Wow, this is my final blog post for this class (Psychology 3850-NA) with Dr. Jesse Martin. I originally signed up for this class because I believed that it would help me learn how to properly research topics. Honestly, I was not disappointed. This class really helped me what to look for and what to avoid. I learned a lot about research, and even learned something new in each of the topics that I researched. When I first read the syllabus, and heard that it was a completely blog based class, I thought to myself “Oh my god, I am not going to do well in this class. I always procrastinate, and that will not be good for this class. Besides, what am I even going to write about? How am I supposed to know what to write about, and how to write it?”, among other thoughts. When our first blogs were graded, I was expecting a 60%, 65% at max; I received 80%. That really boosted my confidence in my abilities, especially because I messed up my blog post and wrote something completely off topic and had to fix it. Thankfully, Jesse gave me another night to fix my mistake.
I also suffer from anxiety and have a really difficult time speaking in front of people, and when I learned that I would have to present in front of groups, I panicked. I get shaky and stumble over my words when I speak, but this class helped me learn to (mostly) overcome my fear of public speaking; which is good, because I want to be a lawyer and speaking in front of large groups is a requirement. I am not going to lie, I avoided presenting my topic for a week or two. I could not bring myself to speak in front of them. Especially when I made the mistake of writing about the dreaded “LEARNING STYLES” (I’m still sorry!). People tore me apart in the comment section, and I’ll be honest, it was justified. It made me self-conscious, so I introduced the topic and let the other people who were at my table discuss the topic. However, for the last couple presentations, I built up the courage to talk in front of people. I learned that these people are nothing to fear and that I should not have to worry about them judging me. I made new friends throughout the course of this class.
I am happy to have gained new skills because of this class. I have been struggling a lot recently with mental illness, stress, work, extra curricular, and trying (and failing) to maintain good grades. I was always so stressed and constantly busy. I ended up being so scatter-brained and focused on too many things at once, that I forgot so many things that I had to do. I forgot that I had shifts sometimes, and would even be late for work, or miss shifts; it was bad. So, it was nice to go to this class and not have to worry about having to write down thirty (30) pages of notes three (3) hours every Wednesday evening. My favorite part of this class was not having to stress over taking exams. Again, with anxiety, I tend to panic and forget a lot of the material involved. I also had my take on exams reinforced; that being that they do not actually help determine how smart you are, but rather determine how well you can regurgitate information.
I want to thank everyone in this class for helping me learn to deal with my anxiety, even if it was just a little. And thank you all for teaching me some interesting topics. And thank you Dr. Jesse Martin for helping me realize that I am more than just numbers on a page. Even if I do not feel like I am going to go anywhere because of my low GPA, I can convince myself that I am better than how I am represented at this school. Unfortunately for me, most graduate schools require a higher GPA, so I guess that is something that I still must worry about. The difference is now I have more confidence in myself for the most part. So, thank you for not only teaching me valuable skills that will help me in my academic career, thank you for teaching me that I have worth in this world. I encourage anyone who is interested in taking this course to take it! It is an outstanding course!
Tag: Learning
Keeping Students Engaged
Have you ever just sat down and suddenly decided that you did not want to be there? Why is class so boring? I do not understand, and I think that teachers and professors should learn different ways to keep their students interested.
Why should students be interested in their class? Besides the obvious part where your lesson should probably be interesting to at least most of the students, students tend to learn better when they are interested in the subject. When students actually want to learn what is being taught, they will pay attention in class, and try harder on the work assigned, or when they study. In a study written by Tristan de Frondeville in 2009, he mentions a period during the lack of engagement and calls it the “Dead time”. The dead time interferes with a student’s learning, and is apparently “contagious”. The other students around look at the student who is not paying attention and start wondering why they should pay attention if others are not. “I have come to feel that dead time is so pernicious that I will do everything I can to prevent even the hint of an outbreak. If you strive for maximum learning for all your students, then allowing kids to be stuck in dead time feels like a small betrayal — to yourself and to them” (Frondeville, 2009). Active learning and active listening are two opposite components of the dead time. In their book, “Inspiring Active Learning”, Merrill Harmon and Melanie Toth describe four levels that represent the student’s motivation. The students that are on level four, the lowest level, the work avoiders, the students on level three, the halfhearted workers. The students on level two are the responsible students, and finally, on level one, are the fully active learners.
“Eliminating dead time starts with creating an arsenal of routines and activities. They can be general-purpose activities that apply to various subject areas or styles of teaching, or specific content-oriented activities that allow your students to learn by tapping into multiple intelligences beyond the usual listening and recalling” (Frondeville, 2009). Some of these activities include physical activities to help students release pent up energy that they would otherwise be unable to release before class, or other activities that involve private thinking, that helps with reflection.
In Frondeville’s article, he lists “Ten Rules of Engagement”
The first one includes a “Mind Warm Up”. This activity involves teams of three students that work together quietly. They will raise their hands when they believe that they have found all the mistakes that have been presented. The team that found the most mistakes then describes what they found and the other teams disagree politely if they believe that one of the mistakes is a mistake itself.
The second involves using movements to get students to focus. For primary grades, the teacher would use hand clapping patterns that accompany a chanted verse. For middle school, create a pattern of finger snapping and hand clapping. They repeat back to the teacher what was demonstrated to them. For high school, use stretching methods, including the cross stretching. This stretch involves raising a knee and lowering the opposite elbow to the knee.
The third method involves teaching kids to collaborate before they start to expect success. One way is to give teams of students a pair of scissors, two sheets of paper, ten paper clips, and a 10-inch piece of tape, and ask them to build the tallest free-standing tower in 20 minutes (Frondeville, 2009).
The fourth method is a quick-write activity. This activity involves students reflecting and writing on what they have learned from the class. This method is useful for getting students to focus in class, because they will expect to have to write down what they have learned, so they will be motivated to pay attention so that they will be able to complete the activity.
The fifth activity is running a tight ship when giving instructions to the students. “Whichever method you use, before you begin speaking, it is critical to require (1) total silence, (2) complete attention, and (3) all five eyeballs on you (two eyes on their face, two eyes on their knees, and the eyeball on their heart). I’ve done this approach with every class I’ve ever taught, and it makes a big difference. Knowledge Is Power Program (KIPP) middle schools include detailed SSLANT expectations: Smile, Sit up, Listen, Ask, Nod when you understand, and Track the speaker” (Froneville, 2009).
The sixth activity is called the “Fairness Cup”. This method involves the teacher putting the students’ names on popsicle sticks and putting them in a cup. The teacher then draws a popsicle stick and reads the name that is written on it. The student’s name that is drawn is then supposed to read, speak, or answer a question. This forces the students to always be on edge, because they do not want to embarrass themselves in front of the entire class. Especially vicious middle school students.
The seventh method involves hand signaling to answer questions. “To convey the number of answers, students can use sign language, such as holding a hand to the chest (so their hands aren’t visible to their neighbors) and displaying one or more fingers to represent how many answers they have. This technique precludes students from bragging about how many ideas they thought of or how quickly they are ready. You can then call on volunteers who want to share their answers with the rest of the class” (Frondeville, 2009).
The eighth method is to provide minimal supervision from regular routines with the students. This is to remove as much dead time as possible. “Tasks that require minimal supervision add purposeful activity during moments that might normally revert to dead time. They come in handy when passing out papers, working with a small group of students, handling an unforeseen interruption, addressing students who didn’t do their homework, or providing work to those who have finished an assignment before others” (Frondeville, 2009).
The ninth method involves the teacher switching up teaching styles. This can be done by introducing a presentation and asking the students to pair up. The students will then give prior knowledge on the subject of the presentation, and then they will come up with four questions that they want to learn during the presentation. The teacher should make quick, frequent rounds to ensure that students are staying on track.
The tenth, and final method involves creating teamwork tactics that boost accountability. For example, the “ask three before me” rule forces students to seek out other students to gain responses to their questions, or requests. “To reinforce this rule, when a student on a team wants to ask you a question, you, the teacher, always ask another person on the team whether she knows what the question is. If she doesn’t, politely walk away, and the team will quickly understand what you expect” (Frondeville, 2009).
References:
Frondeville, T. (2009). How to Keep Kids Engaged in Class. Edutopia. Retrieved 21 November 2017, from https://www.edutopia.org/classroom-student-participation-tips
Gaming for Knowledge
Imagine if Mario could teach you what you needed to know for your class. “It’s-a me! A-Mario! This is how you calculate a-quadratics!”. Wouldn’t that be amazing? Well, Mario can’t particularly teach us quadratics, but we could use other games to teach students; even if you modify the rules a little, or even the game itself a little. It would certainly make school a lot more interesting. I remember back in high school they would use games to help teach us. My Social Studies teacher even made us play Risk to help teach us. Not only did I learn that I can come back from two people and win the game, making people hate me, but I also learned about the topic. Many students play games anyways and waste time, or to de-stress, or whatever the reason may be. So, why not incorporate those skills and hours devoted to gaming into the classroom?
Games can interest students and ultimately help them focus on the lesson.
“Making learning fun motivates students and helps them pay attention and stay focused on the subject
- One reason to promote educational games is to encourage students to learn outside of class. Young adults will go out of their way to play games, even a single game, for hours on end
- There is also evidence that games allow students to focus well enough to learn better. Lepper and Cordova, 1992 have found that rewriting a lesson with a story context combined with a challenge for the student to overcome (in other words, making it into a game) significantly improves the learning performance of children” (Carlton, 2016)
Students would be more motivated to actually learn outside of the classroom if games were involved, because it has added an aspect to their life that they enjoy. Plus the method is different than what they are used to, and strays away from the boring old “sit down, shut up, and take notes” aspect of the classroom. And not only will it encourage students to learn, it can also help them to remember topics easier. People who can associate a lesson to either real life, or an interesting topic can help themselves remember a lot better. For me, it would be turning things into song, or yes, playing games.
Students who play games in class can interact with the material without any major consequences (as long as the game isn’t too intense). When a student messes up, they can be told it was just a mistake, and that they can try again. It may be frustrating, but the positive reassurance helps the student calm down and learn from their mistake.
“One reason that games (outside of gambling) are such a great escape from the real world is that bad consequences are rarely serious or lasting
- ‘Its only a game’
- If you lose, start the game over and try again.
- Often, it’s possible to recover within a game, and to use what you have learned to successfully complete a task.
- Characters and pieces may die, but this is rarely permanent.
- There are no consequences for the player personally” (Carlton, 2016)
Another way to look at it is:
We learn about what to do in Physical Education classes by participating in the games. We learn by doing, and then we take the tests to see what we have learned. So, why can we not do that for other classes? Understanding that certain classes or topics can’t particularly incorporate games into their lectures, but I believe that if it can be added, then it should definitely be given a shot. For example, reenacting the French Revolution and guillotining people in the classroom as a game probably will not go over very well. However, as an example from my Japanese class back in high school, we got into groups and had to form the Kanji characters and the other groups had to guess what the Kanji was, and what its meaning was. Surprisingly (because human Kanji can look weird), it really helped us learn what we needed to know. Even difficult ones to form, like 語 (GO- meaning: language) with four people, but we managed.
So, if games can be incorporated into the classroom, teachers and professors should definitely try their best so that students can have a chance to enjoy the lesson and actually look forward to going to class. Grades could potentially go up with methods that interest the student and actually help them learn
References:
Why Use Games to Teach?. (2017). Games. Retrieved 7 November 2017, from https://serc.carleton.edu/introgeo/games/whygames.html
Sleeping in Class
*PASSIVE AGGRESSION WARNING*
Have you ever fallen asleep in class? Or have you ever stayed up all night to finish an assignment; but more realistically you stayed up all night to finish watching that current season of your show on Netflix. Do not lie to me, I know. Well, besides sleeping in class and staying up all night watching Netflix, why is being tired bad for your education?
I will be using a journal article by Shelley D. Hershner and Ronald D Hershner, titled “Causes and consequences of sleepiness among college students”. When you mess up your sleep schedule, you mess up your circadian rhythm. What is your circadian rhythm? Well, the circadian rhythm is the body’s natural “clock” that tells you when to sleep and when to wake up, when to eat. Essentially, the circadian rhythm is responsible for regulating many physiological responses. The circadian rhythm can be affected by a number of things. Sunlight and temperature are a couple of environmental causes that can change your circadian rhythm. “Many college students are sleep deprived because they go to sleep late and wake up for classes or employment before adequate sleep is obtained. Two primary processes govern how much sleep is obtained, the homeostatic sleep drive and the circadian rhythm” (Chervin and Hershner, 2014). College students are at a high risk for this due to the amount of homework and studying they are assigned (Like having to research and type up three to four blogs per week, among other assignments and exams). The poor college students are assigned so much homework that they are too stressed to start it, and when they start it they are working all night long. This throws off their sleep schedule and in turn causes them to be tired in class (If they even wake up to go to class).
There are two theories that contribute to the relationship between sleep and memory processing; the Dual Process Theory, and the Sequential Processing Theory. The first theory mentioned in the article is called the “Dual Process Theory”. “The dual process theory maintains that certain types of memory are dependent on specific sleep states, such that procedural memory (knowing how) may be dependent on REM (rapid eye movement) sleep and declarative memory (knowing what) on NREM (non-REM) sleep” (Chervin and Hershner, 2014). REM sleep occurs about 90 minutes after you fall asleep, and its duration is about 10 minutes. REM sleep is truly important to complete fully. If REM sleep is interrupted it can cause feelings of depression, fatigue, and confusion. This can affect how a student learns, because they might not be able to fully understand what is being taught in class that day. And if it persists, then the student will eventually start falling behind and not be able to make connections between topics that intertwine with each other. The second theory that is mentioned in the article is the “Sequential Processing Theory”. “The sequential processing theory suggests that memories require an orderly succession of sleep stages, ie, memory formation may be prompted by slow-wave sleep and consolidated by REM sleep” (Chervin and Hershner, 2014).
Students often end up having to rely on substances to help them sleep, and substances that help them stay awake. Substances that students use to help them fall asleep are typically melatonin in pill form (melatonin: natural hormone that the body secretes to help aid sleep), or marijuana, or even alcohol. Prolonged use of these substances throws off the body’s homeostatic state, and eventually depend on these substances to help fall asleep. Substances that people use to help stay awake are usually caffeine, and (a small percentage) even use hard drugs such as cocaine. The effects of prolonged use of these substances creates the same effect, and the body starts to rely on them to stay awake. A negative factor for sleep is the use of technology while laying in your bed. The technology use creates a connection of alertness to the bed, and eventually causes you to encounter troubles sleeping. A good way to avoid this would be to not use technology in the bed before sleeping.
“A student’s GPA is not just an indication of learning, but instead involves a complex interaction between the student and their environment. Intelligence, motivation, work ethic, personality, socioeconomic status, health problems, current and past school systems, course load, academic program, and test-taking abilities all may influence GPA” (Chevrin and Hershner, 2014). While GPA is not directly connected to learning, it is connected to how you can regurgitate information and apply it to the assignment or exam for your classes. Being tired will drive down your ability to learn and remember information, resulting in lower performance in class; ultimately driving down your GPA.
References:
Hershner, S. Chevrin, D. (2014). Causes and consequences of sleepiness among college students
Dr. Mercola. (2014). Study: Interrupted Sleep May Be as Harmful as No Sleep at All
Alcohol and Learning
Have you ever wanted to come to class drunk so you can actually make it through the class? That class that is just so damn boring that you need that extra little “something” so you don’t go crazy? Yeah.. me uhhh… me neither. Well, coming to class drunk is most likely a terrible idea; if that was not already obvious. So, other than coming to class drunk, how does alcohol negatively effect your learning when drinking outside of class?
Starting off in high school, where many students start to drink; for whatever reason they decide to. Well, as a matter of fact, this is quite the bad idea (again, obviously). But why? A study conducted in 1993 by both Wolaver (2002) and William et al (2003) estimated the impact of drinking captured by the study hours and their GPA. “Both studies found that drinking had a direct negative effect on GPA and an indirect negative effect through reduced study hours” (Balsa, 2011). Alcohol inhibits your motivation and raises your distractibility. These two together are a bad combination for studying, as you begin to study less and less with the more you drink, allowing for higher levels of distractibility. Performance starts to go down and then the student’s grades start to suffer. Another study by DeSimone and Wolaver (2005) used a standard regression analysis to determine the connection between a person’s drinking habits and their GPA. “Their results showed that the GPAs of binge drinkers were 0.4 points lower on average for both males and females” (Balsa, 2011). DeSimone and Wolaver also found that the effect of alcohol and GPA peaked in students in the ninth grade.; the number declined thereafter. Drinking affected the students’ GPA more so by reducing the likelihood of high grades, rather than the likelihood of low grades.
Health is another big factor that comes into play with the effects of alcohol and learning. Alcohol deteriorates a person’s health, especially with long term hard drinking. Add Health, a nationally represented study that catalogues health related behaviors of children between the grades of 7 through 12, and their associated outcomes in young adulthood. The initial in-school survey was given out to 90, 118 students attending 175 different schools during 1994 and 1995. “From the initial in-school sample, 20,745 students (and their parents) were administered an additional in-home interview in 1994–1995 and were re-interviewed one year later. In 2001–2002, Add Health respondents (aged 18 to 26) were re-interviewed in a third wave to investigate the influence of health-related behaviors during adolescence on individuals when they are young adults” (Balsa 2011). In short, the study showed the connection between alcohol, health, and GPA. When a student’s health starts to go down, the likelihood of that student attending school (for however long they are sick for) is low. Especially younger students, slackers, or depressed students who just want to get away. These students tend to find any excuse for why they “can’t” go to school. Hopefully it is not because they are hungover. That would certainly not be good.
So, why do people continue to drink so much when they know that it can negatively affect their learning? Sobernation, a site that is dedicated to knowledge about the effects of alcohol states the 7 common reasons why people drink; stress, peer pressure, fun, inhibitions, curiosity, preference, and accessibility. Stress is a major factor to why some people drink. “The alcohol numbs them to the various stressors in their life, such as work, school, relationships, money, etc” (Stoddart, 2013). Ironically, when people drink too much, they tend to make the problems that they are stressing over so much worse. This is because alcohol is a depressant and allows for emotions to be amplified. Even worse, there is a likely chance that the person could develop other problems, such as alcoholism.
References:
Balsa, A. (2011). The effects of alcohol use on academic achievement in high school. National Institutes Of Health.
Stoddart, T. (2017). Seven Common Reasons why People Drink | Sober Nation. Sober Nation. Retrieved 17 October 2017, from https://sobernation.com/seven-common-reasons-why-people-drink-alcohol/
Note Taking in Class
Have you ever been in class and then realize that you forgot your notebook at home? Class starts and then you say to yourself, “Oh well, I can remember this”. You realize that you are horribly wrong, and you forget everything. Some people never take notes, and then they usually forget most of the material. Well, that is why note taking is important. You will be able to remember the material better if you repeat what is said, or shown. As well as, when studying you can review the notes that you have taken.
“Learning how to take better study notes in class helps improve recall and understanding of what you are learning because it:
- Ensures you are actively listening to what the teacher is saying
- Requires you to think about what you are writing
- Helps you make connections between topics
- Serves as quality review material for after class” (“How To Take Study Notes: 5 Effective Note Taking Methods”, 2017)
There are methods to note taking that are better than others, however. For example, studies have shown that taking notes by writing them down was superior to just typing them up on a computer. Writing them down requires you to go over them several times in your head so you do not forget/ can help yourself to better remember them. The notes, however need to be able to be read by you. And they should be structured properly, so your notes are not everywhere and not in order. “If your in-class notes are messy, unorganized, and unclear at first glance, you’re not going to get much use out of them. This has nothing to do with how neat your handwriting is — it’s all about how your notes are structured.”(“How To Take Study Notes: 5 Effective Note Taking Methods”, 2017). Imagine you are reading a toddler’s handwriting and it being illegible; then you find out you are actually reading some of your old notes from previous classes. Those notes were most likely useless as they were illegible and therefore, you could not study.
According to the Oxford Learning website, there are 5 note taking methods (or 5 common methods). The Cornell Method, The Mapping Method, The Outlining Method, The Charting Method, and The Sentence Method. The website lists the advantages, what it each one looks like, and how to use them.
The Cornell Method
“The Cornell note taking method helps organize class notes into easily digestible summaries. This method is effective because the main points, details, study cues, and summary are all written in one place” (“How To Take Study Notes: 5 Effective Note Taking Methods”, 2017)
Advantages:
- Notes are neatly organized, summarized, and easy to review
- Allows you to pull out major ideas and concepts
What it Looks Like
The paper is divided into 3 sections: a 2.5” margin to the left, a 2” summary section on the bottom, and a main 6” in-class note section.
- Use the main notes section to take notes during class.
- Use the cues section to review your notes. After class, write down things you’ll need to remember and a prompt for each. You can also use this section for vocabulary words and study questions.
- In the summary segment at the bottom, write a summary of your notes. This is where you will highlight the main points.
References:
How To Take Study Notes: 5 Effective Note Taking Methods. (2017). Oxford Learning. Retrieved 10 October 2017, from https://www.oxfordlearning.com/5-effective-note-taking-methods/
Learning With the Demon
The lingering demon, the unbearable weight that moves with you wherever you go. The demon that enjoys trying to ruin your fun, your happiness, and your life in general. The demon that one day might try to take you to the grave. No, not Satan, not Beelzebub. I wish it was one of them. I’m talking about the demon known as depression; the harbinger of dread. Depression lingers with you and affects how you go about your life. It does not discriminate between people, nor does it care what you are doing. If you are trying to learn, depression will be there and it will try its best to hinder your learning. Statistics Canada claims that, as of 2012, 5.4% of Canadian citizens aged 15 and older have been diagnosed with mood disorders. 4.7% of that statistic being Major Depression. With the population in 2012 being 34.75 million, the total amount for people with major mood disorders, including major depression, according to the statistic would be approximately 1,876,500 people all across Canada aged 15 and up. That’s an astounding number of people who have these disorders.
So, what is depression, and how is it different from being sad? Well, the definition of depression, according to the dictionary, is “feelings of severe despondency and dejection”. Feelings of dread that can come out of nowhere, stick with you for a long time, and are just kind of always with you. They do not have to be caused by anything and can appear at any point in time. “Depression is a mental health illness that can arise from a number of genetic, biological and environmental factors” (Bipolar Disorder Centers, 2017). Sadness, however, is usually short lasting feeling of unhappiness or sorrow. It doesn’t just come out of nowhere, but is caused by some action, news, etc. Depression makes you hate the world, makes you feel hopeless, makes you feel like you are worthless and cannot do anything right. So, how does it affect learning?
Depression can impair a person’s cognitive functions, and interfere with their thought processes. It also affects a person’s ability to make decisions and hinder their concentration levels. According to the Bipolar Disorder Centers’ website, depression also causes people to have frequent problems with memory, including remembering details or events. Students in the classroom struggle with attempting to remember material that is required to pass and, as a result, can end up falling behind, or failing. Depression also contributes to learning problems with the following symptoms (according to the Bipolar Disorder Centers):
- Mood swings and emotional irregularities
- Low self-esteem causing feelings of worthlessness, hopelessness and self-hatred
- Feeling irritable, agitated or anxious
- Not finding pleasure, ultimately causing the individual to become disinterested in activities, work and other performance-based behaviors
- Significant sleep disturbances (insomnia or hypersomnia) that affect the individual’s physical and psychological health
When dealing with these problems, a student may very well start to care less, and could ultimately give up, or even drop out.
There are many ways to treat depression, whether it is psychotherapy, pharmaceutical drugs (Such as Escitalopram, Venlafaxine, among others), etc. Help lines are also available, especially for those who are at severe risk for suicide. Students who suffer from depression and are having it affect their learning should speak to a counsellor or someone that they trust they can talk to. Having someone to talk to can help alleviate some of the symptoms of depression, and sometimes even boost their mood and help them focus a little more.
References:
Canada, P. (2017). What is Depression? – Canada.ca. Canada.ca. Retrieved 2 October 2017, from https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/chronic-diseases/mental-illness/what-depression.html
How Depression Affects Learning | Bipolar Disorder Centers (2017). Bipolar Disorder Centers. Retrieved 2 October 2017, from http://www.bipolardisorderscenters.com/how-depression-affects-learning/
Psychology of Learning 