February 2009 – Page 6 – TA Experience

Day 2

Today, I sat in the front of the room, facing the students. I was a little worried about being up there but it was not bad at all! It was actually really fun to observe the students. I wish that I could lip read and see what they are whispering about! I was impressed by the focus and attentiveness that the students remained to have until the end of class. This may have been beacues it was still only the second day, but I thought there would definitely be more of a loss of focus. Even though it was only the second day, there were quite a few empty chairs.

Dr. Gurung began the class discussion by bringing the concepts about bias that were discussed in the first class back to the table. I think that this technique reinforces how important that topic is and creates an expectation for the students to understand and remember that information. He also had the same slide from the first day with the Chapter One Questions. Reflecting on topics from the last class and bringing up those same questions are a nice way to tranisition into the days discussions. Displaying those questions and answering them during class helps the professor gauge if the students understand the readings. It can also serve a check for all of the students to make sure they are getting the right information from the readings.

During our meeting last week it was brought up that if Dr. Gurung moves around the room it will help cut down on texting. I did notice that when he moved to the top of the stairs he invariably lost part of his field of vision. I did notice a specific instance in which he missed a hand that was raised to answer a question. I think it’s important to move around, it keeps the students alert and engaged. You just have to be aware of the vision you loose when moving. I know there is really no way around that, especially in that class room. The students in the front did not turn their heads or bodies to follow the professor either.

I thought the demonstration on introspection was extremely beneficial. It got a lot of students involved and created some movement in the room. It was a fun activity that really engrossed the students. It made the point very clear and helped to explain that point in a different way. It is really important to explain topics in a variety of ways because we don’t all learn the same. Dr. Gurung does a nice job of explaining things from different angles, using a variety of examples, and different activities to explain and apply the concepts.

Second Day…the fun continues :)

Going into the second class period, I found myself less apprehensive and more excited. Though I think that feeling of uncertainty and nervousness will continue for a week or two. I’m just naturally that way when put into new/unfamiliar situations. I don’t think it’s affecting my ability to rock this TA thing out though! 🙂

I do want to note that I will be forgoing the more formal “class recap” portion of the post…I’d prefer to get to the really important stuff right away!

I really appreciate (and I believe students will as well, if they don’t already) the outline being displayed before and as class begins. It really gives a sense of direction that I don’t feel in other courses. The brief reviews of what occurred in the previous class is also helpful. It keeps things fresh in students’ minds and may also serve as a way to link previous material to current/upcoming material.
As class began I walked around and chatted with a couple students I recognized either from the previous class period or from outside activities – mainly asking them how the first quiz went. Quite a few of them said they got 10s – which is exciting! I made sure to let them know how awesome I thought that was.
Another observation was the presence of some empty seats. It’s a pretty normal occurrence, and I believe the amount of students gone is less than it would have been in other classes. I have had a couple other classes in RH-250, and the first day it’s usually full, and the second day it’s at half capacity. I’m glad to see so many students returned.

One thing that impressed me was that students in the back were called on very early on – and by name! I’m sure there were some surprised faces – I really wish I could’ve gauged the reaction. In addition to knowing names of people in the back, each time someone was called on, it was by name. I didn’t hear anyone correct the instructor…so great job, Dr. Gurung! I think the instructor walking all the way up and down the aisles will prove to be an effective way of gaining more student input – especially because some individuals sit in the back to avoid that. I’m anxious to see if this works.
The importance of studies was emphasized – but not just by the instructor. I found it interesting that it was accomplished by asking students why different dimensions of the ERLP program were important (e.g., not taking the same one twice).

There was yet another example of interesting student participation. I was entertained (as were some students and a couple of the TAs sitting near me) by the demonstration of what the first true psychological experimentation looked like.

On another note, the “History of ___” sections of classes are generally very boring. I believe including pictures of these individuals and the infusion of humor in the delivery were key in making this particular “History of Psychology” presentation more interesting. Two neighboring TAs and I were trying to figure out if we could name all of them (sadly, I was not very good at that game). I thought one of them looked like George Clooney. 🙂

The first group activity…I remember that fondly. Everyone seemed to work very well together, from what I saw. I did get a number of questions on #2 (the two schools of thought to explain Chmura’s actions). Relating that to the papers I graded, most of the incorrect answers were from that question. Perhaps at the next class, the answers can be reviewed with special focus on these schools of thought?
I know I was definitely a bit sketchy on that material – and looking at book #1 (Rathus), the schools of thought were horribly articulated. There was a 3-4 sentence explanation of the Humanistic school of thought and that one is a bit tricky. Even though it is addressed in a later chapter, I don’t believe most students would venture to look for more references to it in the book.
I guess my suggestion for this is to go more in depth with things like this in the future if they’ll be asked to do group work in it – but it definitely needs to be addressed.

I should also add:
It may be a good idea to talk to the class about we, the six lovely TAs, are here for. I think we’ll be getting approached for questions more as they learn what our role is. During this group exercise, I was basically wandering around and felt like I was interrupting their thought processes (I walked up to many of the groups, asking how they were working together – this is when I got a couple questions from about 3 or 4 groups about question #2). Most of the time, however, they stared at me blankly and said they were fine.

A few other suggestions I have:
*Provide the TAs with powerpoints before class periods so that we can focus more on teaching observations
*Provide the TAs with the group assignments prior to group work days so that we can be better prepared to answer any questions students may have (I was doing what I could to give good answers, and although I came up with adequate responses, I’d probably be more helpful if I had time to digest the questions)
*Set up a formal chain of reliability checks for assignments. I’m a little concerned about the method we’re using this time around. I’m just a bit uncomfortable entering grades before the two reliability checks are completed. This leaves a lot of room for “grade drama,” as I call it. (We can chat more about it at the TA meeting, if you like).

Thanks for another very interesting class! See you tomorrow!

First day of the Spring Semester -January 27th, 2009-

Thinking about the components of the first day of class:

Playing music during the five minutes before class was a unique way to do, “last minute preparations” for the first day of class. Playing music that had similarities or associated with the first day discussion was a great way to set the tone for the class. “T-5” gave the TAs time to become acquainted with one another and (for me at least) to settle my nerves and anxiety I had toward starting a new role as TA. I had a chance to talk with the TAs, which gave me a chance to vent some worries I had in my ability to be a TA (I certainly appreciated the heads-up on coming to class early for that reason). The five minutes before class is a critical time to set the tone and have everyone become oriented with the Intro. to Psych class, without it, I would feel as if the students would come into class expecting this course to be just like the rest, same old, just like any other class… not for this course! This Intro. to Psych course was out of the ordinary and the course’s unique situation justified the chance for Dr. Gurung and the TA team to come in and start off with a tasteful bang. I feel that this “bang” will make the class more memorable to the students and they will appreciate this unique class because it is unique, later on in the semester. I felt as if the students will have something to look forward to twice a week every week, and I know from talking with the students after class that they will enjoy this class immensely because it is unique. This approach to class with start us off in the right and focused direction meanwhile, the approach makes this class different from the rest but in a well-needed and great way.

Gurung vs. TA taking class photos:

I have so many mixed feelings toward class photos and it is always changing. I feel like students should proudly take the opportunity to meet with the professor and TAs, and take the time to become acquainted. However, I do know that not every student has that same perspective and I know with our desire to have a feeling of community in the class, it will be important for us to know names with faces. I really don’t feel as if picture will enable the students to not take the time to get to know the Gurung Team but I personally always felt (in this situation) as if the professor gets to know a picture and not the real me if I didn’t have the tenacity to meet my professor-therefore my mixed perspective stands. I know that this grants an opportunity for those introverted students to feel more known without the anxiety, work, and time of having the professor or TA recall your name during your (the student’s) presence. It was a good move for Dr. Gurung to have taken the students’ pictures in class because it shows the students that one: Dr. Gurung is showing effort in getting to know his students, two: students will appreciate this effort/time and for their name to be heard from their professor in/out of class, three: the students will be more serious and receptive to a professor taking the photo as opposed to a TA taking the photo, four: it gives Dr. Gurung a head start in remembering names, and five: the time spent taking pictures gave the class time to meet other students and process the information given to them at that point in time. Some cons I potentially see are: what happens if the students don’t sit in that exact seat they sat in during the first day of class and what happens when we divide the class into their TA groups (if that happens), how will the TAs know who their group consists off if there is no designated seating arrangement? How do we know if we captured everyone? How do we know if every student is comfortable having their picture taken (I don’t believe we made it an option)? It seemed to me that the pictures did not take up much time at all, and there was quite a bit of good material discussed by the time class was done.

Introductions of Dr. Gurung and the six TAs rolling into the Course intro.:

Introductions do take time, and I feel as if the background spent on the professor and the TAs was an appropriate amount. I feel as if it is important for the professor to spend a good amount of time on their history because it shows how much time and dedication you put into education and this in return shows how much respect the students should show toward you as the professor and on their own education. I feel as if the students will respect you more as a professor and give their best work out of respect for the class. Looking at the students during the introductions, most if not all of the students were more interested in learning about the professor’s background than the TAs backgrounds… with great reason; Dr. Gurung has a more interesting history than the TAs! Do not skimp on introduction, there is great interest coming from the students, it is important to share the past, and the connection between class and introduction was clearly made with the “Cute Baby” bit. I do not like the fact that there was pulling for Psi Chi, I know that it is related to the course, but it gets too preachy (and students may not want to hear it). Besides, Psi Chi is only open to those students who meet the org.’s criteria therefore it only applies to the individuals the org. notifies. If the org. was open to all students, then pulling can be done for the org. since it is not open, then the marketing should be directed to those who meet the org.’s requirements. As for the bits related to the course: What is Psych about? Monkey/Camera bit, Why ?’s, Brad and Angie pics., Eating bit, and Conformity piece… all were very well done! As for the Conformity bit, I believe the follow-up video with Brian’s example made it comfortable or not so humiliating for the students who did conform in the activity in class. The exercises were all nicely done and first-hand examples of some of the intricate and variety of concepts they will be learning in this Psychology class. As for the classroom etiquette: Not too whiney at all and if it is backed-up with related research results, the No laptop/phone use request is not too hard to ask (the actual course deserves respect too). I know as a student, I become extremely uncomfortable and annoyed when people sit near me and the pluck a way on their laptop… I cannot stand it and I believe the professor is doing a favor for the class community when they say, “No laptops or cell phones.”

Overall, I feel as if the first day class was well done (and I don’t think I need to restate it). There was a lot of thought, work, and effort put into the class to make it a perfect environment for learning. As done with the summary of three points and how to get good grades points made in class, all these points will make things run smoothly in class and provide a prime environment for learning. As I read in the “Teaching Tips” book, we should stress that it is important for everyone’s learning and for material retention, the readings should be accomplished prior to class (and this point can be supported with research. I never realized how important reading truly was until I read the T.T. chapter and I kind of wish my professors told me how important it was by giving research results, so I would actually appreciate reading instead of doing it because the teacher asked me to). Back to the class: The first day surprised me, I didn’t think students would even talk let alone come up to have a computer take their picture in class. This further supports the efforts and the time taken and needed in order to produce such results in class. Engagement on the first day means engagement will be accomplished for the entire semester. The students thoroughly enjoyed class and tell me so outside of class. This is going to be an enjoyable semester for all.

first week (more specific)

~~BEFORE CLASS~~

I don’t feel I’ve gotten in the groove enough yet and don’t feel comfortable with the before class part yet. I’m hurrying to get there from my class before and by the time I do arrive, I’m discombobulated about what we’re supposed to do for that class period. The first day of class I didn’t even notice the music playing and the second day of class, I barely noticed it. I think a lot of this has to do with not having a lot of confidence yet in my role as a TA…not being quite sure what I’m supposed to know and what I’m supposed to do. My goal as the semester progresses is to feel a little more relaxed and more familiar with the course so I can talk with students more freely.

~~FIRST IMPRESSIONS~~

I believe the first impression of the instructor was one of organization, enthusiasm, expertise and authority. There was a bit of a “rockstar” quality the first day and felt much like a performance would be organized.

~~FIRST DAY OBJECTIVES~~~

McKeachie described four objectives for the first day of class and I’ll take a moment to describe how those objectives were met in Intro to Psychology.

An idea of where the class is going and how it will get there. The goals of that day of class were clearly posted on the screen before class so students had an opportunity to keep track of what was happening. During the class, the goals of the course were clearly referred to and were consistently reworded, rephrased and summarized. Key points at the end of class brought all the information together. and saving syllabus for the end of class kept students attention and summarized the course nicely.
A feeling is created so that students feel like they are not in the room with strangers and it’s safe to participate. Anonymity was removed immediately by having the students put their name on a small sign. Not only were the TA’s and instructor able to begin learning their names, but they had an opportunity to see their peers. Taking photographs took the name thing a step further, proving a level of dedication and setting a tone of accountability.
Creating a feeling that the instructor cares about their learning and the class will be fair. Students were invited to participate early and often, positive reinforcement and validation of participation seemed to remove any “threat” of speaking up. By involving the students in mini-experiments, it made the material real. The instructor’s enthusiasm for the topic and conversational style seemed to bring the gap between “untouchable professor figure” and “insignificant student in a very large class. ”
The class will be valuable and fun. Expectations of the class were clear and techniques were demystified. The “why” of class was as important as the “what.” The experiments and examples were also relevant to students’ experience and the level of engagement showed that they thought it was fun as well. Fun was also introduced with the utilization of multiple forms of media like photos, video, enactment of experiments that have actually been conducted.

~~MISCELLANEOUS FIRST DAY THOUGHTS~~

In our meeting we dissected the class very specifically, which is sometimes difficult for me to do on my own since I’m a natural abstract communicator. The meetings are helpful and will end up providing training of sorts for me to begin looking for different things in class.

For instance, who takes photos of the students seemed to be an important decision, however, I thought the action of taking photos, regardless of who did it, had a greater impact than who performed the action. When I think about it now, I think the fact that the instructor took the photos had more impact on the students than if the TA’s would have done it. There’s a level of authority that goes with being a professor and many of the great leaders will connect with people by “getting their feet wet” or “doing the dirty work” every once in awhile. Not only does it humanize them, but it also shows those they are leading that they are willing to do the same work, they have done the same work and I think that leads to a greater level of respect.

The other thing I had not considered before our meeting was the use of students as confederates in the conformity experiment. Upon reflection, this was a great idea which will hopefully be revisited when research methods are discussed. Not only was the experiment demonstrated as effective, but they were shown how experiments can be manipulated. Using confederates in class was directly parallel to the video of the experiment that also used confederates.

~~SECOND DAY OF CLASS~~

(T minus 5) Again, I didn’t feel sure about what I was supposed to do or talk to students about and I’m hoping we can discuss this more in our next TA meeting. We went into class knowing that a group activity was going to happen, but not what we were going to be expected to do. Also, the students I did get a chance to talk to were asking questions related to the material that they’d read or questions about what was on the quiz. I did not have a chance to read what they read or take the quiz that they took and I’m beginning to think that’s an important part of our job. Yes, we sort of know the material because we’re psych majors, but I was uncomfortable with the questions that I got.

There were definitely less students in class.

Class started with questions from the students. There were lots of hands up which demonstrates that they are not afraid to ask questions. I think the goal of making the large class seem less anonymous was effective.

After questions, there was a brief review of what happened the previous class and the goals of that class. Felt a lot like a continuing TV series that gives the viewer a synopsis of “previously in Intro to Psych” and moved nicely into the next part of the storyline. Students were asked to participate in the review and when they answered, the instructor repeated what the student said so the rest of the class could hear and affirmed their answers. This technique will help students recall the important pieces of information.

Thus began a lecture on the history of psychology. I thought that bringing in the connection with cultures of the middle east and Asia was particularly interesting as well as the contributions of women and the social/ cultural context in which these developments in the field were occurring. Inviting students to answer questions about what they read was also interesting for two reasons. First, it demonstrated to the students that this is not going to be a passive class. They are not only being asked to read material, they are being held accountable. Second, it was obvious that many students did not read what they were supposed to. My guess is that many of them are of the opinion that they can skip the quizzes and just cram before the exam and do well enough to pass. As TA’s we may be able to coach them in this area.

The demonstration of the first experiment was very interesting. It showed how simple an experiment can be and how psychology has evolved since then. Same thing with the introspection demonstration. I would have given them more opportunities to give descriptors instead of just one word. Perhaps giving each student 30 seconds to reflect upon what they have in their mouth as opposed to having them each say one word would be more effective. The overall technique of telling the story of psychology made it more interesting than a chronology of names, dates and places. The instructor talked more about the significance of events and the effect they had on the field. I’m not sure, however, that students understand how to take notes on the more abstract concepts. Several times during the lecture, the instructor mentioned needing to know the different areas of psychology and how they explain behavior, but I was getting questions about names and dates before the group work started. I think we need to figure out how to explain to students what they should be learning.

I noticed the information was presented in chunks with brief recaps between each. TA’s may be able to teach students how to pay attention to these chunks as effective ways of taking notes.

I also thought the examples for how psychology is used today (Microsoft, career options, etc.) gave students some things to think about.

I wasn’t ready for the group exercise. I knew it was going to happen, but found it difficult to help students arrange into their groups. Eventually it worked itself out, but I think the time that it took to form the groups left less time for them to work on the questions. It also felt like there wasn’t enough time for them to really get into all the questions. I noticed many of them hurrying through the last question. Not knowing the questions or the material the questions would be using in advance, I found it hard to answer their questions. I’m sure they didn’t know that I felt unknowledgeable.

~~OTHER OBSERVATIONS~~

I sat in the front of the class with Caitlin and I noticed quite a few students staring at us with confused looks on their faces, as if asking, “what the heck are you there for?” Could we be a distraction? Might we take some time throughout the semester to talk about what a TA does?

There was more chatting in class during the lecture, particularly when the instructor would climb the stairs. Activity in the opposite part of the hall would pick up because it was a little harder to hear what he was saying. Perhaps this is where the microphone will be helpful.

I felt the need to take notes in class so that I would know the material and how to talk to students about it. Not only the need to take notes to learn the material, but I found myself engaged in the material and not looking for teaching techniques or observing students. I’ve never attended such a dynamic class before and it was easy to get sucked in.