I like thinking about how the mind works. Not necessarily the neurons and all of that, but the thinking and understanding and remembering and learning (that’s probably why I study in the field I do).
Yesterday I finished teaching my summer course. It was a great class. I had a real good group of students who brought a lot to the discussions. In the course of 4.5 weeks (23 days, 5 of which were test days), we learned about:
- the history of educational psychology and research
- physical, cognitive, linguistic, moral, and social development from birth through adolescence (and death for two of the theorists)
- behaviorism (which can be a LOT of fun to mess with)
- cognition – including information processing, cognitive constructivism, social constructivism, and various cognitive processes
- motivational theories
- learner diversity – culture, socioeconomic status, gender, and differing abilities (including the vague notion of intelligence)
- classroom management and instruction.
It was awesome! And fast! We watched clips from The Office, Simpsons, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, You’ve Got Mail, Remember the Titans, and I forgot to bring in the clip from Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. We talked about Sims and the theories that game is based on.
We also had to deal with construction workers putting in a new fire alarm system this summer which involved a lot of buzzing and banging while we were trying to have class. And the sororities started herding this week so parking was a bit interesting for me. There was also the bus strike to work with. And I took cupcakes to class on my birthday.
Now I’m crossing my fingers that the class carries in the fall. If it does I’ll be teaching it again. But because of budget cuts and degree cuts the class isn’t getting that much attention. I really hope it does carry. All of those topics are why I got into this field to begin with. I love them. They’re fascinating!
I like reading what comes out in the Mind & Brain section of Scientific American too. There’s always something interesting going on there.
I am an educator and PhD. I quilt, belly dance, run, read, and try to grow things. I am a Mormon. I am infertile. I am a daughter, sister, aunt, grand-daughter, friend, wife, and mom.
Brett L. Dennis
Mama g
Giggles
AmandaStretch
This sounds like such an awesome class! Even though we learned a bit about psychology and development in medical school, it wasn’t tremendously in depth. And already, there’s probably tons of new research… I would have learned a lot!
It is awesome! It’s kind of an introduction to everything we study in educational psychology, a crash course in the whole department. I can’t imagine how much stuff you must cover in medical school.