Carol et al:
Harkening back to my "discrimination learning" days, the
standard line back then was that the students must first become
perceptually distinct. Then you can attach responses (names) to the
separate percepts. That is, don't try to attach responses until the
stimuli were discriminable. The S-R underpinnings of this logic are
questionable, but at the practical level I found it helpful. You have to
attend to the students, and for shy people this is difficult. I find
this easier during examinations, when I can stare at them. After the
first exam I have clear percepts of their faces that are easy to attach
labels to.
I always had difficulty using the standard mnemonic devices -
they were too much trouble. Interestingly, the names are sometimes
remembered for a long time. About a year or two ago I contacted my
Russian teacher from 30 years ago, and he not only remembered me, but he
inquired as to whether I had given up smoking (I had).
============================================
John W. Kulig
Professor of Psychology
Plymouth State College
Plymouth NH 03264
============================================
"Push not the river; it will flow of its own accord" - Polish saying.
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Shearon, Tim [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Sent: Wednesday, September 07, 2005 12:55 PM
> To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences
> Subject: RE: remembering students' names
>
> Carol- Reading your note brings a note of recognition to me. I too
have
> great difficulty remembering names (well, truth be told I have a
slight
> neurological deficit and have difficulty with proper nouns in
general). I
> didn't know that was the problem till well into my teaching career. I
> actually found out when one of our students was doing a study and
needed
> someone to participate in her research as a pilot subject. (I found
out a
> few other things as well but that's a long story). :) The first thing
I'd
> suggest is finding a way to get a neurological test battery done. I
know
> that can be extremely difficult to arrange into a busy schedule. But
it
> can lead to great improvement in your acceptance of this or other
small
> difficulties you might encounter.
>
> In my case I can trace the problem back to a specific bicycle
accident. Of
> course, neurologically after a short crisis I was told I was fine- but
> they mean medically. Being lucky enough to have a few extra gray cell
> connections (thank goodness for those genes!) I was compensating in a
> variety of ways for some small permanent damage. It wasn't
concentrated
> enough in a single spot to show medically (i.e., very little
difference
> showed up on x-rays at the time- big surprize). But I did notice that
I
> couldn't run as fast as I could as a youngster, sometimes became
accident
> prone in quite odd ways and just had a just plain embarrassing
inability
> to remember names. I thought I was "just geting old". The important
thing
> (to keept this from getting too long) is that the result you mention
can
> come from several distinct problems. The way you deal with it is
partly
> dependent on what the deficit is. The reason you need the professional
> advice is that you may well be trying mnemnoic devices that could
actually
> exacerbate the problem or be ineffective and just a waste of time. In
my
> case, none of these methods works. My brain will compensate. But I
have a
> tendency to have a slight "panic" when I can't remember a student or
> colleagues name. This leads to trying harder and harder to get it to
come
> out. That leads to less and less chance the work-arounds my brain is
> capable of are going to work. The only technique that works for me
(and I
> empathize with your "tried everything statement!) is to relax and
think
> about something else for a moment and the name just comes.
>
> It isn't easy, mind you, as I'm a bit of a perfectionist in my
> expectations of my teaching. I still feel bad when it happens but I
know
> now that only gets in the way. In the long run, I'm remembering my
> student's names far more often though I'm by no means perfect. And
both
> our college and our department, in particular, have had fairly large
> increases in students recently. (In 1994 we had 30+ majors, in 1999 we
had
> 45, but by last year we are at nearly 100! My classes have gone from
> averaging 12 to averaging 23+ with the occasional one of 40+.)
>
> BTW- one resource you have is being honest with your students that you
> have that problem. In my case, this difficulty has gone from being an
> embarrasing lack of concern (their perceptions according to the
feedback)
> to the point now that it serves as an endearing quality (maybe I just
> don't have that many others!). Seriously, I emphathize with your
problem-
> I think you've taken the first step in recognizing that it isn't lack
of
> effort- but find out what's really going on. It may be that you just
need
> to accept this as a personal quirk and spend that time with your
students
> regardless of what they want to be called. :) Tim
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: DeVolder Carol L [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Sent: Wed 9/7/2005 9:57 AM
> To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences
> Subject: remembering students' names
>
> Dear Tipsters,
> I know that some of you are very good at learning students' names in a
> very short time frame. I could sure use some advice in that regard. My
> memory for names is embarassingly poor. I'm lucky if I remember
> students' names by the end of the semester, and that's only if it's a
> very small class or if a particular student does something outrageous
or
> distinctive. I have tried everything I can think of--I take attendance
> every day, often I pass a camera around in class and get "mug shots,"
> and I try linking a feature with a name (e.g., Carly has curly hair).
I
> really try, I honestly do, and I know it's important to the students
> (and so it's important to me). I tell them this true story so that
they
> won't be hurt if I forget their names: About 15 years ago as I was
> drifting off to sleep, my husband, whose name is Larry, said, "Good
> night Carol." In my twilight zone between sleep and wakefulness, I
> mumbled, "Good night Lester." I don't even know a Lester, but I knew
my
> husband's name started with an L. Lucky for me, my husband understood
> because he's known me a very long time (and we've now been married for
> 32 years). At the time, I was awakened by my own embarassment and I've
> not made that mistake again (yet), but I'd really like to get better
at
> students' names. Can you all tell me what you do and what seems to
work
> best for you? I've been teaching for about 16 years or so, and so far
my
> own efforts haven't been very successful. Am I just doomed to having a
> poor memory or is there something that I can do?
> Thanks,
> Carol
>
>
>
>
>
> Carol DeVolder, Ph.D.
> Professor of Psychology
> Chair, Department of Psychology
> St. Ambrose University
> Davenport, Iowa 52803
>
> phone: 563-333-6482
> e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
>
>
>
> ---
> You are currently subscribed to tips as: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> To unsubscribe send a blank email to
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
---
You are currently subscribed to tips as: [email protected]
To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
