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Course Portfolio Syllabus
Narrative Isabelle
D. Cherney Cognitive Psychology is a course that fulfills one of the requirements of
psychology majors. It is typically populated by seniors who are about to
embark on their graduate career. This spring semester (2002) is the very
first time I am teaching this upper-level class which 28 students are
attending. Because cognitive psychology is one of the pillars of thought
and major paradigm in psychology and because it is a fundamental component
of other areas of psychology (e.g., clinical psychology, developmental
psychology, social psychology, behavioral neuroscience, etc.), but also
outside the discipline (e.g., philosophy, linguistics, medicine, etc), I
am particularly aware of the need to teach students higher order thinking
skills (as seen in my mean rating of 4.75 in the cluster representing
higher order and thinking skills on the Teaching Goals Inventory).
Moreover, the course content discusses many beneficial skills students
might want to utilize in their careers and lives. Cognitive psychology is
the study of “higher mental processes” and discusses topics such as
memory, language, thought, decision making, reasoning, etc. Because the
course content can be “dry” and difficult, I am not only focusing on
the applied nature of the field (which should make the content more
memorable and easier to understand) but also on the importance of sharing
one’s insights, thoughts, and learning moments with the rest of the
class. I would characterize this course as a journey, a voyage from the (dark)
valleys to the (bright) mountain peaks accompanied by a guide. Even though
the guide leads the pack, each mountaineer is attached by a cord to the
next person. It is together that climbers will reach the mountain peaks
and enjoy the view! My syllabus illustrates this metaphor in several ways.
First, it introduces the guide(s) and where she can be found. The course description introduces the student to this journey by setting
the stage. It explains what cognition is and how I intend to introduce the
material to the student. The goal is to expose the student to the
complexity of the field while briefly describing the content of the class.
It clearly states that I am attempting to impart an appreciation for the
scientific study of cognition through the exposure to theories, methods,
and results of experimental studies. The course objectives
represent the process of the course. The student is told that my goal is
to continue the process of training them to think and write like a
psychologist. As such, I delineate the objectives that I have for each
student. I would like them to gain an appreciation of the fundamental
nature of cognition, to develop an understanding of the research methods
used in the field and how to critically evaluate the content of this
research. I further want the students to be able to apply their existing
and newly acquired knowledge to their own cognitive processes. As
previously mentioned, I am attempting to tie in their old and new
knowledge to applied areas such as education, law, speech pathology,
parenting, clinical and counseling psychology, as well as social
relations. To achieve this, I am assuming that they have read the book
chapters before coming to class. To ascertain that they actually read the
chapters in advance, they have to complete a short quiz on the new chapter
using Blackboard. The quiz is only available on-line until the start of
class and cannot be taken at a later date. The philosophy of learning
clearly explains why I intend on doing certain things in the classroom.
For example, I am indicating that the students are responsible for their
own learning, but that I am available as a facilitator or guide by
providing them with the necessary resources, helping them manage their
experiences, providing them with frequent feedback, and encouraging them
to reflect on their own learning. These goals are part of the ongoing
challenging questions and discussions that we have in class. Also, I am
posting questions on the Blackboard “Discussion Board” that students
are asked to read and reflect upon. Part of their grade is reflected in
their participation. In this section, I am also listing the latest results
in cognitive research that pertain to student learning! Active learning
has been shown to be more effective than other types of learning.
Throughout the course, I am making the students aware through mini-class
experiments, demonstrations, how they can improve their study skills and
habits. They are also clearly stated in that paragraph. Under the class policies the
student can read the classroom rules and discipline that I expect of this
senior class. Each student knows exactly what is expected of him or her.
As mountain climbers demonstrate, if one person is not following the
rules, the whole group suffers and does not benefit from the journey. Not
only do I state what I expect of the students, I also mention what they
can expect from me. To reach the peak we have to work together. The students’ responsibilities
are also outlined in the syllabus. Again, it is important to me that they
learn taking an active role in their own development. To achieve this
goal, I have them take quizzes and/or prepare questions in advance of the
next chapter. This helps me know that they are ready to discuss the
material in class and share their ideas, views, and understanding.
Participation is highly encouraged in- and outside of class. I am not
lecturing much in class and when I do, I am merely illustrating some
concepts with demonstrations, activities, or real-world examples.
Participation also helps students internalize the information which leads
to an increased retention of the material. The attendance and participation
policy reflects my focus on cooperation and working together as a
group. If students are not attending classes, they are short-changing
themselves, but also their classmates. I am thus rewarding students who
regularly attend class and participate. The exam policy reflects the
goal I have for the students to think for themselves, to synthesize the
information, and to be able to incorporate, understand, and criticize the
material learned. There are 4 essay exams and the final is cumulative. I
feel strongly that the students should have internalized the main topics
from the course. If I have succeeded in my job as facilitator, the
students should be able to remember the material and be able to apply the
information to new situations. To help them along on this journey I have instituted assignments.
Students are asked to read short articles pertaining to some applied field
of cognition that is relevant to the chapter we are about to discuss in
class. These assignments are done via blackboard and are emailed to my
account. That is, they are responding to several questions regarding the
content of the article that are automatically forwarded to me. I read
their comments and suggestions and post some of the questions that they
have after their review on the discussion board. As mentioned at the beginning of the syllabus, I want the students to
think and write like psychologists. Thus, I assign a paper and presentation. The students can choose the topic that they
want to write about. As a guide, I am providing them with a list of over
30 potential suggestions. They can choose from that list or come up with
their own idea. To share their knowledge of the chosen topic with their
colleagues, I am asking them to present their paper toward the end of the
semester. Students should be able to communicate their thoughts and
research results with others, and thus the presentation should provide a
good means for this goal. During the presentations, the students will be
asked to pose questions to the presenter. The latter will be graded on the
originality of the presentation as well as the ability to communicate the
idea and answer questions. The paper is another example of the guiding principle. Students are
instructed to provide an outline which also includes a possible title, the
questions they wish to explore, items that might facilitate their writing
process, and items that might hinder their writing process. Before they
turn in the next item (the reference citations with a short summary of the
articles), they will receive feedback from me. Each subsequent piece of
the paper will be read by me and returned with feedback. Thus the student
learns the process of writing and the terminology (and APA style) used for
scientific papers. The grading policy lays out
how the students can earn the points that will earn them their final
grade. Academic
Honesty
outlines the academic rules governing this institution and the punishment
attached to failing to follow these rules. I am also including a page on plagiarism
that explains what plagiarism is, how it can be avoided and why it is
wrong. As senior students, they should be aware of the problems associated
with cheating, but I feel that it is important that the regulations are
clearly spelled out to avoid any misunderstanding. Finally, the tentative schedule
provides the students with the program of when we will achieve our journey
to the mountain peak.
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