Dr. Allen Keniston on Demonstrating Phenomenon

There is no better way to appreciate the results of research than by participating in the process yourself: Dr. Allen Keniston, Department of Psychology, discusses how he replicates important psychological phenomenon in and with his own classroom:

I always try and find a way to demonstrate the phenomenon we are talking about. For example, if I want to claim that I can influence an individual’s behavior without the individual being aware that I have done so, I like to show the class that I can. This transforms the concept from an abstract idea that is discussed in a reading or lecture into a concrete reality for the students, something that actually happens in their life. You need to demonstrate the claim in order to keep students engaged and to promote understanding.

Interviewed by: Jon Pumper

Dr. Mary Beth Leibham on Academic Motivation

Education can often be competitive: the grading scale determines winners and losers (albeit the students themselves are often the ones to determine ‘winning’ vs. ‘losing’ grades), and class averages are often used to help students determine whether or not they were successful on a given assignment. While comparative statistics can serve as motivation for students to perform better, Dr. Mary Beth Leibham, Department of Psychology, states how she prefers to motivate students in a different way:

One thing I do that I think stands in contrast to a lot of students’ experience is that I do not reveal any information on distribution of grades. Some of the first questions I get when I hand back an exam or assignment are ‘what was the class average?’ or ‘what was the high/low score?’ Because of my motivational perspective, I don’t give students this comparative information. Some of the research on academic motivation and goal-orientation has determined that one of the factors that leads students to be more performance-oriented is comparative data. I’m trying to get them to focus more on themselves, on their individual learning process, and less on how they are doing compared to others.

Interviewed by: Jon Pumper

Dr. Allen Keniston on Student Interaction

The student-professor relationship is often a tricky one, an odd hybrid of professional and informal communication. Dr. Allen Keniston, Department of Psychology, shares his philosophy on interacting with students:

There are those who believe that warm human interaction between professors and students should be minimized, but I believe there is a level of congenial interaction that is important to successful teaching. For example, in a figurative and literal way shaking hands is ok. I don’t know if it works for everyone, but it does for me.  I like to introduce myself individually (if the classroom is small enough) to each of my students. I ask them the kind of questions you’d ask in any type of group setting in which you are getting to know each other; nothing too personal or too close, but enough to establish rapport.  This is my take on creating an atmosphere of friendliness, exchange, and collegiality. In a strict sense professors are not their student’s colleagues, but I like to, at the very least, encourage students to believe they have a stake in and capacity for influence in the class comparable to mine.  

Interviewed by: Jon Pumper

Teaching Tip: Dr. Mary Beth Leibham on Purposeful Assignments

Assignments are often viewed as the prearranged hoops to jump through in order to pass a class. The rare student may appreciate an assignment as a tool for learning and understanding, but the majority of students view them as tedious tasks that annoyingly inhibit them from more enjoyable activities. Dr. Mary Beth Leibham, Department of Psychology, shares how she explains the purpose behind her assignments:

I’ve found it really helpful when explaining the guidelines of an assignment to take the extra two minutes to explain the purpose it serves for the students. I don’t only tell them what they need to do, but also why the assignment will be helpful and why I’ve designed the assignment as such. It’s as simple as, ‘I’m giving you this assignment because I think it will help you do x and y, or increase your understanding of z’. I acknowledge to the students the fact that the assignment may not be the easiest and/or most thrilling for some of them, but remind them that I’m coming at it from a specific angle with a definite purpose in mind. I often ask the students for feedback after the assignment is completed to see if the students recognized the learning objective, and usually get very positive responses. 

Interviewed by: Jon Pumper