Category Archives: from the classroom

Celebrating the end of term!

Posted on April 8, 2011 | 2 comments

And what a term it’s been! It’s certainly been busy and challenging, but I feel like I have learned a lot and I have had a ton of fun! This term I taught learners in two courses: the continuation of Intro Psyc (go section 6!) and Psyc 208 (a course I designed called How Social Psych Can Help You Succeed).

This year the students in my Intro Psych class were so wonderfully curious and engaged! I felt such great energy from them every day (some days more than others, but that’s normal!), and they truly inspired me to bring my “A game” every day (which I tried my best to do!). Here are some photos from our last day together. I had asked them to write their most important take-away message from this course. Take a look… 

Last week in Psyc 208 we held the Creative Advertisement Showcase, which was a fantastic celebration of what they had discovered throughout the term! Previously, teams of students had identified a learning challenge they face, investigated primary sources for insight into understanding and addressing the challenge, and summarized those sources in annotated bibliographies and team abstracts. The purpose of the Creative Advertisment was to get the word out to fellow students about research-based techniques and strategies for addressing the learning challenges they face. They truly were creative! Projects ranged from video and live games to posters to live skits and demonstrations to videos and pamphlets… an impressive variety! Check out some of their videos and websites (ordered by team #)…

Team 7’s Learning about Distractions:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lts-wX9L8q4

Team 9’s Learning Environments: http://psyc208.wordpress.com/

Team 12’s Sleep & Learning: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GaqQkImzagU

Team 15’s Stress Happens, Even for a Jedi: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnmYyz61Mys with website: http://ipixels.net/stress/

Team 18’s Technology Crackdown: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zBCkhIoS74  

Team 22’s Cultural Differences and Learning: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jPW6tRA20w

And here’s a shot of Team 13’s interactive “Choose Your Own Adventure” study strategies station in action!

Thanks to everyone for a fantastic year! Study smartly for your finals… and remember that no matter how you do on them, that’s not a reflection of your worth as a person.

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I know it’s been a busy term when…

Posted on March 18, 2011 | 1 comment

… it’s been this long since a post! Wow, this term has really hit me hard! It was somewhat unexpected, but not entirely. I knew I wanted to revamp my 208 course substantially and that has involved a lot of re-thinking what material is included and how best to teach it. My TAs, class, and I have explored various learning activities together, and (as far as I can tell!) to much success! Since its inception, the spirit of the course has always been to push boundaries of learning, and we do this through activities like 5-minute papers, team-based quizzes and projects, as well as a strong emphasis on making connections between material and our lives. I appreciate the effort that my fantastic students and TAs bring to the table; without their willingness to explore learning, this course would flop. Many are taking risks and diving in to an attitude of embracing learning… and it’s awesome to be a part of it! I was so touched this week when a student came to me after class and mentioned how much she’s appreciating this class. What made this particularly special is that I have noticed how much this student has recently been taking risks to share her ideas during class. I congratulate her on her efforts to self-development! Oh, what a wonderful career I have… I get to be able to be a part of peoples’ growth and development! Yay!

This student’s thoughtful expression of gratitude came to me on the heels of having received a beautiful thank-you card from students I had almost four years ago. These three students — Grads of 2009 now writing from Montreal — sent me a card thanking me for my role in their stats class, which was waaay back in fall 2007 (or thereabout!). I taught their labs for Psyc 359, an advanced stats class for honours students. These were (are!) three great women who I remember fondly. Years later, they remembered that I brought Timbits to their final exam and encouraged them throughout the course.  How absolutely touching that they remembered these things, and then cared enough to send a card! It literallly brought tears to my eyes (and I must admit one or two made it down my cheeks). What they couldn’t know is that I have just been assigned to teach a section next year of Psyc 218, the stats class for all majors that is a prerequisite for 359. Their note was a fabulous reminder of how much impact I might be able to have by showing how much I care about my students and their success. Because I really do!

Thank you all for your kind words, and indeed thanks to all my students. I’m honoured to be a part of your journey!

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What do YOU think?

Posted on January 28, 2011 | 3 comments

This trailer was put together by Michael Wesch, an Anthropologist asking big, provocative questions about education in a digital age.

The Visions of Students Today 2011 Remix One (Trailer)

What do you think? How do you view your education — in class and out?

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Posted in from the classroom, ideas I find interesting

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New Syllabus Posted

Posted on January 1, 2011 | Comments Off on New Syllabus Posted

Ah the dawn of a new term! Living in an academic world means every four months is an opportunity for renewal. January can be an especially tough transition because of the remaining fatigue from Term 1. Thankfully, we also get Spring Break to catch our breaths. I’m very much looking forward to Term 2. I have had a fabulous time with my Intro Psyc (Section 006) students so far and I look forward to teaching and learning with them as we venture into the more “social” side of scientific psychology.

Psyc 208, Section 002, will begin anew on Tuesday. Here is a copy of the syllabus for those of you interested in checking it out early. This is a refreshed version of the course that was featured in UBC Reports last August. Based on feedback from students and my TA Jelena, I have revised the course to focus more on making teamwork work well, alongside personal development of skills such as self-control, goal-setting, and stress management. An open mind and a willingness to actively engage in learning will be assets to any student joining us in this course. Looking forward to meeting you on Tuesday!

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Posted in from the classroom, on course design

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Psyc 217 Poster Session!

Posted on December 2, 2010 | Comments Off on Psyc 217 Poster Session!

Last Friday evening (November 26), 550 Psyc 217 (Research Methods) students showcased their hard work designing and conducting research throughout this term in a poster session. It was a fabulous event with many students reporting a rich learning experience… and that it was fun to see what everyone else had come up with!

Many thanks to Eric Eich, who committed financial support from the department to make this happen, to the Life Sciences Institute for allowing us to book their space, to my fellow 217 instructor and poster session co-coordinator Colleen Brenner, additional 217 instructors Victoria Savalei and Rajiv Jhangiani, and all dozen Teaching Fellows for their support and dedication to making this a success. And, of course, to our hard-working, impressive students! It was a pleasure to see your work!

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