School name: Goucher College
Type of school: Small liberal arts college
School locale: Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Is your role mostly in-person, hybrid, online (synchronous or asynchronous)? In-person
How many years have you taught psychology? 20+ (nearly 18 at Goucher)
Classes you teach: Introduction to Psychology, Human Learning & Memory, Cognitive Psychology, Seminar in Cognition, Teaching, and Learning
Specialization (if applicable): Cognitive psychology (applied memory)
What size classes do you teach? 15-25
What is the best advice about teaching you’ve received? I don’t know if or when someone explicitly gave me this strategy as advice, but I find it incredibly helpful to get in the habit of taking a few minutes right after each class period to re-save my slideshow (or agenda or whatever I’m using to guide class) from that day with next year’s date, then add comments and reminders for myself of how I want to update things based on how the class went. This is a piece of concrete advice I give to any instructors who ask. We forget we forget, so don’t count on remembering to do something differently next semester (or a year(s) later) if you don’t write it down!
What is a book, article, research, or author/researcher that you would recommend that new teachers check out? Inclusive Teaching, co-authored by my grad school buddy (from UNC-Chapel Hill) Viji Sathy along with Kelly Hogan. It’s just an outstanding resource with both deep dives into why inclusive teaching is important and some really helpful practical advice, a lot of which anyone can start implementing tomorrow in class.
What do you know now about teaching that you wish you knew when you were starting? I still prepare as much as ever, but I wish I knew back then that the more I embraced flexibility and “the unknown” during class, the more fun and engaging the whole enterprise will be. Sometimes the best classes are when things deviate from my plan and end up in an unexpected place with new insights and deeper learning. Also to relax and be my authentic (nerdy) self in the classroom.
Briefly tell us about your favorite lecture topic or course to teach. My area of specialty is learning strategies and metacognition, so of course I love that (and I get to teach an entire seminar class about it, which is amazing!). Aside from this, one of my favorite topics is sleep. It’s fun to help students discover what actually happens during a third of their lives and how important it is to health, well-being, and memory.
Briefly describe a favorite assignment or in-class activity. In Human Learning & Memory, I assign a Procedural Memory Project in which students choose a complex motor skill to work on for three weeks, form a practice plan based on the learning strategies we discuss in class, and keep a log and performance graph documenting their progress. They submit two video logs (VLOGs), one at the start and one at the end of the project. These include discussion about the skill and how the project relates to class topics, along with a video documenting their current state. It’s neat to watch them learn to juggle, knit, shoot free throws, shuffle cards (etc.)! And they can try out strategies then reflect on how it all went and what they might do differently in the future. I especially like this project because it helps encourage a growth mindset – that we can all get better at all kinds of things with strategic practice and motivation.
What’s your dream course if you had the time and resources to teach it? A class on psychology in musical theater!
What are three words that best describe your teaching style? Enthusiastic, organized, collaborative
What is your teaching philosophy in 8 words or fewer? I care deeply about student learning and well-being.
What’s your workspace like? I’m an organized person. If you catch me at the start of the semester, my office reflects this, but by those final weeks, all bets are off, and it can get to be something of a disaster zone. It’s also full of books and family photos, and snacks for visitors!
What is something you are currently focused on improving or changing in your teaching? I’m always looking for ways to make class time more fun and engaging. Though it heightens my anxiety somewhat to change the routine way I’ve been teaching a given topic (sometimes for years!), I embrace the excitement of trying out a new demonstration or discussion topic.
What is something your students would be surprised to learn about you? They might be surprised to learn how long it still takes me to prepare for every class, and that I still experience some anxiety when entering the classroom, even after teaching for over two decades!
What are you currently reading for pleasure? Recently I’ve enjoyed Heart the Lover by Lily King, Buckeye by Patrick Ryan, and Wreck by Catherine Newman. Reading is my absolute favorite pastime!
What tech tool could you not live without? Todoist app and Outlook calendar!
