Teaching Experientially in the Undergraduate Community Psychology Classroom

Experiential learning is a useful teaching tool in the undergraduate community psychology classroom. In addition to improving student outcomes, experiential learning is particularly relevant for community psychology, as it aligns with several core values of the field and can prompt not only student learning, but also civic engagement, social justice, and community betterment. In this article, we provide an overview of the themed issue on “Experiential Teaching Practices in Undergraduate Community Psychology.” The issue contains a variety of experiential teaching examples that fall into three clusters: (a) individual and group service-learning exercises; (b) using community experiences to augment in-class learning outside of a service-learning context; and (c) ways of having students draw on prior out-of-class or in-class community experiences to increase student understanding.     

Experiencing Community Psychology Through Community-Based Learning Class Projects: Reflections From an American University in the Middle East

Many introductory community psychology courses do not incorporate community-based learning (CBL), and when they do, it is most often in the form of individualized volunteer hours. We present an alternative model for CBL in which the entire class collaborates on an experiential project that promotes community action. We believe that such an approach better embodies the values and methods of the discipline and has a more powerful impact on the students and stakeholders. It may be especially effective in developing countries that do not have an established network of service infrastructures; in such nations the onus is on the teachers and learners of community psychology to contribute to transformative change. In this article practical guidelines are provided by the instructor regarding how to structure and implement this CBL model. Additionally, two students describe how the CBL experience solidified their learning of course concepts and significantly impacted them personally.     

Clinical Application of the Service-Learning Model in Psychology

SUMMARY

Students in Abnormal Psychology who pursued a service-learning opportunity worked with troubled youth in the juvenile justice system. Consistent with an a priori hypothesis, results revealed the following pattern: (a) service-learning students and traditional students exhibited similar levels of academic performance early in the semester; and (b) as the semester progressed, and service-learning students became more involved in course-related service, they showed increasingly superior academic performance relative to traditional students. As hypothesized, service-learning students were more likely than traditional students to perceive themselves as: (a) achieving personal development in the area of social responsibility and (b) learning to apply course concepts to new situations. Preliminary evidence that the project made clinically significant contributions to the service agency is also presented. Innovations to be implemented in this ongoing project are discussed, and recommendations for research are noted.     

Faculty and Student Participation and Perceptions of Service-Learning Outcomes

SUMMARY

Faculty (n = 55) and student (n = 75) perceptions of service-learning outcomes were evaluated using a questionnaire format. Results indicated that while faculty strongly believe service-learning is important to student academic growth, few actually teach service-learning courses because of time constraints and unfamiliarity with service-learning course models. Comparisons of faculty and student perceptions showed that compared to students, faculty had a stronger perception of the value of service-learning for students. When students were divided into those who had (n = 33) or had not (n = 42) participated in service-learning, faculty and service-learning students' perceptions did not differ, and both rated these experiences more valuable than did non-service-learning students.     

关于“概论”课中运用体验式教学的实践与反思

体验式教学法是教学过程的重要方法,论文基于《毛泽东思想和中国特色社会主义理论体系概论》课(以下简称"概论"课)中运用体验式教学的实践,探讨了体验教学的方法,阐述了体验式教学的优点以及"概论"课中运用体验式教学法应把握好的两大关系,试图为"概论"课的教学改革提供一种思路。     

Promoting Learning and Critical Reflexivity Through an Organizational Case Study Project

Engaging students directly with community partners can foster deeper learning and critical reflexivity. In our undergraduate seminar in “Understanding Human Service Organizations,” we developed a community-based project that has students working in groups to study local human service organizations. Students interview organizational staff, observe operations, and review documents to identify perceived organizational strengths and challenges and offer humble solutions based on course material and outside research. A key component of the course is the critically reflexive journal. Using a structured reflection guide, students describe and analyze their experience in relation to class concepts and examine their personal beliefs and assumptions. This approach is one teaching strategy that has the potential for promoting the critical awareness and reflective practice skills we seek in our students.     

Becoming better health care providers: outcomes of a primary care service-learning project in medical school

Medical educators have begun to embrace service-learning as a method for teaching medical students to be more socially responsible, patient-oriented practitioners. However, research documenting the learning outcomes of service-learning in medical education is limited. In this paper, written documents generated through evaluation of a mandatory, structured community service-learning experience were analyzed qualitatively to discover the diverse learning outcomes among 24 students who participated in the experience. Preliminary findings indicate that students developed skills and attitudes directly related to competencies of concern in most U.S. medical programs. These preliminary findings may help other programs articulate learning outcomes for their service-learning programs. Further, these preliminary findings may stimulate more systematic research (qualitative and quantitative) in this area.     

Pedagogy of the Logic Model: Teaching Undergraduates to Work Together to Change Their Communities

Undergraduate community psychology courses can empower students to address challenging problems in their local communities. Creating a logic model is an experiential way to learn course concepts by “doing.” Throughout the semester, students work with peers to define a problem, develop an intervention, and plan an evaluation focused on an issue of concern to them. This report provides an overview of how to organize a community psychology course around the creation of a logic model in order for students to develop this applied skill. Two undergraduate student authors report on their experience with the logic model assignment, describing the community problem they chose to address, what they learned from the assignment, what they found challenging, and what they are doing now in their communities based on what they learned.     

“We All Have to Eat”: Experiential Learning in Courses on Food and Hunger

Community-based learning offers students the opportunity to understand important concepts through their own experiences. Two courses on food and hunger in society, one a first-year seminar of 12 students and one an upper-level psychology course of 20 students, made site visits to local farms, markets, and a soup kitchen while reading about the issues and discussing them in class. At the end of the semester, each student wrote a short self-evaluation in which they were invited to discuss the aspects of the course that affected them most. Student responses suggest that the experiential component of the course was disproportionately powerful, impelling many of them to make changes in their lives as a result.     

模拟情景教学法在《现场急救》课程中的应用

选择公安院校学习现场急救课程的72名学生随机分成2组：实验组与对照组,分别采取模拟情景教学法和传统教学法针对同一个内容组织教学,并对理论和实验成绩进行统计分析,然后对模拟情景教学法在现场急救中的应用效果进行评估。结果表明：理论成绩两组无显著差异,实验成绩实验组优于对照组。结论：模拟情景教学法在现场急救中的应用,有助于培养学生团队精神及综合分析解决问题的能力,并能提高学生的现场救护决策能力,同时也极大地提高了学生的学习热情和学习兴趣。     

Two Approaches,One Course: An Experience in Experiential Learning

In universities where experiential learning is not the norm, introducing this style of learning into undergraduate courses can be an intimidating process for both instructors and students. Instructors are often unsure of how to manage student experiences in the community, while a significant number of students react with skepticism toward this new type of course, as well as concern about their instructor's changing expectations for their performance. The following is a reflection of our first 2 years of teaching undergraduate courses from a distinctly experiential learning approach. Qualitative data is used to highlight the parallel learning processes that occurred over the semester, for students as well as for us as instructors. Our biggest challenges are explored in detail, and advice to instructors contemplating adapting an experiential approach to their own courses is presented.     

Attitudinal and Academic Effects of Service-Learning

SUMMARY

We examined perceived learning and attitude change in classes in Cognitive Psychology and Sensation and Perception in which some but not all of the students did service-learning with autistic children or in other settings. Attitudes toward people served became more positive based on questionnaire and journal entry data, and in one class, service-learning students felt they learned more about course material from their experiences.     

Star Power: An Experiential Learning Exercise to Foster Ecological Perspectives on Power,Privilege, and Oppression

The purpose of this article is to describe the utility of Star Power as an experiential learning exercise applied in a community psychology undergraduate course. This exercise simulates systems of power, privilege, and oppression while fostering an ecological perspective that raises students’ awareness and knowledge about power differentials within society. The simulation of trading and lawmaking works best with 18 to 35 students and takes approximately 80 minutes to conduct. This article highlights three representative student perspectives concerning their participation and experience with Star Power. Strategies for facilitating class discussion are also reported.     

The Praxis Assignment: Experiential Learning in a Large Social–Community Psychology Class

In this article, a faculty member, a graduate student teaching assistant, and four undergraduates describe their experiences with a “Day of Social Justice Praxis Assignment” as a form of experiential learning in a 120-person social-community psychology course. The faculty member lays out the goals of the course and her hopes for the specific assignment. The undergraduates reflect on their experience with the assignment, and the graduate student contextualizes how their work is reflective or not reflective of the work produced in the class and course concepts. The article ends with a critical and frank discussion of the benefits and drawbacks of the assignment.     

对间接故意及疏忽大意过失罪过心理的探讨

在多年的刑法教学实践中,笔者发现许多学生在学习刑法犯罪主观方面理论时,对直接故意和过于自信的过失的内容掌握得较好,但在运用间接故意和疏忽大意的过失理论分析案例时常常出错,深究其原因,还是对这两方面的罪过心理理解得不够透彻的缘故。本文试从认识与意志两方面因素深刻探究这两种罪过心理的发生机制,以期供广大学员及教师同行们参考。     

当前高校思想政治课程教学问题调查研究

目前高校思想政治课程教学中存在着学生态度、师资、教学方式和教学内容等诸多问题,且造成这些问题的原因十分复杂。因此,应该有针对性地加强高校思想政治课程教学。从以下方面做好工作：改善理论教学方式,增进师生互动;重视实践教学,提高思想政治课程教学质量;注意因材施教;消除不良影响,端正学生学习态度;加强师资队伍建设;完善考核考评方式。     

法学人才培养服务学习模式探索与实践

融服务与学习为一体的服务学习是美国高校的特色教育行为，并对其他国家高等教育产生重要影响。应用型法学人才的培养呼吁教学模式的改革，服务学习作为一种有效的实践教学方式，对于培养应用型法学人才具有积极意义。在法学人才培养中采用服务学习，能有效完成实践教学目的，实现学生、学校、社区、政府四方共赢。宁波大学科学技术学院对法学人才培养服务学习模式进行了有益的探索与实践。     

高职艺术设计专业图案实训课教学探析

传统的图案实训教学模式已不适应高职艺术设计专业的教学需要,在图案实训教学过程中,削弱写生变形的内容,增强传统纹样的应用内容,培养学生将传统纹样与现代化的设计理念相结合的创造能力和表现能力,并通过增加材料、工艺、成本的限制,提高学生对图案应用的认识和设计技能。     

Memories

SUMMARY

The Hawaiian Studies Program (HSP) integrates the learning of Hawaiian culture with more traditional secondary curriculum in science, social studies, and English. Students also participate in weekly community service-learning sessions. Fifty-five HSP students and 29 peers (who were not involved in the program), completed a survey measuring: students' connection to, pride in, and responsibility for their community; civic attitudes; and career knowledge and preparedness. HSP teachers, community members, and students were also interviewed about program outcomes. Compared to other peers, HSP students tended to report feeling more connected to their community and school and to agree that they had career-related skills. Participants believed that service-learning contributed to these outcomes by making connections between school and community life and by exposing students to a variety of careers.     

高师班《心理学》课程教法新探--关于学生学习兴趣培养的思考

注重学习兴趣的培养,是心理学课程教学的基础和捷径.针对高师班学生心理学学习兴趣急剧下降的状况,必须分析原因,从教法入手,采取有效措施培养其良好的学习兴趣,这是提高心理学课堂教学效果的最佳途径.