This week was filled with lectures and activities that were a change of pace for the typical lecture. On Tuesday, there was a slightly smaller class, closer t0 200, but it was also the two days after the Super Bowl. To start class on Tuesday, Dr. Gurung put himself in a relatable level by telling the class about his upcoming ticket to the return to Lambeau, and related a lot of information from class to the Super Bowl. Dr. G also did a review on research methods – this was needed very much. The week prior there were many more questions about material after and during class.
The rest of the lecture was based on information that was presented in the book, however it was completely related to the “real world” instead of learning strict information. It was meant to help the students to critically think about the information they are reading, and also gives them real world examples that may help the students remember the information. Everything that was presented in class was related to the real world, more specifically the Super Bowl. As an observer of the lecture, I found myself getting caught into what Dr. G was saying more than observing the class and the teaching styles. All the information that Dr. G presented was incredibly interesting, and it came at a perfect time to where we could independently think of examples that were parallel to what Dr. G was discussing. The lecture itself was very interesting, and although it was not a full change of pace for Dr. G, it was different to spend the entire class period on integrating real world to textbook. I feel as though the most important example that Dr. G made was that with Aaron Rodgers and the mirror neurons. Many students are intimidated by the brain, and are worried about what information they have to know. By relating the information to an individual that nearly everyone holds in high regard, makes the information less intimidating. It was also a good insight to how the future lecture on the brain will be and to hopefully encourage students to prepare themselves for the lecture.
Thursday was also a huge change of pace for Dr. G, we spent the majority of class watching a documentary. I used this time to watch how students acted when the professor was gone, or they believed the professor was not watching. From personal experience, I know that other students attempt to get other work done when the movie is on, and this is typically when there is no assignment for the movie. Dr. G avoided this by giving the students some questions to answer during the movie, and the first question was right at the beginning, and the others could only be answered by paying attention to the entire movie. The documentary itself was very interesting, and very relevant to the class and the information we are currently covering. The documentary was a perfect example of what the class was learning about, and it was a good check to ensure that the students fully understood the information.
While the documentary was playing, I noticed that there were many students that came in late, or later than normal. One student came in half-way through class! I also noticed that two students got up to use the bathroom while the movie was playing. I did hear a lot more whispers and private conversations during the video as well. I did not notice individuals working on other work, it seemed as though as a whole the class was very focused on the video. As the video ended and we gave the class just under 10 minutes to answer the questions and discuss with the students around them, a lot of students simply left without discussing the answers. I am not sure if the discussion would have helped some individuals get the correct answers, but it was strange that there were little to no discussion.
This week was a change of pace for Dr. G, and the class lectures. This change of pace makes the class interesting and engaging, and helps give the students many different opportunities to learn. While I’m grading the last two assignments, I have had a lot of students that have answered which type of research method was used incorrectly. I now understand why professors do not constantly as to ensure that the students fully understand every topic, it would be too time-consuming and nearly impossible! I have not had any questions to my e-mail about the information, but my some of the answers on my assignments I wish I did!