Message from the President, Ken Weaver
• Jill Reich, APA Executive Director
of Education and CTUP member, convened at last August’s convention in Toronto a
meeting of the leaders of organizations interested in teaching including CTUP,
Division 2, Division 15 (Educational Psychology), Teachers of Psychology in
Secondary Schools, the Council of Undergraduate Psychology Programs, and the
Community College Working Group. Out of that initial meeting has grown the APA
Roundtable on Teaching and Learning with representatives from these
organizations plus Division 20 (Adult Development and Aging) and an at-large
member.
The Roundtable has met several times since
then via monthly conference calls. Its work was featured in an article on page
46 of the February issue of the APA Monitor with future Monitor
articles highlighting issues which we encounter in our classrooms whether at the
secondary, undergraduate, or graduate levels. Topics will include preparation
and training of future psychology faculty, content standards for high school
psychology, application of technology in education, and outcomes-based
assessment. If you are an APA member, check the Monitor for articles on
these important issues affecting our teaching and student learning.
• The Long-Range Planning Committee will begin examining the
preliminary survey results shortly and then presenting recommendations to the
Executive Board at August’s annual business meeting, when Mary Allen will assume
the CTUP Presidency. By the way, all members are invited to the CTUP Business
meeting which is scheduled from 3:00 to 4:00 pm on Saturday, August 16, during
the APA convention. Look at the convention program for the location.
So far, 231 surveys of the approximately 1200 delivered have
been returned. In addition, approximately 250 were bad addresses, deceased
members, or members appearing twice in the mailing list. The committee wants to
maximize the return rate so to this end, a copy of the survey is included in
this issue of Significant Difference on pages 2 and 3. For those of
you who have not yet returned your survey, please complete and return it to me
by May 1 and help the committee with its deliberations.
• CTUP programming at this spring’s regional conventions is
again outstanding (see pp. 5-7). Many excellent sessions await attendees. Thank
you, regional coordinators, for your creative, diligent efforts.
• Your local high school psychology teacher probably does not
possess a set of transparencies to teach the introductory course. If you have a
spare set in your department (even an old one), take it to your local high
school psychology teacher.
Long-Range Planning Committee’s
Survey
If you have not yet completed and returned the survey, please
return the completed survey by May 1 to Ken Weaver, Department of Psychology,
Emporia State University, Emporia, KS 66801-5087. Thank you.
Please
provide this demographic information:
1. Gender:
2. Age:
3. Approximate number of years membership in CTUP:
4. Current teaching position:
___ high school
___
community college
___ four-year college or university
___ other, please
specify:
___ retired
5. Involvement in CTUP activities (check
all that apply):
___ have attended CTUP events at a regional
convention
___ have read the CTUP newsletter
___ have attended
CTUP-sponsored events at a national convention
___ have been on the program
at a CTUP-sponsored event
___ have organized or led a CTUP-sponsored
event
___ have been a CTUP officer
6. Other professional organizations
to which you belong:
___ APA
___ APS
___ CUPP
___ Division
Two
___ regional psychology association (EPA, WPA, etc.)
___
TOPSS
Please respond to the following statements using this scale:
1 = Strongly Disagree, 2 = Disagree, 3 = Uncertain, 4 = Agree, 5 = Strongly
Agree
1. I am satisfied with CTUP-sponsored events at my regional
convention.
2. CTUP should focus its efforts only on programs for
regional conventions.
3. CTUP should expand its efforts beyond
programs for regional conventions.
4. CTUP should handle newsletter
mailing costs by
a. canceling the newsletter.
b. moving to
electronic newsletter distribution.
c. charging an annual subscription
fee to cover mailing costs.
d. only distributing newsletters at
regional conventions.
e. other. Please describe:
5.
CTUP should become more involved in state programs for psychology teachers.
6. CTUP should become more involved in national programs for
psychology teachers.
7. CTUP should increase its outreach to high
school and community college psychology instructors.
8. CTUP should be
involved in
a. sponsoring state-wide teaching
conferences.
b. sponsoring national teaching conferences.
c.
developing an expanded web site with information for psychology
teachers.
d. expanding the content of our newsletter.
e.
publishing a teaching-related, peer-reviewed journal.
f. moderating a
listserv (Internet discussion list) on teaching issues.
g. organizing
formal mentoring programs for psychology faculty.
h. conducting
national surveys on teaching-related issues.
9. Using item numbers 5, 6,
and 7, and letters from item 8, which of the expanded programs would you be
willing to financially support with an annual fee?
Please list any
additional suggestions or comments about CTUP, especially elaboration on your
responses to the above questions. Attach additional sheets.
ASSISTANCE, PLEASE!!
We are looking for addresses for the following members whose surveys came
back as undeliverable. Please take a moment to read the list of names. If you
recognize someone and know an address or can provide a lead, please contact Mary
Allen at 805-664-2366 or mallen@csubak.edu. Thank you.
Marilyn Andrews, James E. Barr, Mary K. Black, Judith Block, Jenia Bober
Booth, Patricia A. Bradway, Gail C. Brothers, Theodore A. Coletti, Lyndall R.
Dean–Weir, Rene Diaz–Lefebvre, Nancy Dimitroff, Karen R. Dipko, Craig P.
Donovan, Carla Douros, H. Frank Edward, Karen E. Ford, Stephen C. Foster, Alan
P. Gorman, Christopher R. Grace, Robert L. Greenwald, Jeffery Groby, Alfred E.
Hall, Annette Heidemann, Joyce A. Hemphill, James Hilpert, Susan Ireland,
Cameron John, Andrew J. Kaiser, Robert R. Kelly, Brian Killen, A. J. Kimmel,
Ronald Kinley, Kathe L. Kirkman, Becky A. Kondel, Cheryl Leitschuh, Henry Loess,
Robert I. Long, Michael W. Lynch, Natividad Macaranas, Stephen Madonna, Jr.,
Mary E. Mannion, Samuel A. Martin, Jan Mendoza, Collette Moore, Robert C.
Morecock, Stewart R. Mueller, Sharon Ng, Lynne A. Ostergren, Elizabeth L. Paul,
Andrew J. Pavlos, Julia A. Pecnik, Shiro Perera, Russell Rapp, Hope Anne Reagan,
Jennifer Reed, Edwin Richardson, Susan J. Riley, Carolyn Rutherford, Susan C.
Sealy, Mary Shoukat, Carl S. Shuster, Valerie M. Simmons, Ann Skeller, Jeanne T.
Spaulding, Mel R. Spehn, Gordon Spics, Patricia D. Stanley, Alice M. Tate, Carol
A. Thompson, Elizabeth A. Vandewater, Marjorie K. Waldrop, Patrick D. Weichert,
Michelle L. Whitley, Sunya S. Williams, Christine
Winskowski–Jackson
Learner-Centered Psychological
Principles
The November/December 1995 issue of Change magazine included an
article by Robert Barr and John Tagg titled “From Teaching to Learning: A New
Paradigm for Undergraduate Education” (pp. 13-25). Two years earlier, APA’s
Presidential Task Force on Psychology in Education supported by APA and the
Mid-continent Regional Education Laboratory produced a pamphlet titled
Learning-centered Psychological Principles: Guidelines for school redesign
and reform. In fulfilling its objective to “provide useful information
consistent with research generated by psychologists and educators in the areas
of learning, motivation, and human development” (p. 4), the task force developed
the 12 psychological principles:
Principle 1. The nature of the
learning process. Learning is a natural process of pursuing personally
meaningful goals, and it is active, volitional, and internally mediated; it is a
process of discovering and constructing meaning from information and experience,
filtered through the learner’s unique perceptions, thoughts, and feelings.
Principle 2. Goals of the learning process. The learner seeks to
create meaningful, coherent representations of knowledge regardless of the
quantity and quality of data available.
Principle 3. The construction
of knowledge. The learner links new information with existing and
future-oriented knowledge in uniquely meaningful ways.
Principle 4.
Higher-order thinking. Higher-order strategies for “thinking about thinking”–for
overseeing and monitoring mental operations–facilitate creative and critical
thinking and the development of expertise.
Principle 5. Motivational
influences on learning. The depth and breadth of information processed, and what
and how much is learned and remembered, are influenced by a) self-awareness and
beliefs about personal control, competence, and ability; b) clarity and saliency
of personal values, interests, and goals; c) personal expectations for success
or failure; d) affect, emotion, and general states of mind; and e) the resulting
motivation to learn.
Principle 6. Intrinsic motivation to learn.
Individuals are naturally curious and enjoy learning, but intense negative
cognitions and emotions (e.g., feeling insecure, worrying about failure, being
self-conscious or shy, and fearing corporal punishment, ridicule, or
stigmatizing labels) thwart this enthusiasm.
Principle 7.
Characteristics of motivation-enhancing learning tasks. Curiosity, creativity,
and higher-order thinking are stimulated by relevant, authentic, learning tasks
of optimal difficulty and novelty for each student.
Principle 8.
Developmental constraints and opportunities. Individuals progress through stages
of physical, intellectual, emotional, and social development that are a function
of unique genetic and environmental factors.
Principle 9. Social and
cultural diversity. Learning is facilitated by social interactions and
communication with others in flexible, diverse (in age, culture, family
background, etc.), and adaptive instructional settings.
Principle 10.
Social acceptance, self-esteem, and learning. Learning and self-esteem are
heightened when individuals are in respectful and caring relationships with
others who see their potential, genuinely appreciate their unique talents, and
accept them as individuals.
Principle 11. Individual differences in
learning. Although basic principles of learning, motivation, and effective
instruction apply to all learners (regardless of ethnicity, race, gender,
physical ability, religion, or socioeconomic status), learners have different
capabilities and preferences for learning mode and strategies. These differences
are a function of environment (what is learned and communicated in different
cultures or other social groups) and heredity (what occurs naturally as a
function of genes).
Principle 12. Cognitive filters. Personal beliefs,
thoughts, and understandings resulting from prior learning and interpretations
become the individual’s basis for constructing reality and interpreting life
experiences.
CTUP Notes
CTUP is looking for a webmaster for its web page. Please contact Mary
Allen at 805-664-2366 or mallen@csubak.edu.
The Developmental Disabilities Immersion Program (DDIP)
at the University of California at Los Angeles is a 22-year-old undergraduate
psychology program requiring students to spend about 10 hours per week working
directly with persons with developmental disabilities in their various settings
and under the direction of licensed professionals. Selected upper division
undergraduates are paired with faculty researchers and complete a curriculum of
biological and psychosocial courses cross-listed at UCLA’s Neuropsychiatric
Institute and Hospital. CTUP member Telford I. Moore, PhD, ABPP, has been on the
DDIP faculty since 1985 and is currently the only psychologist in the program.
Telford can be reached at 909-595-1221, x7566 for anyone wanting more
information.
The regional coordinators are looking
for one member in each state to serve as a liaison with the respective state’s
TOPSS coordinator. The primary role for the CTUP contact is to provide linkage
for the TOPSS coordinator with higher education and support mutually
beneficially initiative. If you are interested in being your state’s CTUP
contact for TOPSS, call your regional coordinator.
Welcome to Dr. Marilyn Pugh, Texas Wesleyan University,
who is the junior CTUP coordinator with Theresa Wozencraft in the southwest.
Marilyn's address is Department of Psychology, Texas Wesleyan University, 1201
Wesleyan Street,
Fort Worth, TX 76105-1536, 817-531-4955, (fax)
817-531-4814.
The first Northern California
Conference of High School Teachers of Psychology will be held on Saturday,
April 19, from 9:00 to 4:30 at Holy Names College in Oakland, CA. CTUP Past
President Maureen Hester and CTUP High School Liaison Pat Mattimore are the
organizers. For additional information, contact Maureen at 510-436-1069 or
hester@aol.com.
The Division 2 program for
the 1997 APA Convention is available at
http://spsp.clarion.edu/division2/Joining/Benefits/D2program/
D2home.html#Learn.
On Saturday, the Society's Golden Anniversary Reception in Hospitality Suite
will be followed by the Society's Annual Dinner.
The
20th Annual National Institute on the Teaching of Psychology will be held
January 3-6, 1998, in St. Petersburg Beach, FL. Poster session proposals should
be received by September 30, 1997. Conference fee is $295. Contact Joanne
Fetzner at 217-398-6969 or jfetzner@s.psych.uiuc.edu for additional
information.
CTUP Programming Highlights at the Regional
Conventions
Eastern Psychological
Association, April 10-13, Washington, DC
• Panel Session: Teaching the 'Non-traditional'
Student
Teaching Culturally Diverse Populations of Adult Learners, Ann
Robinson, Gateway Community Technical College; Assessing Adult Learning
Styles, L. William Cheney, Community College of Rhode Island; Teaching
Personal Adjustment to Students in Transition, Mary Zahm, Bristol Community
College; A Teaching Approach for Returning Students: The 'Good Start'
Phenomenon, Robin Hailstorks, Prince George's County Community College
•
Anatomy of a Textbook: An Afternoon with a Textbook Publisher
• CTUP Business
Meeting
• Using Computers to Create Multimedia Displays for the Lecture
Theater: A
Practical Guide, John Mitterer, Ph.D., Brock University, St.
Catharines, Ontario
• Computer Testing in Psychology 100, Robert
Keefer, Mount St. Mary's College
• CTUP Conversation Hour with Doug Mook
•
Rat Runners and Shrinks: Images of Psychologists in Popular
Culture
Joan C. Chrisler, Ph.D., Connecticut College
Midwestern Psychological Association, May 8-10, Chicago,
IL
• CTUP Forum: Teaching Demonstrations Live! (Allen
Keniston, Moderator)
• CTUP Symposium: Outcomes Assessment at 2-Year,
4-Year, and Graduate
Program in Psychology (Tom Pusateri,
Moderator)
• CTUP Symposium: Undergraduate and Graduate Teaching
Assistants:
Training, Care, and Nurturing (Drew Appleby, Moderator)
•
CTUP Symposium: Preparing Graduate Students as Teachers of Psychology
(Rebecca Stoddart, Moderator)
• G. Stanley Hall Lecture, Robert J.
Sternberg, Successful Intelligence
• CTUP: The Creative
Classroom (Dorothee Dietrich and Randall Osborne)
Rocky Mountain Psychological
Association, April 17-20, Reno, NV
• Invited Address: Pedagogy and Puzzles: What Teachers of Psychology Don't
Know by Mark Ware, Creighton University
• Symposium on Encouraging
Undergraduate Research (with CUR)
• Panel Discussion: Students Teaching
Students: Enhancing Career Development of Fellow Undergraduates (with Psi
Chi)
• Poster Session: From the Information Superhighway to Scientific
Skepticism
• Paper Session: Teaching Issues for the 21st. Century
•
Workshop on using the new "Brain" and "Mind" video modules
• Teaching
Take-out of classroom activities and demonstrations
• Business meeting and
luncheon
Southeastern Psychological Association, April 3-6, Atlanta, GA
• G. Stanley Hall Lecture, Faculty Towers: Python
& Sysyphus on Campus, Brian Little, Carelton University
• Symposium,
Saturday Morning Live: Then and Now:Changes in What We Teach in Introductory
Psychology, Jay Brophy, University of Central Florida and Joseph Palladino,
University of Southern Indiana
• CTUP and Psi Beta Film Festival, A Little
Song, Dance and Therapy for Your Students, Michael Newlin and Maria Lavooy,
University of Central Florida-Brevard and Jay Brophy, UCF
Southwestern Psychological Association, April 17-19, Fort Worth, TX
• G. Stanley Hall Lecture (with Div. 2), Robert Sternberg, Successful IntelligenceWestern Psychological Association, April 24-27, Seattle, WA
• Invited Address: Information Pollution, the Paranormal, and Teaching
Critical Thinking, Ray Hyman, University of Oregon
• Last Lecture:
Eating, Happiness, and Everything, Nancy Dess, Occidental
College
Do We Know What the Numbers Mean?, Sarah Moore, Univ. of Puget
Sound
Psychology, Mon Amour, Jerry Shaw, California State
University-Northridge
Psy. Chol. O. Gy 1. The Science of Mental Processes
and Behavior–Psy. Chol. O. Gist., Katie Townsend-Merino, Palomar
College
• CTUP Social Hour
• Symposium: Why Psychology and Humor Need
Each Other Seriously! Humor in the Introductory Psychology Course,
Maureen Hester, Holy Names College;
What Psychology Has to Offer Humor
Studies, Louis Lipman, Western Washington University; What Humor Has to
Offer Psychology, Diana Mahoney, Brigham Young University-Hawaii;
Teaching the Psychology of Humor: An All-Purpose Outline for an Introductory
Course, Harvey Mindess, Antioch University, Los Angeles
• Symposium:
Teaching Psychology’s Multiple Perspectives: Repressed Memories, the
Unabomber, and Other ‘Hot Topics’
The clinical perspective from
Felicia Friendly Thomas, California State Polytechnic University, the
biological/evolutionary perspective from Sally Foster, MiraCosta College, the
behavioristic/cultural perspective from Teresa Jacob, Grossmont College, the
cognitive perspective from Sabine Schoen, Miracosta College, and the
developmental perspective from Katheryn Thompson, Western Oregon State
College
• Teaching Takeouts: Nontraditional Approaches to Teaching
Psychology
• CTUP-WPA Social Hour