School name: Hamilton College

Type of college/university: Liberal Arts College (~1800 students)

School locale: small town – in the quaint village of Clinton, NY

Courses I teach: Introduction to Psychology, Child Development, Educational Psychology, Lifespan Development, Statistics for Psychology, Cognitive Development, specialty course called “Psychology, Children, Media, and Technology”, Collaborative Research, Senior Project

What’s the best advice about teaching you’ve ever received?

The best advice I’ve received is to just be myself when teaching, especially on the first day of class when you are establishing a rapport with a new batch of students. Talk openly and have a conversation. Make the students feel that you are talking with them and not just at them. On a similar thread, during the term, make the class your own – Intro Psychology a la Kara Sage. Even if great ideas can come from outside your own mind, always try to put your own unique spin on the topics to make your class memorable.

What book or article has shaped your work as a psychology teacher?

For teaching activities, I’ve consulted Favorite Activities for the Teaching of Psychology, edited by Ludy T. Benjamin, Jr. and published by APA. That book offered some creative ideas to increase the interactivity of Introductory Psychology in particular. I also recently read Alone Together: Why We Expect More from Technology and Less from Each Other by Sherry Turkle and had this as an assigned book for my class this past spring semester (Psychology, Children, Media, and Technology). The book was extremely timely and thought-provoking, focusing on how engrained technology is in our lives; it led to many interesting and reflective conversations with students. Lastly, an article by Sana, Weston, and Cepeda (2013) has influenced my classroom policies on technology use – Laptop multitasking hinders classroom learning for both users and nearby peers. It often surprises students to read and discuss how technology use in class might be distracting for not just themselves, if they are tempted to flip to that Facebook page for a moment, but also affects the learning of others around them. I’ve been trying out different course rules around technology use, and having students read this article at the start of the term led to a great understanding of why we might opt out of students utilizing technology in class, especially given the prevalence of media multitasking.

Tell us about your favorite lecture topic or course to teach.  

My favorite course to teach is "Psychology, Children, Media, and Technology" - a specialty course that encompasses aspects of many parts of psychology from developmental to social psychology, and most certainly the up-and-coming sub-discipline of media psychology. Discussing how pervasive technology is in our lives and the lives of Generation M (aka today's children) is such a relevant topic that fascinates both me and my students and also encourages skepticism since this a relatively new area of research. We spend most classes critically discussing recent research into such media and technologies as Facebook, virtual worlds, online gaming, television, and video games and the related effects on the person, from body image to self-esteem to friendships. There are a lot of anecdotes and thinking about how Generation M will grow up differently given that they are saturated with technology. There are also many discussions that borderline on the philosophical, such as if AI systems can ever be, or ever should be, considered human.

Describe a favorite in-class activity or assignment.

A favorite in-class activity for Introductory Psychology is one titled Be the Neurologist. To help students learn about the various brain parts and their functions, they receive a list of brain areas and what behavior might be awry should that area have a lesion – for instance, touch sensitivity would be off if there was damage to the somatosensory cortex. Students are paired off and take turns being the patient (selecting one lesion) and the neurologist (conducting behavioral tests until they have enough evidence to substantiate a diagnosis). There is a lot of fun and laughter along with learning that comes with this activity, as the patient role plays the appropriate behavior and thus might showcase deficits in walking, talking, etc.

What teaching and learning techniques work best for you?

Over the years, I have determined that different techniques work better for different classes and that flexibility given a particular semester’s students is key. For Introductory Psychology, I blend some lecturing with interactive activities and videos to bring the content to life. An important goal is to establish that psychology is a science. The audience is typically freshmen with a handful of sophomores. For a topical course like Child Development, generally with a blend of upperclassmen enrolled, there is more discussion and reading of empirical literature for us to discuss. It is also interesting to focus on parenting and what lessons I can impart in that regard. For these courses that focus on development and education, including Child Development and Educational Psychology, an important learning technique is to offer hands-on experience with children. I have my students volunteer hours at a local daycare or school so that they can see “development in action” and we can discuss how the concepts from the course translate. Lastly, for a specialty course in an emerging field, like my Psychology, Children, Media, and Technology course, I utilize a discussion-heavy format where most class sessions are us (~20 students and myself) sitting in a circle and critically thinking through what the material for the day has to offer on our topic and extending that material with anecdotes, examples, and reflections.

What’s your workspace like?

Surprisingly neat and tidy! I am a very organized person, and I extend that to my workspace. I feel that it makes me more productive with getting tasks, like grading and reading, completed in a timely fashion. When I’m there, there is most often a large receptacle of coffee on my desk as well and perhaps a rubber duck or two (which I give out as prizes to kids who come into my lab and sometimes even my students). My bulletin board has a blend of personal and academic postings – from pictures of my honeymoon to printed copies of my publications.

Three words that best describe your teaching style.

Energetic, passionate, collaborative

What is your teaching philosophy in 8 words or fewer?

Be yourself; Foster passion and critical/scientific thought

Tell us about a teaching disaster (or embarrassment) you’ve had.

I think the biggest disappointments come when I’ve put a lot of effort into developing a particular activity and it doesn’t seem to fly with a particular class, even if it worked well with other classes. I try out many interactive activities with my Introductory Psychology class in particular, and there is always at least one flop every semester that can be a bit of a downer. 

What is something your students would be surprised to learn about you?

My students might be surprised to learn that I am a Zumba fanatic and have a secret aspiration to be a certified Zumba instructor. A perfect activity for de-stressing and just having fun! 

What are you currently reading for pleasure?

Based on a student’s recommendation, I am currently reading Ready Player One by Ernest Cline. It presents one image of where technology could go in the future, and is an exciting and intriguing read.

What tech tool could you not live without?

YouTube! In all of my classes, video clips are used as examples to bring concepts to life – let’s see babies babbling or cognitive behavioral therapy in action. The videos can really lift words off the pages of the textbook to illustrate concepts well.

What’s your hallway chatter like? What do you talk to colleagues about most (whether or not it is related to teaching/school)?  

Students are very frequently in my office space and in my colleagues’ spaces, so there is much discussion about their busy schedules, lives in general, and whether or not they are going to challenge me to a game of Settlers of Catan. There are discussions of random teaching ideas that ensue between my colleagues and myself. With one of my colleagues in my office ‘pod’, we sometimes sit at a little table with some treats and chat about academic and non-academic topics when the day is particularly stressful for whatever reason – helps us both unwind!

School name: Delta College

Type of college/university: Community College

School locale: both rural and city locations

Classes I teach:

General Psychology (our version of Intro Psych) and Exploring Diversity in both traditional and online formats

What’s the best advice about teaching you’ve ever received?

The best advice I have received is to “set the tone” on the first day of class through both the class activities and the syllabus. The first day of class can often predict how the rest of the semester will turn out in terms of student engagement and participation as well as the level of respect students have for the instructor. It helps to be authentic.

What book or article has shaped your work as a psychology teacher?

Most recently, I have been impacted greatly by Stephen Brookfield’s book, The Skillful Teacher. As a result of the book (and meeting Dr. Brookfield in person--what a wonderful guy!), I use a Critical Incident Questionnaire (CIQ) at the end of every class. Students answer 3 questions that help inform what will happen the next class period. The information I gather from students enables me to better meet their needs both in an outside of the classroom and demonstrates to them that I care deeply about their learning and their overall experience in class.

Tell us about your favorite lecture topic or course to teach.  

My favorite lecture topic is Social Psychology as part of the General Psychology course. There are so many ways to demonstrate the social psychology concepts that make this topic one of my favorites. I enjoy getting to use activities and videos for social Psychology concepts that tend to get students “all fired up.” The best part about teaching this section is helping students become more aware of their own biases so that they might become more empathic toward others. I find that students become quite passionate and seem to want to take action toward reducing stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination.

Describe a favorite in-class activity or assignment.

One of my many favorite in-class activities demonstrates “shaping,” “superstitious behavior,” and other general operate conditioning concepts. I get 5 volunteers to serve as pigeons/rats. Then, groups of their classmates must train them to perform a somewhat complex task (e.g., “take off your left shoe”). The catch is that the trainers may only use the word “good” as positive reinforcement. This activity always evokes lots of laughter and silliness (especially when there are very creative pigeons), yet it enables me to demonstrate several concepts. It’s super fun!

What teaching and learning techniques work best for you?

Variety works the best for me. I know my students don’t like to be bored, and I certainly don’t enjoy hearing myself talk for 2-4 hours at time. My students are expected to explore the textbook prior to coming to class, and they sometimes have a quiz over information they have gathered from the text (via an “optional” Chapter Prep guide). There are 4 in-class tests and 3 critical thinking assignments (writing assignments.) I give students opportunities to learn from their mistakes, such as allowing re-writes of papers for additional credit. In-class time is an interaction (as much as possible. I don’t lecture at my students; I provide them with information and dialogue with them as we go. I also incorporate as much group-work and small group discussion as possible, and there is typically a smattering of mini-demonstrations, short videos, and practice activities. Students in my classes are provided with a large number and variation of opportunities for learning in my effort to reach students with diverse learning preferences and strengths.

What’s your workspace like?

My workspace is organized chaos. It is also currently cluttered with stacks of books, magazines/journals, and boxes of odd things such as handwarmers, mittens, and mints. I serve in various roles outside of teaching, and my workspace is really highlighting this at the moment!

Three words that best describe your teaching style.

Dynamic, interactive, fair

What is your teaching philosophy in 8 words or fewer?

Be authentic and responsive, holding the bar high.

Tell us about a teaching disaster (or embarrassment) you’ve had.

One of my most recent embarrassing moments (I have had many) involved my first attempt at a mini experiment during teaching research methods. A colleague gave me the idea to do a JellyBelly taste test where the tasters would be blinded and would taste the same jellybeans with their noses plugged then open. I was very excited about the countless concepts I might demonstrate through this exercise, as well as the chance to have some fun with my students. Long story short, I realized in the middle of the experiment that I didn’t have enough jellybeans for all 4 of my participants. The experiment was ruined, for the most part. But, we had some great discussion about all of the problems with my experiment!

What is something your students would be surprised to learn about you?

When I was an undergraduate, I would shake uncontrollably, turn red, and start to tear up when attempting to give presentations. It was nothing like the confidence I display in the classroom as a teacher.

What are you currently reading for pleasure?

I don’t have much time to “read” for pleasure. So, I listen to books in CD while commuting. I won’t mention what I listen to as it might diminish my respectability in certain circles. ;-)

What tech tool could you not live without?

Just the internet. I have gadgets (which, of course, give me greater access to the Internet), but I rely so heavily on the Internet for quick research and communication.

What’s your hallway chatter like? What do you talk to colleagues about most (whether or not it is related to teaching/school)?

It depends on who is in their office. I am in one office in a 4-person office nook. The other 3 offices are inhabited by some of my fantastic psychology colleagues. If “B” is in his office, we are likely chatting about teaching OR his love life. If “S” is in her office, we are likely chatting about kids or mommy blunders. If “D” is around, I stop in for personal or professional advice. 

School name: Columbia College

Type of college/university: Small, single-gender liberal arts school

School locale (e.g., small town, rural area, city, country/region: Columbia, SC.  It is a mid-sized capital city.

Classes you teach:  Statistics; Research Methods; Learning, Cognition, and Memory; Biological Psychology; Introduction to Psychology; Drugs, Behavior, and Society; Psychology Lab; Psychology in the Workforce; Research Seminar; Academic Writing (an APA format prep course).

What’s the best advice about teaching you’ve ever received?

A seasoned faculty colleague taught me that a true “crisis” in our business is rare.  Students can be prone to crisis mentality when there is a problem, and I sometimes remind them that it’s not like we’re in an ER saving a life with precious few minutes to spare.  Whether it is an IT problem, a missed homework or test, illness, or some other issue, there is nothing that can’t be handled calmly and efficiently.  The only exception I can think of is when a student is at risk for not graduating – that might constitute some urgency!

What book or article has shaped your work as a psychology teacher?

Tell us about your favorite lecture topic or course to teach. 

School name: University of the Cumberlands

Type of college/university: private liberal arts university

School locale: We are located in one of the poorest Congressional districts in the United States (southeastern Kentucky)

Classes I teach:

I teach Research Design and Statistics, Learning and Cognition, I/O Psychology, Sport Psychology, Freshman Orientation Seminar, Senior Seminar, and various online courses.

What’s the best advice about teaching you’ve ever received?

One of my teacher friends often reminds me that the good teachers are ones who can educate young minds without losing their own.

What book or article has shaped your work as a psychology teacher?

McKeachie’s Teaching Tips is a resource I still consult often.

Tell us about your favorite lecture topic or course to teach.  

Research Design and Statistics is my favorite course to teach. Many of my students refer to the course as “sadistics” when it begins. Often their fear is rooted in math anxiety. However, most of them beg for computation problems rather than conceptual problems as the course progresses. Moreover, most of them develop a much better understanding and appreciation of how numbers serve as tools to help address questions about human behavior. I see more cognitive growth in my Research Design and Statistics students than in any other course.

Describe a favorite in-class activity or assignment.

Although I have my “go to” activities and assignments that always go well, I do not have a favorite. In general, my activities and assignments are applied in nature. For example, rather than have students define change blindness I will ask them to give me an example of where they have seen change blindness in action this week. Moreover, I might ask students to do a change blindness “experiment” on their own, such as switch clothes in the middle of an event, report on how many people noticed the change, and give plausible reasons why the change was noticed or not.

What teaching and learning techniques work best for you?

Although it increases my grading load, I give students numerous opportunities to earn points during the semester. Students must provide some type of “deliverable” nearly every class period. By doing so I get a sense of which concepts need further explanation, students have ample opportunities to actively think about course material, and plenty of deliverables also minimizes situations where students beg for extra credit at the end of the semester.  

What’s your workspace like?

Because I have a heavy teaching load of face-to-face classes, online classes, and supervising independent research projects, keeping my workspace tidy often falls near the bottom of my priority list. I often quip that a cluttered office means a clear mind. Although I have never misplaced a student assignment or important document, I occasionally have trouble reading the notes I have written to myself. My handwriting skills seem to be decreasing with age.   

Three words that best describe your teaching style.

Repetition boosts learning!

What is your teaching philosophy in 8 words or fewer?

Learning is an active and constructive process.

Tell us about a teaching disaster (or embarrassment) you’ve had.

A prospective donor to the university recently sat in on one of my courses. I was lecturing the students on the importance of proofreading their written work because there had been numerous writing errors in recent assignments. Shortly after my lecture I gave a handout to the class. The donor wryly pointed out to me that my handout contained a typographical error. He was right!

What is something your students would be surprised to learn about you?

My wife and I lived inside of a funeral home for a year.

What are you currently reading for pleasure?

Most of my pleasure reading these days is in the domain of success. I am intrigued by the fact that my students with the most potential (academically or athletically) are not necessarily the ones who turn out to be most successful. I want to learn more about what characteristics ultimately lead to success in life so I can try to help instill these characteristics in my students and children. I am an avid sports fan and read a great deal about sports too.

What tech tool could you not live without?

I would not want to go back to academic life without course management systems such as Blackboard.

What’s your hallway chatter like? What do you talk to colleagues about most (whether or not it is related to teaching/school)?

The hallway chatter in my department often involves student stories. Some of them are humorous such as telling my colleagues about a student who called to notify me he could not come to class on a cold day because he did not have an ice scraper to remove the ice from his car windshield (true story!)  Others are more depressing such as looking for advice about how to motivate a student taking a class for the third time who is failing the course again.    

School name: Northern Arizona University, Extended campus

Classes I teach: child and adolescent development, developmental psychology, adult development, research methods, statistics, organizational psychology

What book or article has shaped your work as a psychology teacher?

When I was in graduate school I read McKeachie’s Teaching Tips (11^th edition).  It was a great read while starting out teaching. Also while I was in graduate school, I read Dempster (1993), Exposing our students to less should help them learn more, published in Phi Kappa.  I really tried to think about the less is more approach while feeling overwhelmed with what I had to teach students.  I also tried to connect ways to elaborate and it got me thinking more about the textbooks I choose (if I had the choice). 

Tell us about your favorite lecture topic or course to teach.
I really enjoy teaching developmental psychology courses, research methods, and statistics.  Recently, I have begun to teach more and more on-line (administrative request).  This has led me to shift a bit on my favorite lecture topics/courses.  In person, a few of my favorite topics are infant cognition (child and adolescent development), adolescent cognitive abilities (child and adolescent development), creating formulas in excel (statistics), and career and work (adult development and aging).

I have found it easier to transition the developmental courses online.  For online courses, I keep the same shell recipe for the different courses I teach (with some adjustments).  This semester I am teaching research methods online -- keeping the rigor of the face to face requirements (4 credit writing intensive course).  I am focusing the semester on a broad research topic with the class first participating in survey research (I have students fill out a questionnaire during week 1 that serves as data for this project, and then they do a literature review of the topic and write up the findings as their first research paper write up) and then we move to experimental designs on the same topic (group based projects that they can collect data online).  I am hoping that this becomes a favorite course.

Describe a favorite in-class activity or assignment.
Anything that brings information alive to students and where they are connecting to the learning material.  I keep telling them the best way to know you “know it” is to be able to explain it to someone else and come up with your own examples.  Any activity I can develop or find that does that is a favorite.  My favorite assignment for developmental psychology was a service learning project I did while at Dominican University.  Student worked in a low-income Kindergarten or first grade classroom.  I had bi-weekly assignments connected to their classroom time.  The main project was to develop fun, educational games.  Students worked in pairs to develop games and the class chose four to be implemented.  The class worked on creating the materials to play the games in the classroom and for the kids to take them home.  We then had a game day for the classes and the kids took the games home.  Students then wrote a final reflection paper.  It took me a couple of iterations before I felt like the project really connected well with students and course content.

What teaching and learning techniques work best for you? 

For online teaching, I use the exit ticket every week to check in on student learning (I also ask what they feel they learned really well).  For the exit ticket, students need to respond with an explanation or application of a concept covered that week along with a question they still have about the material.  Students look over each other's exit ticket posts and respond to peer posts.  The exit ticket is a weekly discussion board.  I follow up with a quick clip video of common topics students asked about in addition to responding to each student's posts.  

I also use rubrics for grading papers, projects, and discussion boards.  I try to use as many assignments with an applied approach.

What are three words that best describe your teaching style?

practical, authoritative, invested

What is your teaching philosophy in 8 words or fewer?

Emphasize science, make it applied, and come alive.

Tell us about a teaching disaster (or embarrassment) you’ve had.

Last summer, as an adjunct I submitted copies for the final exam for an evening summer course.  The copy center moved with renovations going on, and it closed before my class started.  I only came to campus once a week.  The copies were not in my box.  Luckily I had access to a printer and could print them all off, but it was a rush and stressful.  Come to find out, in my panic, I did not see that they were in the mail box below mine.  I still can’t comprehend how I missed them.  We started class five minutes late and I was just glad the class was almost over. 

What is something your students would be surprised to learn about you?

I like driving stick-shift--I really wish I did not trade in my old car for a minivan I run a destination half-marathon race at least once a year.  My husband is Canadian.  Things they already know--I am an identical twin and mother of three children.

What are you currently reading for pleasure? 

I just finished How Children Succeed by Paul Tough.  Before that I read Sarah’s Key by Tatiana de Rosnay. 

What tech tool could you not live without?

I really enjoy using Poll Everywhere and I use YouTube weekly to post class quick clips.  And, I just got a new desk mount that allows me to work standing or sitting (see picture!).

School name: Carroll University

Type of college/university: independent, co-educational comprehensive university grounded in the liberal arts tradition

School locale: Waukesha, WI

Classes I teach:

Introductory Psych; Statistics and Experimental Design; Psychological Testing and Assessment; Experimental Social Psychology; Research Seminar; Specialty Courses (Web 2.0 Learning Tools; Happiness; Why War?; SPSS; Web-based Surveying)

What’s the best advice about teaching you’ve ever received?

Be yourself. Don’t chase after “Best Practices.” Observe and reflect on what makes a teacher (in)effective at engendering learning, resilience, and love of learning. BUT DON’T try to be JUST like that master teacher.

What book or article has shaped your work as a psychology teacher?

Postman and Weingartners (1971) Teaching as a Subversive Activity and most recently, Gardner and Davis’ (2013) The App Generation.

Tell us about your favorite lecture topic or course to teach.  

Statistics and Experimental Design (PSY205). Here is what I tell my students at the start of this class: “Statistics is a way of thinking about things, and is a set of tools for answering questions. Using statistics on a regular basis is the best way to learn this language and to learn how to use statistical tools appropriately. Therefore, it’s very important that you attend labs, work on problems I assign you from the text, and actively participate in data collection exercises. To further help you understand uses of statistics I shall often share with you examples of applications of statistics from my own work of that of student and faculty researchers.”

Describe a favorite in-class activity or assignment.

Collecting meaning data, especially if related to a study recently published in a journal like Psychological Science or which can be used in conjunction with software such as Research Randomizer, SPSS, and Survey Monkey. This gives us data that we can refer to throughout the semester as we learn together.

What teaching and learning techniques work best for you?

In my Statistics class, I give no quizzes or homework per se. There are five regular exams (criterion-referenced) which focus on being able to perform correctly the appropriate data analyses by hand and by computer, to interpret computer output, and to be able to write a report that a motivated layperson would understand. Students also take a comprehensive final examination whose emphasis is on demonstrating mastery of knowing what data analysis to do--and why that particular data analysis is appropriate. I use for a regular text and my own materials. There is a weekly lab taught by me where they learn how to use SPSS. I also introduce some additional software (StarQuiz) which allows for computer assisted review.

What’s your workspace like?

Cluttered but the source of much creativity, computation, and collegial conviviality. I have a lab room adjoining my office where six student research assistants continually provide me support and intellectual stimulation. I sit at a desk which has a Dell desktop sitting next to a MacBook Pro and an iPad. They get along. I am surrounded by books and students. My classes are within walking distance of my office. I have an open-door policy and am rarely alone.  

Three words that best describe your teaching style.

Playful; Personalized; Patient

What is your teaching philosophy in 8 words or fewer?

Strive for consistent excellence; Listen; Reflect; Learn; Love

What is something your students would be surprised to learn about you?

Until I started college/university teaching, I suffered from a fear of public speaking.

What are you currently reading for pleasure?

The Golem and the Jinni: A Novel (P.S.)

What tech tool could you not live without?

I pride myself on NOT being dependent upon tech tools (but I’ve also been known to blog extensively about them).

What’s your hallway chatter like? What do you talk to colleagues about most (whether or not it is related to teaching/school)?

Alas, I am not known for my small talk--or for standing in the hall. Ars longa, vita brevis.

School name: Washington State University, home of the Cougars!

Type of college/university: R1, though my position is as instructional faculty.

School locale: Pullman, WA. Pullman is a small town in eastern Washington state. It’s surrounded by rolling wheat fields and gets plenty cold during the winters.

Classes you teach: My primary teaching responsibilities include our statistics course, an enjoyable course on pseudoscience, Psychology of Women, and Social Psychology.

What’s the best advice about teaching you’ve ever received?

Looking back on my entire teaching career, I can’t point to one piece of advice that I received that really helped me develop as a teacher. The piece of advice I gave my husband, who has recently become a professor himself, was to think first about the reputation he wants to have, and then teach according to this reputation. I would have loved to have that advice when I was starting out.

What book or article has shaped your work as a psychology teacher?

I’m not sure I can point to a single book or article that has shaped my teaching, but I am a devoted reader of every issue of the Teaching of Psychology. I’ve learned many interesting techniques, new strategies, and student issues that constantly push me to try new approaches in the classroom.

Tell us about your favorite lecture topic or course to teach.  

My favorite subject to teach is statistics. Statistics is a course that students mostly dread and is a course that can easily be taught in a way that perpetuates students’ dread. Every semester that I teach statistics, I challenge myself to make the course and material approachable and to teach it in a way that reaches the most students.

Describe a favorite in-class activity or assignment.

The in-class activity that I’m most proud of is titled Fantasy Football League: A z-Score Activity. It came about in a moment of panic, when my usual z-score activity failed and I had to quickly think of another activity to use in its place. The Fantasy Football League requires students to draft a fantasy football team consisting of one quarterback, one running back, one tight end, one wide receiver, and one kicker. Using the players’ fantasy football stats, which can be obtained from any sports-related website, students compute z-scores for each of their players and then compare their players’ performance to the other students’ players. By the way, the kicker is usually the best player on the team! I think it’s a fun and relatable way to introduce z-scores.

What teaching and learning techniques work best for you?

Because I’m constantly challenging myself to improve my teaching of statistics, I regularly modify my course. In the past, I’ve found that allowing open-book, open-note exams works well. Now that I’ve revised my course again to accommodate a much larger class (upwards of 160 students per semester!) I find that the old-school method of hand writing lecture notes to be amazingly effective. I find that it forces me to be precise in what I convey and how I convey it, and students appreciate it (probably because it slows me down).

What’s your workspace like?

I try to keep my office well organized and organize it frequently which I think is a carryover from my home life. At home I have a 2-year-old and nothing is ever fully clean or organized. At my office, I actually have control over how neat or messy it is, and I lean toward neatness.

Three words that best describe your teaching style

Approachable, Challenging but fair, Enthusiastic.

What is your teaching philosophy in 8 words or fewer?

Promote psychology as a science through approachable enthusiasm.

What is something your students would be surprised to learn about you?

I’m far more introverted than my students probably think I am and I’m fearful of public speaking. I had my students participate in an in-class activity where we correlated scores on the Big 5 introversion/extraversion scale with the number of times the students “flipped” a Necker cube. Because the class was small, I contributed my data to the data set. Once the students knew I was participating, a bet began among the students to guess my score on introversion/extraversion. The students all guess that I was far more extraverted than I actually am (my score nearly bottomed out on the scale)! My students were shocked!

What are you currently reading for pleasure?

I have three books on my bedside table, one called Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Wells, an American Academy of Pediatrics tome about child development through 5 years of age, and a How-To book on crocheting. The novel is my for-fun book, the child development book is so that I can read up on why my child is doing what he’s doing, and the crochet book is so that one day I can actually pursue a hobby!

What tech tool could you not live without?

Only one??? I can think of four: my iPad, my laptop, my wireless remote control, and a document camera.

What’s your hallway chatter like?  What do you talk to colleagues about most (whether or not it is related to teaching/school)?  

I’m probably a stick-in-the-mud when it comes to hallway chatter. In addition to being incredibly busy at work, I also have a busy home life with my 2-year-old son. So when I’m at work, I work and don’t socialize much. When I do chat with colleagues, it’s usually about teaching.

School name: 

Centenary College of New Jersey

Type of college/university: Small Liberal Arts College

School locale: Rural

Classes I teach:

Intro Psych, Intro to the Major, Stats, Methods, Tests & Measures, Social, Personality

What’s the best advice about teaching you’ve ever received?

This nugget: “Teach depth over breadth.” I heard it first from Wayne Weiten when I was a student in his Teaching of Psychology seminar at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. At the time, that advice made a lot of sense for us budding instructors who were hell-bent on covering as much material as we could in a 50 minute class session, and proving our competence. Now I take something different from it. There are very real limits to human attention and processing; we see this in our classrooms every day. So, it makes sense to dive deep with just a handful of themes during a class session. Differentiate formats of instruction, elaborate upon the themes, let students deeply connect with them, practice retrieving the information, and then assess students’ grasp both informally and formally. If anything, the textbook provides the breadth.

What book or article has shaped your work as a psychology teacher?

I was first introduced to McKeachie’s Teaching Tips back in Wayne’s seminar, and I still pick it from time to time when I need to be reenergized about being a professor.

Tell us about your favorite lecture topic or course to teach.  

My favorite courses, due to the content and importance within the curriculum, are Stats and Research Methods. But when taking my students' interests and motivations into consideration, it would have to be Social Psychology. In particular, one of my favorite topics to teach would have to be Sexual Strategies Theory. The topic and predictions from this framework always seem to elicit discussion--especially new empirical questions. I particularly enjoy integrating research components into courses, and so topics like this can get students thinking like scientists. Eventually some join the research enterprise...

Describe a favorite in-class activity or assignment.

My classes tend to be discussion-heavy, so I will often rely on activities such as minute papers, think-pair-shares, small group conversations, and then whole class discussion. I would say that I most enjoy bouncing around from small group to small group. That way I am able to gain some sense of how students are processing and relating to the information in real-time. I am also able to privately answer questions students would avoid asking in a whole class discussion. I can reinforce students’ insights and encourage them to share with everyone when we regroup and break into full discussion. For me, this type of interaction is simple to achieve in small to medium classrooms, and it accomplishes a number of immediate and longer term outcomes.

What teaching and learning techniques work best for you?

I have occasionally made use of a “flipped” or “inverted” classroom over the last few years. I first toyed with putting up notes, reading quizzes, websites, YouTube clips, or pre-class assignments on my course management system. Eventually I got the bug, and uploaded my amateur podcasts and cheesy video lessons. I have found that this approach allows students to revisit lessons whenever, and for as many times as they would need. More importantly, perhaps, “flipping” can set a more interactive environment into motion within the classroom. In theory, students will come to class prepared and the level of discussion can be raised to a level much higher than it would in a completely traditional “read the textbook, take reading notes, then come to lecture, listen to me profess, and take lecture notes” mode of operation.

What’s your workspace like?

I have been told my office resembles a T.G.I. Friday’s with all the sports and college memorabilia on my walls and bookshelves. My office chair is a balance ball, so that gets looks too. As much as I enjoy that space, I have found that I am happier and more productive if I hold my meetings and do less cognitively demanding work there. For some reason I tend to do my best writing and class preparation holed up in the back of a Starbucks.

Three words that best describe your teaching style.

Conversational, comedy, collaborative

What is your teaching philosophy in 8 words or fewer?

To be a firm--but fair--learning coach.

Tell us about a teaching disaster (or embarrassment) you’ve had.

I have not embarrassed myself lately, because I think I have reached the blissful state of not caring or “embracing the unexpected”… knock on wood. But back in my Master’s program, about 10 years ago, I was a guest lecturer delivering a Social lesson--attraction, mate selection, and the like--in a big auditorium. It seemed to be going well. The videos on PowerPoint were working, the dry erase pens in the classroom had ink. How rare is that? Students were respectful, attentive, interested (or at least well caffeinated), and even laughing at my jokes. I was feeling pretty good about things on all levels, in this, one of my first lessons at the university level. About 20 minutes in, my master teacher came up from the back row of the auditorium. I was shocked to see him on his way up to the stage. Was he bringing the hook to drag me off the stage? So, I asked him, “what’s up?” He whispered that I had a black streak on my face, completely across my forehead. I felt the blood immediately rush to my face. My cheeks became beet red, and then I playfully chastised the audience for not telling me I smeared dry erase ink across my forehead. I tried to recover, plowed on, and finished the guest lecture with no further hitches. This experience taught me two valuable lessons: 1.) use the back of your hand if you feel the need to touch your forehead while in the classroom, and more importantly 2.) you can recover from any teaching disaster with the right attitude.

What is something your students would be surprised to learn about you?

I was a washed-up college athlete and fraternity president before I found psychology.

What are you currently reading for pleasure?

Alternating between classic ToP articles on Introduction to the Psychology Major courses and Zachary Lazar’s Evening’s Empire: The Story of My Father’s Murder.

What tech tool could you not live without?

My iPad. I use it to help me put students’ faces to names, take attendance, and randomly select students to call on. Also, if I use slideware for a presentation, I prefer to control it and make annotations using my iPad.

What’s your hallway chatter like? What do you talk to colleagues about most (whether or not it is related to teaching/school)?

The second floor hallway in Bro Hall is rather lively, and as a new faculty member, I am particularly grateful for such a warm environment. During prime time many of us are riffing on events of the day, making light-hearted cracks about one another, or bemoaning the plight of the Mets, Giants, and/or Nets. It is also a hallway culture in which folks keep their doors open most of the time. This allows colleagues to pop in and consult about statistics, solicit teaching suggestions, and touch base with one another.

Background questions

I teach at Lindenwood University, a medium-size liberal arts university in St. Charles, MO, just outside of St. Louis.

My classes include Abnormal Psychology, Personality, Psychotherapy, Critical & Creative Thinking, and various occasional Special Topics courses in the area of psychopathology (to date, this has included courses on Depression, Personality Disorders, and “Madness”).

What's the best advice about teaching you've ever received?

I kind of backed into teaching, transitioning from 11 years of clinical practice to adjunct teaching, to full-time teaching. I don’t really recall any seminal advice I received about teaching, as I never had a formal mentor or guide who prepared me to be a teacher. Of course, once I started doing it I cultivated valuable relationships with more senior colleagues, but the advice they shared with me was mostly about small, day-to-day matters related to grading, managing the classroom, etc.

What feels like the strongest “shaping influence” was the model presented by my major professor in my own undergraduate days – Dale Noyd, a man who taught with great passion, humor, and incisiveness. I seek to emulate him each time I step into my own classroom.

What book or article has shaped your work as a psychology teacher?

If I had to pick one book that has shaped my work, it would be Jerome Frank’s Persuasion and Healing. It’s about psychotherapy, but also about so much more – what with its cross-cultural emphasis (before this was fashionable), its wide-ranging exploration of “healing traditions,” its relentlessly broad perspective, and its effort to cut across discordant theoretical schools in search of what unites them all.

Tell us about your favorite lecture topic or course to teach.

My favorite course to teach is ABNORMAL PSYCHOLOGY (and various special topic courses derived from it). In this course I relish the opportunity to capture students’ interest, stoke it further, and to challenge the unfortunately numerous misconceptions about this field that are widely held. I also like being able to extend beyond the “disorders” themselves and explore how they can serve as inroads to fascinating topics like: What is “normal”? How much influence does culture exert on people’s behaviors and perceptions? How do “mind” and “body” interact with each other? How does “different” get transformed into “undesired”? What challenging things happen at the intersection of science, marketing, and mass media?

What teaching and learning techniques work best for you? (quizzes? homework? take home exams?)

Concerning teaching/learning techniques, my favorite is unquestionably discussion. I like to engage students face-to-face, respond to them in individualized ways, and facilitate their engagement of each other. I get to know the students, their ways of thinking and their ways of expressing themselves. My favorite move in discussions is to relentlessly adopt a “devil’s advocate” position, prodding students to think more deeply as they seek to support or justify their perspective on the material under discussion. I always did this when I was a student, and it feels very natural to continue it in my role as instructor (which, of course, is simultaneously a role as student).

I recently took an online course, with online feedback given/received, and “discussions” conducted solely through the keyboard – and I pretty much hated it!

What's your workspace like?

I’m notorious for having music playing constantly in my office – it energizes me and helps me focus, especially when I’m doing routine or mundane things (for serious writing, the music goes off). It’s fun to perplex my students with my eclectic tastes – ranging from electric Chicago blues to bebop jazz to 1940s R&B to 1970s soul to modern hip-hop.

My walls (in my office as well as in my home) display numerous of my photographs – having them around me reminds me that I can be creative, and they make me feel centered and “at-home” with my creativity when I’m at work.

I make a point of arranging my office such that I can engage students with no desk between us. It might be a holdover from my days as a clinician. Most of my colleagues have a desk between them and students who come in to talk.

For grading and/or extended reading of books or papers, I have a second rolling chair that I position near my large windows; they afford me lots of natural light (I often turn the electric lights off in my office; I find dim environments soothing), and some fresh air when the weather allows it.

Three words that best describe your teaching style.

My teaching style is often described as PASSIONATE, HUMOROUS, and ENGAGING.

What is your teaching philosophy in 8 words or fewer?

My short, punchy teaching philosophy? Engage them, intrigue them, and strike a spark that blows their minds open. I realize that’s more than eight words, but it’s in keeping with the notion of broadening rather than confining!

Tell us about a teaching disaster (or embarrassment) you've had.

My teaching disaster happened this past semester. I distributed a multiple choice exam to my Abnormal Psychology class, and two-thirds of the way through the exam a conscientious student came up to tell me that her exam had the answer key printed on the back of the final page of questions. Soon thereafter, another student approached me to deliver the same quiet message. I then realized that every question packet probably had a copy of the answer key on the back of the last page. I quickly announced this to the class and asked them not to peek at the back of that page as they finished their exams. I told them this was an excellent opportunity to demonstrate their academic integrity. I later graded the exams, fully expecting that I’d have to re-administer it – but found that the grade distribution for the exam was similar to what I’d seen previously with this version of the exam, and there were no astonishingly-high scores. The next class period I apologized to the students for my error, confessed my embarrassment, and told them I was impressed that they apparently had behaved honestly. Several students then volunteered comments like “when I noticed there were answers on there, I just assumed it was some sort of psychological experiment you were doing on us …”. I do occasionally use dissimulation in small ways in my classes, so I guess this is understandable.  

What is something your students would be surprised to learn about you?

One thing my students would be surprised to learn about me is that I’m a published writer of satire, humor, and light verse, and that I’m taking coursework toward a MFA in Creative Writing.

What are you currently reading for pleasure?

I don’t really “read for pleasure,” unless reading academic books counts. I read a LOT in my job, and reading is often the last thing I want to spend leisure time on. Having said that, I am constantly reading new releases within my fields of interest, always looking for new and fresh material for classes, and new prospective texts for classes. I have one full shelf of recently-published books in my areas of interest that I’m slowly making my way through. 

What tech tool could you not live without?

At the risk of sounding like the old fogey I’ve apparently become, I’d cite e-mail as my indispensable “tech tool.” I LOVE e-mail as a method of communication with students (second only to face-to-face contact). I HATE talking on the phone, and I find that phone calls can be intrusive (whether making them or receiving them) – but I can respond to e-mails when the time is right for me, and so can recipients of my messages. I also like having an electronic paper trail of communications with students and administrators. Lastly, I am an e-mail pack-rat, archiving messages indefinitely. There have been probably a half-dozen occasions when I was able to retrieve some important bit of information by pulling up an old e-mail from last month or last year …