Author: Sarah Damsheuser

Over the last 8 days a lot has been covered and switched up. I think that switching things up really helps to keep people attentive. More people are more likely to show up if there are random assigned assignments.

Overall the attendance has been at a steady 200-215. Dr. Gurung is still doing an awesome job keeping people involved. He is still calling on them in class and getting people to raise their hands.I think it was a good idea to go over the Super Size me assignment. It helps clarify things for the students and it was a chance to go over independent and dependent variables and the difference between correlation and experiment again; hopefully making it more clear and concrete.On the 17^th the demonstration went excellent. We got our volunteers quick and got them set up very quickly. Dr. Gurung stated that we did have a 60 second period where we ignored the audience but it was quick enough that it did not cause any problems. During that time we were explaining the demonstration to our volunteers then we explained the demonstration to the audience. I think it made it easier on the volunteers to hear it first. I know some of them were very nervous.During our meeting we had a good talk about the online exam, that the chance of cheating is almost diminished by how the test it set up. I think it will go over very well. People cannot compare questions and they do not have time to look up answers in the book. I am excited to see the scores on the test to see if the students are really getting the material.The review session is on Tuesday. I am a little nervous about it, having to try to control my own students. I am hoping it is going to go well and that the students actually try to benefit from it. Getting involved helps you learn the material.Let’s hope for a good exam week!

The third week is now down and the class is now into the swing of things. People are starting to skip classes and the gaps between people are starting to increase. I am surprised this many people skip. My freshman year of classes I was on time and always there. I was terrified of missing something important. I don’t know how people do it.

Anyways I think things are going well. I am starting to get more emails about different things but at least they are communicating with the TA’s. People also seem to be getting more comfortable asking us questions after class instead of heading straight for Dr. Gurung.

“Super-size” me was awesome. I had never seen it before and I think the students really liked it and it was a nice tie in to the material. From the grading I have done it looks like they are starting to better understand what it really takes to make an experiment and that there can be soo many variables.

I am very excited about the neuron assignment. I love the physiological side of psychology. I love neurons and drug reactions and anything to do with the brain. This is probably my favorite chapter. I hope that the students will contact me if they are having trouble with it.

Some updates from last week. Last Thursday went very well. It was the second day and already Dr. Gurung connected with most of the students. He used many names which in turn caused more students to pay attention just in case they were called on.  Compared to my 2nd day of classes my teachers made no effort to learn our names especially in a class of 250. I also noticed many hands up, which I think is awesome. I never raised my hand in any of my classes unless I was extremely comfortable with the teacher and other students. I also thought it was cool that Dr. Gurung used a participant. Many people are uncomfortable getting up in front of a class but when you do not really have a choice it makes it a lot easier. I think that student had fun. The TA name tags were also a great idea, giving us a little more authority.

Now on to today! I think that today went excellent. We continued with the TA name tags and tried to get our names out there with our welcome emails and some of the TAs used candy to try to get people to introduce themselves to them. I also think that TAs did a good job answering questions after class. We got a couple more students to talk to us instead of going straight for Dr. Gurung.

Today’s class period also did a good job at demonstrating what I read in the “teaching tips handbook”.  Chapter five was all about discussions and how to start them and unitize them in the classroom. According to the book any classroom no matter what size can have a discussion. I think that was proven today. We have a class of 250 and a lot of people were contributing to Dr. Gurung. In all classes but especially big classes it may be hard to get participation. One of the techniques that the book stated to try was having them write down answers before they are asked to share. This gives even shy people the chance to think before they speak and to come up with an educated answer.

Another link the “teaching tips handbook” was how important reading and the textbook are. The key point is to want the students to learn more information than you could possibly teach. This means have some overlap of very important parts but also having points of information only in the lecture and information only in the book. I think Dr. Gurung does a great job of this. He teaches important parts from the book while adding other relevant information. He adds in up to date re relevant information that the students can connect with the material and hopefully get a better grasp on the information.

One last thing that went good was connecting psychology to real life. This is one of the main keys of the class, that psychology is real life. I really think that point was stressed today in class.

Going into today I was a little nervous. I was not quite sure how everything was going to go. I took my intro to psych class at a different school and was not exactly sure what Dr. Gurung’s teaching style was.

One thing I think Dr. Gurung did well was breaking the ice. He made the class laugh and hopefully feel less anxious about the first day of this class. I also liked how he used personal experience to explain things. I know from my experience I have an easier time remembering things if I attach meaning to it. They may not have learned much today but they took the basics because there was meaning attached to it. I also like how Dr. Gurung put a lot of the responsibility on the students. He laid the guidelines down of how to get a good grade. All the students need to do is put in the effort. I think this will help the students realize that their grade solely depends on them.  Taking their picture and using their names was another great ice breaker. It made them feel more like an individual rather than a 250 person mob, which is seen as very important in the Teaching Tips book. Overall Dr. Gurung did a great job “breaking the ice.

Dr. Gurung also used the entire class period on the first day. According to the Teaching Tips book this shows that class time is valuable and should be used to its full potential. This also sets the stage for future classes. They know that class for the most part will last the entire time.

When explaining the textbook, Dr. Gurung pointed out many reasons why he picked this book. Such as the psychportal feature and that it is the most up to date book. He also stated that no book is perfect and that he will be giving even more up to date information throughout the semester. This can help engage serious students according to the Teaching tips book.

I think that the students reacted well to the lightheartedness of the room. I think they also liked the special attention they got.

One thing that went a little rough today was trying to get everyone take a seat in the actual seats and not on the floor. The students just kind of looked at us. The note cards were kind of confusing too. We thought they had to write their names on the note card but then they were used for something else later during the class period.

Most of my first days of class were short and boring. We just went over the syllabus and left. This can be good and bad in my eyes. It can set the wrong stage for some students who think they will always get out early. It can also make the first day a lot less stress free for both student and instructor. In my bigger classes my instructors have never tried to learn students by name. I think this is a total pro. It gives the students a voice. In all my bigger classes I always felt lost in the mob and never asked for special attention if I needed it. I think this special attention really benefits the students.

Overall I think that the first class period went well. I think that students were put on the right track for success in this class.

I am looking forward to the new experience. Every other class that I have been in, I was the student. This time I am someone who the students will come to if they have any issues. I am worried about doing a good job. I am worried that my review sessions wont prepare the students for their tests. I am also worried that they will be scared to approach the TA’s. I know how nervous and intimated 1st year students can be.

Overall I am excited to this semester going.