Author: RACHEL COUGHLIN

Now that exam 1 is over and I’ve had time to skim through the classes final exam grades I am really impressed.

After class Tuesday we brought up the discussion of why this class average was so high and if cheating was a possibility to making a class average jump up as much as it had. From my review session experience I feel the class just new the material and were really determined to learn it.

My first review experience went extremely well. I tried to keep the environment warm and inviting by just making casual small talk while we waited to begin. The classroom I was assigned was perfect for the amount of students I had attend. It was very compact and nothing like a normal classroom setting. This I felt was good because it gave a new environment to the students and it didn’t give off the impression that I was planning to sit in front and lecture.

Before the review started I had everyone make small name tags to place on their desk so I could place the names with the faces. I felt doing this gave the impression that I was going to randomly call on students to participate so they knew that being engaged and vocal was important. Also at this time I passed out a bag of goodies with the attendance sheet (surprisingly I had to take way to much candy home to the roommates).

One issue I have seen in the past during my own experience at review sessions is the TA’s sitting in front flipping slide to slide with no discussion or room participation. It was more like a writing-race to copy down as many sample questions as possible. This was what I was dreading and not wanting to happen. To limit this problem I put up the exam  test taking hints right away and explained to them that this review session is for their benefit and I was goin to go at the pace they wanted and cover the material they chose. I continued to explain that although the powerpoint is here for some guidance, it is not here as a set review plan or structure.

I started out with the experimental examples and had them recall and explain to me what they were and the reason Prof. Gurung used them in class. I was pleasantly surprised when they began shouting out answers and helped each other discuss the reasoning. The weight seemed to be lifted off my shoulders. At that moment I told them to continue being vocal and expressed how I liked them not raising their hands. It thankfully continued with the same atmosphere during the entire session.

As we got more into the review I could tell which areas of the exam they were most comfortable with and what areas they were not. This was huge because I was able to go off of their feedback and adjust the pace or topic. They were very good with asking me specific questions that they were confused about and each time I was able to get them to work out the answer together. At one point we even paused the powerpoint and they asked if I could draw both the brain and neurons diagrams on the board. With this, they were able to walk through each specific point and describe its function.

Another thing I really enjoyed was the support and participation I had from the students that attended my previous study tables. During points of the session I would say “could anyone from the study table recall some of the helpful tools we used to get through this” and various students would explain to other students how we used day to day or life/student thinking to understand concepts. Not only did this raise the confidence of students that were explaining and helping others but it also showed how much of an impact study tables can be. It was a great feeling seeing the students working together.

At 12:05 we began more of an open question time where students could look through their notes or review sheet and check if they had any last minute questions to discuss. We spend about 10 minutes with that and then I reinerated how this exam is to be taken as individuals and although you may be tempted to work together or use the book it can be very harmful while test taking. I then explained how one may cut them self short with time and another big thing is if you work together you might spend time arguing or contimplating an answer that you might have known from the beginning and in the end get wrong because you go with someone elses choice. Students then started talkin about how they in the past have done that with quizes and people gave some examples of “group trauma stories” that ended not so good for them. With that I ended up telling them how impressed I was with the amount of knowledge they knew and told them I think they will do great.

It has been a while since I’ve blogged and I have a stack of notes/thoughts I’ve been wanting to post on here but there never seems to be enough time in a day to get on here. This weekend will be my catchup weekend and to definitely reflect on the review session, exam, and pod activity.

But for now I wanted to reflect quick on study tables. I have done the past two study sessions (last weeks with Amanda and today’s with Tonya) and feel that they have been very helpful. Last week we had four girls and they told me afterward that they got a lot out of it and like how we switch the times and days up to fit multiple peoples schedules. It was also a huge confidence builder when they asked Amanda and I if we held study sessions every week or if they could schedule times with us. Not only did I see a growth vocally in them over the study time but I feel they were beginning to think about things on a more psychological level. This I thought was huge because it was allowing them to think outside their comfort zones and even beyond class material.

Today we had five girls and one guy. It was exciting to watch them when they begin to realize they actually know more than what they initially thought. It was hard to figure out where to start at first because two of the girls were at study tables the week before so I knew what they already went over. But I figured it wouldn’t hurt to start from the beginning and have a little refresher. They were very patient and helpful on bringing up points we made the week prior that they felt helped them understand it better. Discussion was going good until we hit the bio section. There were a few speed bumps in the brain and neuron topics but we thankfully pushed through them and I felt everyone had a somewhat better understanding. Tables were going so well that I finally had to leave at ten to five to go to work. Thankfully people were enjoying themselves and not in a hurry to leave. If study tables stay this size or get bigger we might need to plan a different location (noise was forming a little barrier for hearing each other also).

Good luck with review tomorrow ladies & I can’t wait to read what everyone has to say!!!

Blog catch-up will be soon!!

Thankfully the first hectic week of the semester is over and I can now breathe. Knowing the first day of my TA experience would be extremely important I tried to write a rough draft and jot down as much as I could about what I observed and how I felt the moment the class period was over. As I read through my scrambled rough draft I felt I could now look at the day through a more sane sense-of-mind and truly reflect on what went on.

With it only being the first day as an official TA I was not expecting to be approached by students with questions and concerns because I thought they would not know exactly my role and if I could help them. To my surprise as we walked around talking with students before class a few students asked me questions about the text and about class expectations. A couple of the students seemed overwhelmed with the class size but that is expected when crammed into a room with 250 other fellow classmates. Eventually I could not think of anything else to talk about so I made my way to the front and waited for class to begin.

At the time I got the impression that all the TA’s felt about the same going into the start of class: excited, nervous, unsure, etc. Although Prof. Gurung explained to us that once the music was over we were to take our seats we all seemed frozen in spot when the time came and could not move until he motioned us to sit. From the moment he started lecture the students seemed fully engaged and excited. He had multiple icebreakers throughout the not only the beginning but throughout the entire 70 minute lecture. Those moments consisted of everything from pointing a student out of the crowd, to cracking jokes, or presenting catching statistics or relevant stories. I felt when the students laughed or were given a statement to take into consideration they are unconsciously engaging and feel comfortable in their new learning environment.

One thing that I was impressed with was the amount of participation for such a large class on the first day. And that brings up a important question I had, how does a professor/teacher choose when to or not to call on a student when their hand is raised? I have had teacher that will allow discussion to go on for what seems forever and others that will occasionally call on a hand or two. Does a teach determine before class when they will allow questions or comments and when they wont due to the speed of lecture or topics?

Not only was I impressed with the atmosphere of the classroom but also the material presented and how the lecture seemed to more about inspiring or challenging the students to think beyond what they are used to. Most students have the stereotypical ideas of what psychology is and the various examples given in class allowed the students to learn that there is a vast array of areas to study and how important it is in our everyday lives. It is refreshing to go into the first day of lecture seeing what you can hope to learn and how it is used today. This motivates oneself to want to read, study and come to class. Also the fact that he did not stand at a podium in front of the class for the entire 70 minutes was incredible. You do not realize how much of a difference that makes in a class of that size until you sit in the far back. When Gurung walked up and down both sides of the classroom the back seemed to become more alert and it forced people to keep their eyes on him as he roamed around allowing them to feel more involved and attentive. It simply just makes a more exciting learning environment!

There were only a few comments or questions that I seemed to think about after class One questions was why he chose to pass the syllabus out closer towards the end instead of during the picture taking? Also attendance seemed to confuse me a little bit. I was not sure exactly if there was a certain way the students were to pass the papers around or what to do when someone was late or left. Another big thing I noticed was after one of the video clips. The back room lights were shut off and stayed off for about the last 20-30 minutes of class. It seemed to change the entire atmosphere when sitting in the way back. I personally felt disengaged and unable to see my papers/notes in front of me. It was hard to adapt and I felt I seemed to realize how big the class size actually was due to everyone else in the front half being shine down on with light.

Overall I was extremely impressed with how it went. There were only a few minor speed bumps while passing out papers and right in the beginning when not knowing when to sit. Right after class I went to the library and when sitting at a table I was actually approached a couple times by a student from the class asking me about learn smart, my experience as one of your past students, and tips on how to study. It felt good to know I was able to help him and relieve some of his anxiety. Once I was able to answer all of his questions I was glad the first day was done and excited to go to class Thursday.

During the second day of class the students were thankfully just as engaged and excited to be there. Demonstrations were hilarious and the students, I felt, really enjoyed the group activity. Some of the students that were in odd spots were unsure of what group they were in because they were maybe the last one in that row and everyone else had a group. It took some time to find other groups with smaller numbers but after going through their papers I noticed there were one or two groups with only 2 students. I wonder if there is an easier way to possibly get them into groups?
Well with the blogs and tomorrows meeting topics in mind we will have an exciting discussion to look forward to!

Break being over is almost bitter-sweet. It will be a little challenging to get back into “school mode” but I am looking forward to the TA experience. I feel we will not only grow as students but as an individuals. As others stated, the thought of speaking in front of 200+ people scares the living day lights out of me but I’m sure it will be a memorable event as each of us tackle this and many other obstacles together. Not only does the thought of public speaking scare me but also the idea of being the same age (possibly younger) as the students and expected to be a mentor to them. It will be intimidating at first but I hope once I get the first week jitters out of my system I will have the confidence to go beyond my student thinking and into the teacher mind frame.

Throughout this process I am sure I will be forced out of my comfort zone and challenged to think in an entirely different way. I know there will be times when I may be confronted with a question or situation that I may not have an answer to but I will do whatever I can to find it or at least guide them in the right direction.

All in all I am ecstatic to begin this adventure to learn not only the role of an instructor but what makes an instructor good, how students learn, and what I’m able to offer to the overall experience.