Teaching Psychology

JILLIAN GROSE-FIFER, PhD, is a cognitive neuroscientist and Associate Professor of Psychology at John Jay College of Criminal Justice and The Graduate Center, City University of New York (CUNY). PATRICIA J. BROOKS, PhD, is a developmental psychologist and Professor of Psychology at the College of Staten Island and The Graduate Center, City University of New York (CUNY). MAUREEN O'CONNOR, PhD, JD, is President of Palo Alto University (PAU), an institution dedicated to education and research in psychology and counseling.

About the Authors xi Foreword xiii About the Companion Website xvii Introduction 1 1 Why a StudentCentered Approach to Teaching? 5 1.1 A Paradigm Shift? 5 1.2 Setting the Stage for Transformative Learning 7 1.3 Knowing Your Students 7 1.3.1 Connecting Identity with Motivation for Learning 7 1.3.2 Teaching Digital Natives 8 1.3.3 Our Diverse Student Body 9 1.4 Supporting FirstGeneration College Students 12 1.5 Culturally Responsive Instruction 13 1.5.1 Fostering an Environment of Inclusivity 14 1.5.2 Fostering Positive Attitudes toward Learning 18 1.5.3 Enhancing Meaning for Students through Active Learning 19 1.6 Starting Off with a StudentCentered Philosophy 21 1.7 Summary 22 2 Designing a Course Based on Learning Objectives 23 2.1 Backward Course Design 23 2.2 Step 1: Developing Learning Goals and Objectives 24 2.3 Step 2: Developing Assessment Strategies 26 2.4 Step 3: Creating Meaningful Learning Experiences in the Classroom 31 2.4.1 PreClass Preparation and Using Readings 31 2.4.2 Selecting a Textbook 33 2.5 Universal Design 35 2.5.1 Should Instruction Be Tailored to Students Preferred Learning Styles? 37 2.6 Creating a Syllabus 38 2.7 Interim and PostCourse Reflection and Student Evaluation: How Is it Going? 42 2.8 Summary 44 2.A Syllabus Checklist 44 3 Effective Multimedia Instruction 45 3.1 Use (and Abuse) of PowerPoint (PPT) in Higher Education 45 3.1.1 Best Practices for Slideware and Other Multimedia Presentations in the Classroom 46 3.1.2 More Innovative Use of Slideware 48 3.2 Student Response Systems 49 3.2.1 Student Collaboration and SRSs 51 3.2.2 Scientific Literacy and SRSs 52 3.3 Use of Videos and Video Clips in Classes 52 3.3.1 Guidance on Using Potentially Distressing Video Materials 56 3.4 Information Literacy and the Effective Use of the Internet 57 3.4.1 Benefits of Wikipedia Editing Assignments 60 3.5 Other Multimedia Projects 62 3.5.1 StudentCreated Videos and Podcasts 63 3.5.2 Digital Stories 65 3.6 Summary 67 4 Advancing Critical Thinking through Active Learning 69 4.1 What is Critical Thinking? 69 4.2 Critical Thinking Instruction 71 4.2.1 ActivityBased Instruction 72 4.3 Oral Communication: Talking to Learn (and Learning to Talk) 73 4.3.1 Fostering Inclusive Discussion 73 4.3.2 Debates 76 4.3.3 RolePlaying 77 4.4 InClass Demonstrations and Simulations 80 4.5 Distinguishing Science from Pseudoscience in Psychology Classes 82 4.5.1 Developing Digital Literacy Skills 84 4.6 Developing Qualitative and Quantitative Reasoning Skills 85 4.6.1 Qualitative Reasoning 85 4.6.2 Quantitative Reasoning 87 4.6.3 ProblemBased Learning 89 4.7 Service Learning and CommunityBased Research 89 4.8 Challenges of Assessing Improvements in Critical Thinking 92 4.9 Summary 93 5 Group Work 95 5.1 Benefits of Group Work 95 5.1.1 Theoretical Underpinnings of Why SmallGroup Work Works 97 5.2 Effective Strategies for Participation 98 5.2.1 Setting the Scene for Group Work 98 5.2.2 Gearing Up for Formal Group Work 100 5.2.3 Structuring a Cooperative Learning Task 101 5.2.4 Group Composition 102 5.2.5 Helping Students Develop Collaborative, Leadership, and Planning Skills 103 5.3 How to Minimize Undesirable Group Behaviors 105 5.3.1 Social Loafing and FreeRiding 105 5.3.2 Supporting Involuntary FreeRiders 106 5.3.3 Lone Wolves 107 5.4 Cooperative Learning Structures 107 5.4.1 Learning Together and Alone 107 5.4.2 InterTeaching 107 5.4.3 ProblemBased Learning 108 5.4.4 TeamBased Learning 110 5.4.5 Jigsaw Classroom Design 112 5.5 Cooperative Learning Games 113 5.6 Summary 114 6 Learning to Write and Writing to Learn 115 6.1 The Value of Writing in Learning 115 6.2 Strategies for Teaching Reading and Writing 116 6.2.1 Strategies for Designing Introductory Psychology Writing Assignments 117 6.2.2 Nex