Into week two already and I feel like the Psych class is already getting into the swing of things. The class consisted mostly of lecture, but I was able to write down some notes on Gurung’s teaching style that I found interesting.
First off, I noticed that he often pauses after important info is discussed, to let it sink in. I find it hard to keep up with some teachers who spit out their lectures so quickly that I only fully understand the beginning/ending part of the lecture. I also noticed that he would be talking about information on the slides, and then relate it back to the book. He even stopped in the lecture to have students refer back to some pages of the book to better understand the material. Another way he went in the material deeper was by asking for/proving examples of how the material relates to real life. Also, to keep attention, he speaks in different tones, often emphasizing words or sentences, that contain the main points of info. To keep interest, he not only speaks in different tones/annunciations, but also uses humor. This is probably one of the few classes that actually has people laughing daily, which makes long days of multiple classes a bit easier to take on.
A few little glitches occurred in class, but nothing to really worry about. I was sent to get a wireless microphone, but ended up at the technology center in IS, which is where I got a long story of how it was going to take half of the class or more to set up a system. Prof. Gurung ended up alternating between mic. and using nothing, which wasn’t bad (either way). One girl seated in front of me was constantly switching from doodling to taking notes. A cell phone went off in class, playing “Barbie Girl,” which wasn’t too distracting, but I still wonder if it was a girl or guy’s ring tone. Finally, a guy would not move from behind the top left behind the seats. He really just spaced off most of class, then unexpectedly answered a few questions in class. I guess we’ll have to wait until next class to see what he does…
The new announcements for today were the creating of a Facebook page for the class, Study Tables (first one this Fri I’ll be at), POD groups, and a little assignment at the end of class, to find out what the difference between a correlational study and an experiment is. This relates to an idea in the Teaching Tips book, that says that you should get students to relate the textbook material to short questions that they should bring to the next class. This way, they will not be scared to be called on, because they have answers they can back up with the book. The book also says that during discussions, students pay more attention and think more actively (p. 36). I think this is true because sometimes you need to hear something differently or opposing from someone else to make a point clearer. This also makes students feel that they are among “friends” or people that they can trust, and they will not feel as scared during class to answer a question, and maybe be wrong (p. 46).
The one thing in class that I found interesting and very truthful was Prof. Gurung’s statement, “The more study methods you use, the better off you are.” I really do agree with this, and think that if students start to apply this to their own studying, they will push themselves to get involved more in readings, POD groups, study tables, notes, LEARNSMART, and much more!!
You noticed some really good little things that are going on that are normally hard to see but so critical to do. Having spacing between topics or sections is so key. You may notice that I break up some things by interjecting a story or a question or mini-exercise. Key to have students test their knowledge sooner rather than later.