Hi fellow seekers,
I have a potentially odd question for the list. I had a professor
once who, during a course that required a project as well as class work, was
concerned that members of the class were falling behind and wouldn't get
things done. He climbed up on the desk, balanced on one end with his arms
flailing, and told us that many people planned their work this way, so that
one push from sickness or personal problems or anything else would push them
over the edge. He suggested that many of us were so accustomed to living on
the edge that we didn't perceive ourselves as living that way, and that a
better way was to live closer to the middle of the desk, scheduling your
work so that you had time to absorb the problems life might throw your way
without failing to get your work done.
The picture of him teetering on the desk is unforgettable to me, and
I think I learned something from this that would not have been accomplished
by mere words. I've also found that I often try visual demonstrations to
make points in class, sometimes when reaching for another way to explain a
concept in research design and statistics or some other course.
What I'm asking is for other examples of "found" teaching techniques
or ways of illustrating a particular point, methods that may not rate a
Teaching of Psychology article, but which someone has found useful
nonetheless.
Hope that makes sense,
Joe Hatcher
Ripon College
Ripon, Wi
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
