It was the second day of class today in Health Psychology. On the first day of class, we had some technical difficulties with the music. (Dr. Gurung likes to start class with some music, which he later ties into class material). Today, however, it was up and running.
Yesterday, the class was asked to write down a number between 1-10 of how healthy they felt they were. Today, we came back to that. Most of the class used exercise and diet to gauge how healthy they felt they were. The class’ take-home message was that health is best viewed as a continuum.
Another activity that the class participated in dealt with healthy behaviors and life expectancy. The class was instructed to give themselves one point for every healthy behavior they engaged in. This included sleeping 7-8 hours per day, daily physical activity, et cetera. The results showed that the number of healthy behaviors practiced directly correlated with life expectancy.
While discussing the history of health psychology, Dr. Gurung presented seven jumbled photographs on a PowerPoint slide. The class took a couple of minutes to decide where the photographs stood on a historical timeline. He used this activity to show that historical information on health and medicine is important in understanding current health theories, research methods, and how western medicine uses evidence-based practices. In order to understand where health psychology and medicine stand today, it is vital that we understand what health psychology has developed from. I found using scattered photographs and asking students to create a historical timeline is a great teaching technique, because when students place a photo with a historical event, it is likely they will have a better retrieval process when trying to recall the information in the future.
Dr. Gurung was also able to get the students to use their critical thinking skills today, by incorporating the documentary Supersize Me into class. The students viewed a short clip of the documentary, and then were asked to evaluate the research methods used in the film. Additionally, the class was instructed to determine the independent and dependent variables, what controls were needed, and what problems occurred with the study. This activity allowed students to brush up on their knowledge about research methods and designs.
Finally, I would like to do a little follow-up on the first day of class, including some similarities and differences between other ‘first days’. Like Dr. Gurung, the majority of professors that I have had always start off class with some sort of icebreaker. Usually, professors have students go around the room and say aloud fun facts about themselves, what year they are in school, et cetera. Dr. Gurung has his students write this information on a card, which he reviews later. I think this option may be the better of the two, because it saves some valuable class time, and it is still an efficient way to get to know the students.
Many professors have their students make name pyramids; a sheet of loose leaf paper that consists of a student’s name in big, bold letters, which folds and sits on the table in front of the student. This helps professors match a name with a face. Dr. Gurung always takes it one step further, and takes a picture of the class holding their name cards. This may be why Dr. Gurung can learn names so quickly.
Students like to know what is expected of them in the class, including learning objectives, grading requirements, and when papers and exams will take place. Professors usually spend a good deal of the first day going over the syllabus with the class. Many professors will even end class after the syllabus overview has finished. Dr. Gurung also spends some time on the syllabus, but he also dives into some class material on the first day, rather than cutting class short. I think it is smart to start class material on the first day, as it prepares and sets the tone for the rest of the semester.