Hi all,
I wonder if lecturing on the first day sends the unintended message that
reading the book before lecture isn't really necessary.
Any thoughts on that?
I remember one professor I had who lectured on the first day, then
dismissed us at the end of class by letting us know that we were already
behind on the reading. I remember, however inaccurately, that I thought
"Wow... reading ~must~ be important in this class." I wonder what I
would have thought had he not given that parting remark.
(For me, the point is moot anymore. I used to give a brief lecture the
first day of class, but now, by the time I go over the key elements of
the syllabus and have the students introduce themselves -- and I usually
ask each student at least one question so that they can see that
interacting with me isn't that scary, time is up.)
Marc Turner wrote:
> Finally, after all of this is out of the way, I give a brief lecture that
> introduces why they need to have a methods course (generally an overview of
> why the scientific method is important and how it applies to psychology.)
> By this point students are starting to feel overwhelmed by the topic and
> the weekly assignments that are coming up. I've realized that if I keep
> them too long (the class meets for 2 hours each time) then most of them
> stop paying attention. I figure it's pointless to keep lecturing if none of
> them are paying attention...
--
Sue Frantz, Asst Prof of Psych [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Faculty Office Bldg, 2400 Scenic Drive Office: (505)439-3731
New Mexico State Univ. - Alamogordo Fax: (505)439-3802
Alamogordo, NM 88310 USA http://web.nmsu.edu/~sfrantz
