have pods was that it would be nice to meet with all of them. This would allow us to have direct face time with the entire group and have allowed personal interaction. Plus, I didn’t know the individuals in my pod, so it would have given us TAs the opportunity to put faces with names. That way, we could greet them in the hallway, see them in class, etc. It would be more personal. I know that this would be rather difficult to coordinate (as class time is pretty important!), but even devoting the last 10 minutes of the third or fourth class to this would be good.
I only had 2 or 3 people ever responded to my emails, but one thing that made me really happy was that one student introduced herself to me late in the semester and asked for help with her paper. We had been sending emails back and forth (she was basically asking a number of logistical, formatting, and technical questions) and this extra interaction was nice. This is the type of thing the Pods were created for but I really don’t know that many students knew how to take the whole “pod” concept. I don’t know how frequently the other TAs heard back from their pods, but from what I’ve read in their blogs and heard in meetings, it’s about the same. Additionally, I remember that Caitlin sat outside RH250 each day before class – I wonder if anyone used this chance to get some TA help.

Hope these things are helpful. I might add some additional strategies as I continue to ponder this.

Next up: What I’ve learned about the teaching enterprise and myself. (coming tomorrow!)

I found myself very at peace before entering the classroom. This was surprising to me as I was reflecting later on because most test days were a bit scary for me (though by the third one, I was pretty much in the hang of it). I think I was finally just completely confident in my role as a TA and besides, the scariest thing [the lecture] was far behind me. On a different note – I was also very sad entering the room. I believe that us 6 TAs had such a great rapport with one another and it was really sad to realize that half were graduating. I know Mandy, Jess, and I will see each other next year (Psi Chi!!) but….I’ll really miss our group. It was really fun!

Random observations:

*I liked that we had to pick a spot and stay within that area. Though having four TAs in the front was a little odd, I don’t know where else they would’ve been able to be! Since Caitlin and I were both at the top, we walked around outside to go to the opposite door a few times to communicate with one another – I think this was a good strategy because it was the least disruptive possible way we could get to each other. There were a couple students that had suspicious placement of their tests, so I wanted to see if she could keep an eye out, since her range of sight was a bit better.

*A girl walked in about 15 minutes late. I understand that some people sleep in and stuff…it’s happened to the best of us. So I quickly found her a spot to sit and was prepared to go around outside and down the stairs to get her a test – again, the least disruptive way to do it. But some of the TAs up front saw her come in and ran up to give her a scantron and exam sheet. Yay teamwork!

*After about 2/3 of the people had left, there were some people outside that were being pretty loud. I was actually comfortable in going out to ask them to quiet down (nicely, of course) – which came as a bit of a surprise to me. Didn’t see that in myself!

*I got a really tricky question in class from one of the students. He was so nice about it, but I really had NO clue how to answer it without giving it away. He was definitely on the right track and I just kinda asked him a question back (“based on what you’re telling me, what is your gut instinct on this?”) and told him to look at the entirety of the question (he was comparing one question to another, thinking they were similar, when in fact they were different if the whole question was considered).

That’s it for now 🙂

Next up: Engagement suggestions. (Coming tonight!)