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Psychology 852
Practicum on the Teaching of Psychology:
A Hands-On Experience Preparing to Teach Psychology
Summer, 2003 Call# 14407-1
Tuesday and Thursday, 9:30 a.m.- 11:48 a.m.
Main Classroom: Lazenby 34 Small Group Meetings: Denny Hall 262
Instructor:
Office:
Telephone:
Email:
Section
Teaching
Associates:
Office:
Telephone:
Email:
Robert Arkin
100 a/b Lazenby Hall
292-2726 (office)
arkin.2@osu.edu
Becca Grime
239B Townshend Hall
292-5114 (office)
485-9550 (home)
grime.4@osu.edu
Phil Mazzocco
105 Lazenby Hall
292-1714 (office)
485-0975 (home)
Mazzocco.6@osu.edu
Course Objectives
 To prepare lectures for the first one-half or more of the course you will be teaching in the fall.
 To gain experience and confidence presenting effective lectures
 To share teaching techniques in specific content areas
 To gain experience in and ideas for writing and grading quizzes and examinations
 To discuss course procedures
Course Format
To meet these objectives, class time will be divided between presentation of sample lectures
and discussion of specific course content and procedures.
Students enrolled in the course will spend one hour per week meeting with other first-time and
experienced instructors of the course they will be teaching in the Fall to discuss demonstration
ideas, typical student questions, and other course-specific information. Students who will be
teaching Psychology 100 will meet on Thursdays from 9:30 - 10:30 in Lazenby 34. Students
who will be teaching Psychology 367 will meet on Tuesdays from 9:30 - 10:30 in Lazenby 34.
The remainder of class time will be dedicated to lecture presentations. These presentations will
be delivered to both the entire class and to smaller groups. All students are expected to be
prepared to present on the days assigned or to make arrangements in advance to switch with a
classmate. It is expected that students will provide thoughtful feedback to their peers and will
attend all sessions relevant to their course.
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Assignments
1.
Lecture Preparation
 Students who will be teaching Psychology 100 will write complete lecture notes for the
following chapters: History, Methods, Nervous System, Sensation, Perception,
Motivation, Learning, Memory, and Human Intellect
2.
Lecture Presentations
 Mini-Lecture - Each student will present one 5 minute portion of a lecture and
receive feedback from the class. Lecture topics may come from any topic area
desired. Presentation dates will be assigned on the first day of class. These minilectures will be videotaped and students are expected to review their tapes (see
Assignment 3 below).
Objectives:
1. To practice fundamental presentation techniques
2. To receive feedback on voice, technology use, mannerisms, gestures, pace of
presentation, and other critical skills.
3. To think critically about and give constructive feedback on class presentations.

Small group presentations -- Each student will present one 12-minute lectures to
small groups of 6-7 classmates. Students are free to choose the topic of these
lectures from their course content. However, topics should be chosen to allow for the
meeting of all of the objectives below (e.g., at least one lecture should allow for the
inclusion of an activity or demonstration). Students who will be teaching Psychology
100 must use PowerPoint to deliver these lectures. Psychology 367 students are
strongly encouraged to.
Objectives:
1. To gain confidence in lecturing.
2. To gain a sense of how much information can be covered in approximately 12
minutes.
3. To practice responding to student questions.
4. To practice transitioning between different topics within a lecture.
5. To practice delivering at least one activity, such as a demonstration or class
discussion.
4. To think critically about and give constructive feedback on class presentations.

Large group presentations -- Each student will present one 15 - 20 minute lecture
to the entire class during the last few weeks of the quarter. Students who will be
teaching Psychology 100 must use PowerPoint to deliver this lecture. This lecture will
be videotaped, and students are expected to review their tapes (see Assignment 3
below).
Objectives:
1. Same as for the small group presentations
2. To gain confidence in presenting to larger groups of students
3. To see how far you've come!
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3.
Self-Evaluation Reaction Papers
After receiving feedback from the class or small group and reviewing the video of your
lecture, write a brief (no more than 1 page) reaction to each of your presentations. Focus
on strengths in addition to areas for improvement. Reactions to the mini-lecture might
include becoming aware of mannerisms or voice qualities of which you were previously
unaware, comments on pacing, etc. Reactions to the final presentation should include
reflections on your progress during the summer course. Look back at your reaction
paper for your mini-lecture. To what extent did you improve on weaknesses you noticed
in the first presentation? What strengths did you develop?
4.
Quiz on Procedures
To ensure that all students who will be teaching Psychology 100 are aware of and
understand important administrative procedures, there will a short quiz over these
procedures. These procedures are found in the Psychology 100 TA manual.
Evaluation
Feedback on and evaluation of assignments will be through: (1) written comments from
the instructors on the written assignments, and (2) verbal feedback from other students in
the course and the instructors on lecture presentations.
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Written lectures will be evaluated based on their completeness and accuracy.
Feedback will also be given on style, inclusion of active learning, examples, etc.
Lecture presentations will be evaluated using criteria consistent with the objectives of
each type of presentation. Mini-lectures will be primarily evaluated on issues of style
(e.g., voice, mannerisms) and preparation. The longer lectures will be evaluated on
transitions, use of technology, content, style, and preparation. They will also be
evaluated based on whether students have made an attempt to incorporate feedback
given for previous lectures. The course instructor and teaching associates will
compile a written summary of verbal class feedback to assist with lecture
development.
The self-evaluation reaction paper will be evaluated on thoughtfulness and completion
of the assignment.
Percentage allocations for each measure of performance:
Lecture notes (9-12)
Mini-lecture
Small group presentation
Large group presentation
Self-evaluation reaction papers (3)
Psychology 100 procedures Quiz
Test question development
25%
10%
15%
20%
20%
5% -- Psych 100 Only
5-10%
Students with disabilities that have been certified by the Office for Disabilities Services will be appropriately
accommodated, and should inform the instructor as soon as possible of their needs.