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.
  1. 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. 
  2. 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. 
  3. 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. ”
  4. 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. 

Week 1: “Psych is a science!”

As day 2 lecture is about to start, I recognized a girl that went to Random Lake Middle School at the time when I graduated high school…I sat on the stairs and talked to her for a little bit and asked a few around her how their first days went and if they had any questions about the syllabus.  One was confused about the break down of each textbook and the chapters associated with them, and just basically how to read the chart you made on the abbridged syllabus.  Although I did talk with students, I ran out of material to sustain me for a full 7 minutes…I should work on that.  I get the whole idea of  not sitting until lecture starts.  It helps make the TA’s look more approachable and could play a role in classroom engagement and connectedness.

It was about 5 mins. in to lecture when I noticed how the students were quiet and very attentive.  I didn’t see one person texting or talking with their neighbor, writing notes, etc.  Its really cool to see and interesting to watch all of the students from the back of the room.  I did not use that perspective in my old TA position.  [By the way, I hope I do not offend when I talk about last semester vs. this semester.  I understand, respect and appreciate both perspectives. I just think its a natural thought process for me to grow and reflect upon past experiences, as I’m seeing the same course being taught with two different approaches.  It kind of reminds me of when I took Cross Cultural Hum Dev and we had to read about a specific topic of our choice, but had to read it from two different disciplines.  I LOVED doing that.]

Anyways, it was fun to see the students’ reactions when Gurung started calling on people.  They couldn’t believe it…they would turn to their neighbor and whisper things like “is that really his name?” or “holy crap does he know my name?”  It’s cool to see that from a professor because it makes lecture more personable, not to mention the accountability factor.  Who needs clickers to enforce attendance when you have students who are paranoid that you know who they are and have the impression that the prof will notice if they are not there?!  That was such a cool moment! 

Gurung volunteered some class members to help him with a few demonstrations…this was very entertaining (especially the face marking thing).  It demonstrated 1) how sensations on the forearm are way off, and 2) how hard it is to describe something without using the words that everyone knows.  Although it was entertaining, I honestly think that it might make people even more nervous to be called on because they do not know what Gurung will do.  Although this adds excitement, it might not be a good experience for the person that is being volunteered.  What if the person did not want his face to be drawn on?  When Gurung said let’s go to the face, now,” it was very funny, but when he did it 3 times, I felt like it might have lost its effect  and the fact that he was drawing on some kids face could have clowded the message he originally wanted to convey.  How does a prof get  around this dilemma, though? I think the most ideal would be for a prof to ask “who doesn’t care to be drawn on?” Hopefully, some students would raise their hand…but what if they don’t? Then what? I guess a prof wouldn’t have to face that issue if they just chose someone instead.  But of course, this allows room for insault or embarassment.  But it’s a risk I think I’d be willing to take!

When going through love how Gurung talked about a few of the influential women of Psych…I’ve never been taught about those women and I appreciate the fact that he tries to get students to learn from an even, as unbiased as humanly possible approach. 

1st Group work! This was interesting…I was curious to see how Gurung would go about orgnanizing this, but it worked well w/ the 3 sit-3stand method.  As I went around, some of the students asked if they were on the right track, and I tried encouraging students to just be open and write  about whatever came to mind (for the first question) and to not worry about being politically correct.  Students seemed confused on the second part, and I had to think harder than usual (ha) to help them out with those.  I think the slides on the different schools and approaches could have been broken up more easily to break it down better for them.  In looking over the papers I collected, #2 seemed to have the most wrong answers.  I don’t think it would hurt to review that again next Tuesday.

All in all, solid day!  🙂

1st Day: Setting the Tone

WOW! In my four years of college classes, I’ve never seen a 1st day so crazy packed full of energy.  Before lecture even started, Gurung’s appearance and presence made it clear to the students that he wanted to be there and more importantly, that this class, and the students in it, are important to him.  Not to mention the very fitting music of REM’s “Begin the Begin.”  I think that music adds  a  different dynamic to the class…it gives students an impression that this is not their every day ho-hum 1st day.  I think music generally takes the edge off, and having music play before lecture gives students a chance to regroup before class begins. 

An outline was put up to show students where the lecture was headed.  This can help them create a mental map of how ideas, theories, research and people are going to connect. 

On a typical first day, many prof’s will go through a 5 minute schpeel on what they don’t like in class.  As a student, I appreciate the boundaries that need to be set and like to know about the professor’s expectations.  However, Gurung brought it to a different level- he connected his own preferences, such as the “no laptops” rule, to relevant research.  This shows students that it’s not just a quirky preference or him just being mean, but his preference is connected to research-proven evidence that links laptop use to lower grades.  I think this gives the students the impression that everything is done on purpose…nothing is a coincidence.

TA intros- I’m happy we were able to introduce ourselves.  Personally, my little blurb was a bit awkward.  I was nervous.  In the past semester, I wasn’t nervous at all…I really didn’t think the 100 extra bodies this time around would make a difference.  But it did.  I said “psychology and stuff like that” AAH! STUFF? haha oh well- it’s a learning process.  I like how we all bring something different to the table, all with different backgrounds and personalities. 

In addition to the preference speech prof’s give to students, they usually like to talk about their family or something personal.  Gurung did this as well, but he wanted it to have its place- and purpose- within an intro psych lecture. The baby cuteness setpeice was one way he could do that.  It was a very cool bit and I bet much of the class will remember it for a long time to come.   It gave them a chance to see how fun and interesting psychology can really be.  In the TA mtg, it was mentioned that some students might take that as being a little too wacky or over the top.  But I think it showed students that so many things can be studied in psychology and how there is research that relates to almost every aspect of one’s life- even saying “Aww” to a baby picture.  Personally, I always liked to hear a little about the prof’s life so I can set them in a greater context…that they are a person and have their own life.  I seem to respect and am more interested in them that way.

Brangelina peice– showed class a glimpse of how we’ll be talking about relationships and past and future behavior…I thought it was cool to see a before/after shot of Brad, but with different wives.  The use of celebrities shows that Gurung is up-to-date, and pays attention to the pop culture, even if it is celebrity media, in which we are living– which is something that some prof’s seem to have lost long ago.  It’s important to be able to connect real-world circumstances to things students are learning in class…I’m sure it captures the class’s attention, too!

The Microsoft bit was very funny, and made the class laugh when the monkey appeared on the screen.  One thing I thought that could be done differently was to explicitly say that the letters were in a different order, but our mind plays a trick on us and processes it as Microsoft anyway.  I hope we can go back to that, once we do talk about cognition, so that students can better see the connection.

Conformity peice- this was probably the biggest take-home message I probably would have received as a student.  To actually witness my own peers conform to something as little as line judging, making the same mistake as shown in research.  Many would probably think that they would’ve gone against everybody else…but this proved otherwise.  At first I was like, wow! How did that work so well? But then Gurung admitted to telling the first couple people to say the wrong answer.  I kind of felt bad for the people who weren’t told to say the wrong answer and did anyway, but I didn’t know who said what and which specific students were told not to.  But even if this was the case, Gurung tried to debrief by saying, hey, many people conform and we’re used to being tricked (especially after JUST seeing the camera scenario).  But the fact that Gurung prepared the students ahead of time was very smooth.  That in and of itself was a surprise to me! Very nice… Also, when we watched the videos, Gurung gave students a chance to make hypotheses about what a different person than the first would do in the same situation, which is a very important skill.

Overall, I think my involvement was good…for the first day.  Because it was the first day, I wanted to make sure I had everything in order and all the TAs were on the same page. Most of my interaction with students was telling them where there was an open spot, not to sit on the back 6 chairs, make a name sign, etc.  In the future I plan to use this time to talk and relate with the students– something thats important to me as well as my role as a TA.