TA Experience

I’ve been trying to consider what sort of tone simply handing out a syllabus and ending class creates.  I am positive that it does not get you excited about the semester or the material or the class.  I actually have felt really overwhelmed on my first days because all I do is sit and listen to all of the work that I’m going to have to do and what is expected of me.  I usually end the day feeling pretty stressed out. 

At the same time, just jumping head first into the material would also feel overwhelming.

The approach that Dr. Gurung takes to the first day of class is in the minority.  You could feel his energy and excitement for the material that he would be sharing this semester.   First impressions was a part of the lecture discussion and a part of our TA discussion today.  Dr. Gurung has clearly put a lot of thought into the first impressions he wants to give of himself and of the class. 

I really liked the use of the cuteness study to explain what sort of notes the student should be taking.  If I had never had a class with him before I doubt that I would have written down the points of that study.  I thought it was incredibly effective to make an example of that by waiting until later and asking how many students wrote down the points of that study/story.  It would have been less impactful to have prefaced the story by saying something like, “I’m about to tell a relevant story.”  I think it’s important to be upfront with students about logistical things like what to take notes on.  Each professor tests differently and has different expectations about what their students should take from the class.  I think it is unfair for a professor to assume that a student will be able to predict what is important to them. 

The expectations of the students were made clear in other ways too.  For example, the repetition of the three major points to take away from that lecture and giving them two questions to be able to answer after their readings.  These kind of expectations and pointers take the stress of guess work off the student.  Specifying these types of expectations are much more valuable than spending an hour discussing rules about not texting or talking during class or reading the entire semester schedule to your students. 

I think the format of yesterday’s class worked well.  I think beginning each day with a song helps create a more relaxed atmosphere.  Before our TA meeting today, I never realized that it acted as a timer for the professor.  I think that is a great idea!  It’s nice to not have to watch a professor up there looking at the clock every two seconds.  The music also removes the chance for uncomfortable silences and allows people to feel like they can talk before class.  I’ve been in classes before were students would sit and whisper to each other or not talk at all for the five or so minute before class.  Beginning the class in that way (silently) most likely contributes to a lack of class participation. 

I also thought about whether or not Dr. Gurung should take the photographs of the students.  I think it’s very important that he does take them.  It really doesn’t take that much time and I think it’s a nice ice breaker type activity for him to interact with the students. 

There were also some great ice breakers built into the lecture.  The Microsoft/camera demonstration was interesting, but I felt it served a greater purpose than introducing a psychological topic.  It worked at creating the expectation that as a student you will have to participate in this class, you will have to move around, and you will have to be willing to get up in front of the class. 

During our meeting today he discussed how he plans these set pieces that are designed with specific purposes.  I think it is easy to forget that (most) professors are not just up there rattling off the top of their head.  There is a great deal of planning and organization that occurs.  I realize that improvising must occur and that classes can be unpredictable but overall a great deal of detailed planning occurs for each lecture.

Reflections on the first day…

Having taken this class in Spring 2007 (already 2 years ago!) with the very professor for whom I’m a TA, I feel I’m being allowed an opportunity to see the course from a different perspective. A more…backstage perspective, if you will. It’s a very interesting situation. Anyway, onto the first day reflection!

First days are always nerve-wracking, especially for younger students (who seem to make up a large portion of this class). As I walked in, I definitely noticed signs of nervousness: nervous twitching and attempts to spread out in the classroom – which proves impossible in a section so large. Luckily with six of us walking around and handing things out, students don’t have as much time to feel like a number instead of a name. Of the many things that occurred this first day, here’s a recap of what I noticed:

• Before class, music which actually related to the course (“Begin the Begin” by REM) played while an outline of the day’s topics appeared on the powerpoint (apparently a page of first day/class etiquette was displayed on the overhead. I missed this and I wonder if any students missed that fact as well – especially those on the far left side of class)
• All of the TAs appeared to be in professional attire – this more than likely portrayed a level of authority to students. (Or at least made us stand out)
• The professor introduced himself, giving relevant and interesting background information – this will hopefully give students more of a license to comfortably participate in class
• In addition, the fact that the educational background is mentioned should give students an idea of how the broad the field of psychology is; also allows students to see where the professor’s bias lies
• Multiple forms of media were used – video, pictures, music, etc. – I believe this type of teaching would fare well when compared to the Theory of Multiple Intelligences (that people learn in many different ways and when teaching methods address these intelligences, optimal learning can occur)
• Photographs were taken – this will decrease the level of anonymity; The fact that the professor was the one to take it also allowed for more interpersonal connection (hopefully students will think “I must be important if he’s taking the time to get to know my name”)
• Participation was not only actively sought out, it was validated (the professor never responded in a way that made it sound like someone was wrong – every effort was made to ensure that it was related somehow to the topic of discussion)
• Whenever appropriate, psychological literature was stressed – in addition, every study mentioned was very current ( and although the conformity study is old, it has been replicated in recent years)
• I was impressed that a study was used as rationale for not having laptops in class – it’s pretty difficult to argue with that!
• We – the TAs – were allotted time to introduce ourselves. I was so nervous! I forgot to mention things that I really wanted to address (like involvements) and I’m a little fearful that I wasn’t as personable as I usually am. Aside from that, I wondered if students were able to hear us properly. I think we did a good job projecting…but you never know in that nosebleed section!
• It was great that our pictures were displayed on the overhead!
• I thought addressing how psychology applies to everyday life was a clever way of engaging the students – instead of giving bland definitions and delving into material on the first day, lighter topics were addressed in interactive ways. There were times when you could hear a roar of laughter and at times it was apparent that students were very interested in the topics (the sign was the silence and lack of what the professor would call “extraneous chatter”)
• In addition to the above, asking students to write “What Psychology means to me” is a great idea. It forced early reflection on what it could mean to them. I’m very interested in hearing what the students’ opinions were
• Asch’s conformity study was mentioned. I really enjoyed the presentation of this material. Again, many clever methods were used to get student involvement – and the fact that a few students were used as confederates was very clever! I didn’t even catch that. (I will address this more below)
• The relation of the first impression concept was very clever – doing this on the first day (and in the beginning of class) makes it more relatable (i.e., today’s the first day of class…first impressions are made…). I don’t know if this was intentional, but it fit, regardless!
• An abridged syllabus was handed out, focusing on the portions of the regular syllabus that needed to be stressed – I really like this idea, and will address it more below.
• Class was closed with a summary – 3 main points that needed to be remembered. I love this! Even though the class is fun, engaging, and seemingly more “informal” than most classes, this sets the tone. So not only are the visual cues present (professor and TAs in dressier clothes), but the instruction methods are too (calling out people who are walking in late, the outlines and introductions, and the focus on course material on the first day).

This was a very interesting first day of class. A friendly atmosphere was created while maintaining the levels of authority necessary in a college classroom (hierarchy of professor-student). I’m still not 100% sure of how that was done, but I hope to figure it out over the course of this semester via this blog. I would like to take the time to reflect more on some of the above bullet points.

The abridged syllabus was a wonderful idea. I do wonder if the students will still check out the full syllabus on D2L – but I think it was perhaps more effective to just provide a brief outline of the course instead of the more intimidating details usually provided.

I appreciated the talk on how psychology is a very broad field. Addressing the common stereotype (Clinical/Counseling being the only option) by asking students for their opinion was especially interesting as a psychology student.

The study on conformity was applied well to student life (parties, public behavior). Another example I thought of while the discussion was occurring was of jury mindset and how conformity could possibly be applied to that. A suggestion I have for a “newer” example of this study – either 20/20 or Primetime (I don’t recall which program) conducted a replication of this study and actually used women.

Other suggestions/Areas of Improvement: having a TA group meeting before the actual course starts. I think this could potentially create an early team mentality in the future. Even without this, all the TAs were cordial and very fun to be around! I think we lucked out and have an amazing group! That may not be the case in the future, so perhaps a group meeting/outing would be beneficial for future groups.

I would like to say that I believe students were engaged throughout the course of the entire class period – which is phenomenal, considering the size of the class and the length (1 hour 20 minutes). And even with the technical difficulties, I believe that using one’s own voice without the aid of a microphone forces students to pay closer attention. I could hear very clearly from what I like to call the “nosebleed section.”

Finally, I will be reading the Teaching Tips book I received today and will comment more from that perspective in my upcoming posts.

I look forward to another wonderful class!

• introduction of material and reasons for the course; saving syllabus for the end of class kept students attention
• vivid explanations of how psychology is relevant to students personally and integrating current events and situations. showed the immediacy of the topic and “psychology in action”
• removal of anonymity in a large lecture hall class by taking pictures, learning students names, using students names and integrating them conversation style in the discussion
• inviting students to participate early and often, positive reinforcement and validation of participation seemed to remove any “threat” of speaking up
• 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”
• reviewing main points consistently throughout while rewording, rephrasing and summarizing made  for easy note taking. also reiterating key points at the end of class brought all the information together.
• student reactions seemed consistent with the intent of the instructor and some seemed shocked that they were being spoken to. from what i could tell, students were engaged. 
• encouragement of student participation outside of class by only giving part of the pieces (partial syllabus, enouraging use of D2L, etc)
• expectations of the class were clear and many things were demystified. the why of class was as important as the what. 

this is a completely new experience and i’m nervous as…heck. i’ve never held a ta position in either college career and while i’m really excited about it, i have to keep reminding myself that i’ve talked to college students for the last 10 years of my career and this should be no different. except in my job, i felt like an expert on entertainment and while i feel like i have a good handle on psych, i certainly don’t feel expertly. plunge in, go for it, it’ll be fine. 

i’ve started reading some of the material we’re supposed to and i suppose i didn’t realize how much went into teaching. this experience will certainly give me a new appreciation for the amount of work that goes into a college course. while i’ve already had an intro course, i’m looking forward to this one because the first time, i sat in a lecture hall with 250 other people and most of them didn’t want to be there, therefore screwed around and served as a distraction. the format of the class was simple as well. it was the regular, run of the mill lecture-exam-lecture style and entertaining as it was most days, i’m curious to compare that experience with the one it sounds like we’re going to be a part of. if i can convey my enthusiasm for this stuff to my handful of assigned students, i think i’ll feel like a happy camper. 

but what will i wear?