As an effective instructor, I find that my students require time out of class, in addition to the in class time. When meeting out class, I find that students often want help identifying the steps that lead to their post-graduation aspirations. Those students who want to attend graduate school, will most likely benefit from research experience. I enjoy giving students opportunities to help on my own research. This allows the students to acquire the skills that are desired and often required in graduate school. During my time as a graduate student I worked closely with five undergraduate students who went onto graduate school. Three of the students will be an author on studies that they helped to design and run. Admittedly, it is very effortful to teach students the skills required to design and run research, yet I find the very rewarding.
In the classroom, I use my own stories and jokes to liven up the course. I encourage students to discuss their own life experiences when related to the topics covered in lecture, which often turns into an entire class discussion. I have a knack for encouraging students to feel comfortable and participate in class. At some point during nearly every class meeting the lecture turns into a 10 minute discussion of a specific topic that is covered in the lecture. I’m usually able to get appx 35-65% of a class to voluntarily participate in the class discussion. I believe that a class where there is a high rate of participation leads to greater student learning, and appreciation for the course topic and education in general.
In my introductory psychology courses I give written assignments that are usually based a reading assignment about a simple research article. Next, the students are required to write a one page summary of the article that identifies the primary components of the study. Finally, the students are required to write a one page description of how they could apply the independent variable to something meaningful in their life. I’ve found that this teaching procedure strongly facilitates the understanding of the experimental components, how research is disseminated, and how to speak/write with scientific language.
Through my experience, and according to research, I’ve learned that students perform better and value frequent testing/feedback. The frequent testing helps them to keep up with the assigned material. I often give quizzes at the start of each class period and are based on previously assigned readings and lecture. I give the students prompt and detailed feedback about their performance in all activities where it is possible to assess their performance. An additional benefit of frequent testing is that it helps me to determine appropriate pace of material for the particular class of students.
In conclusion, I believe that academia is one of society’s greatest assets. My goal is to help students determine their direction in both academics and how academics will help them in the “big picture.” I believe that I will be able to accomplish my professional goals as an instructor at QCC.
Recent Comments