Starting to teach in Psychology

1
Starting to teach in Psychology

• Julie Griffin
• 23 April 2008

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Getting started

• Which stage?
• Check Sharepoint, module outlines
• Liaising with lecturers
• Avoid winging it
• Preparation, discussion and reflection
• Practicalities handouts, equipment, room, board
  pens
• Central room bookings (32023), support desk 33838
  (support_at_plymouth.ac.uk)

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Your role

• Information provider, not just facts and theories
• Facilitator
• Role model
• Assessor
• Resource developer
• Researcher
• Kindness, compassion, flexibility and within
  ethical principles
• When/where to refer, pastoral care

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Your agenda

• Not looking foolish!
• Will they like me?
• Feeling insecure about our abilities
• Providing sufficient so they can fill in the gaps
• Acting as a Bridge relationship between
  students and their lecturers, sense of
  personalized learning, consumer mentality of
  students, high quality teaching, good personal
  relationships, good tutorial/seminar support
• Being professional
• Teaching is a people game
• Expectations, ok both ways

5
Students agenda

• Are they really bovvered
• They feel under pressure too!
• Can feel isolated from the educational process
  around them
• Dont underestimate the effort it takes them to
  turn up
• What will the exam questions be?
• We can read tell us how to make sense of slides
• Skills?
• Reply to my emails
• Evaluation apprehension

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Keeping it lively

• Ice breakers, invaluable for new small groups
  (case studies)
• Your own background
• Stories, anecdotes
• Own experiences, ask them about theirs
• TV, music, literature examples
• Making links across subjects if/when you can
• If you do go off track, no matter how interesting
  for them, get back on it

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Classroom management

• Gaining and keeping their attention engagement-
  with students, subject, teaching process
• Effective ways to deal with whispering, giggling,
  mobile phones and texting,
• Contact time issue
• Ignore, sarcasm, overreact solutions?
• Set up an initial contract about the relationship
  active engagement
• Etiquette small groups, who says too much/too
  little
• Acknowledging the emotion

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Some useful sources of support

• www.psychology.ltsn.ac.uk (The Higher Education
  Academy Psychology Network)
• www.spring.org.uk/2007/05/guide-to-psychology-blog
  -o-sphere-part.php (good psychology blogs)
• PGwTPSYCH_at_jiscmail.ac.uk (for postgrads who teach
  psychology)
• www.timeshighereducation.co.uk (useful for
  general teaching issues)
• Library (150.7) Exeter, Exmouth
• ILS, EDaLT (GTA, LTHE, resources), Staff
  development