PsychSessions: Conversations about Teaching N' Stuff

Latest Episodes:

E018: The One, The Only Charles Brewer (with Guest Host John Batson) Mar 20, 2018

Show notes

In this episode Garth and Eric interview Charles Brewer from Furman University in South Carolina (with guest host John Batson). Charles' contributions to the teaching of psychology are prodigious, as a John B. Watson scholar, 12 years as editor of the journal Teaching of Psychology, in the room at the very beginning of the AP Psychology Reading, participation on APA Boards and Council, and much more. This episode was sponsored in part by the Society for the Teaching of Psychology (STP): teachpsych.org.

Tribute to Charles Brewer Mar 10, 2018

Show notes

For a generation of psychology faculty, the name of Charles Brewer has been synonymous with the teaching of psychology. After completing work for the Ph.D. at the University of Arkansas, Charles taught briefly at Elmira College and The College of Wooster, before joining the faculty of Furman University in 1967. He has been at Furman ever since, and is now Professor Emeritus there. Charles hit the ground running as a teacher, receiving the first Furman Meritorious Teaching Award in 1969, and a few years later becoming president of the Society for the Teaching of Psychology. Charles became a pre-eminent authority on the life and work of John Broadus Watson (an 1899 graduate of Furman), and his 12-year term as editor of the Teaching of Psychology journal established him as both mentor and demanding critic for his colleagues in their writing efforts. He loved to demand "felicity of expression," and teachers whose writing was subject to Charles's editing sometimes said their work had been "Brewerized." Charles's contributions to teaching have received recognition in various ways, including establishment of the American Psychological Foundation Charles L. Brewer Distinguished Teaching Award, and dedication of the Charles & Marjorie Brewer Reading Room at the Cummings Center for the History of Psychology at the University of Akron. Among his favorite accomplishments over the years, Charles has often mentioned his role as one of the charter faculty consultants for the Advanced Placement Psychology Program, and his selection as an all-state basketball player during his high school days in Arkansas. We owe our thanks to Eric Landrum and Garth Neufeld for their efforts to produce this interview and for recording Charles's thoughts in his own words. Ken Keith STP Past-President March 2018

SB02: Teaching Introductory Psychology, Northwest Mar 06, 2018

Show notes

Please enjoy this short sidebar from us at the PsychSessions podcast about the Teaching Introductory Psychology, Northwest conference -- learn about this inexpensive yet invaluable one-day professional development opportunity occurring April 2018.

E017: Bill McKeachie, Psychology's Teacher Mar 06, 2018

Show notes

In this episode Garth and Eric interview Bill McKeachie from the University of Michigan. Bill is a legendary figure in the teaching of psychology, former APA President, introductory psychology textbook author, well-connected (friends with Fred Skinner, Abe Maslow), softball player, and so much more. The recording of this episode was sponsored in part by the Society for the Teaching of Psychology (STP); learn more at teachpsych.org. We are grateful to Jane Halonen for helping to arrange the interview, and to Bill's sister Linda Dicks and Bill's niece Lisa Danielson for being so supportive of our efforts.

Tribute to Bill McKeachie Mar 03, 2018

Show notes

Wilbert J. (Bill) McKeachie, Professor Emeritus of Psychology at the University of Michigan, is an iconic teacher of psychology. From the time he completed his Ph.D. at Michigan in 1949, until his retirement at age 85, Bill was fully engaged in teaching: encouraging graduate students and colleagues, developing materials to advance pedagogy, and influencing organizations in support of teaching. From its publication in 1950, his Teaching Tips has remained in print through 14 editions (now with co-author Marilla Svinicki), helping countless faculty in many disciplines to improve their teaching.

For more than six decades, Bill has been friend to all, from the most famous luminaries—the likes of Skinner, Likert, and Maslow—to beginning students. Along the way his colleagues elected Bill to many leadership positions. He has served as president of the Society for the Teaching of Psychology, the American Psychological Association, the American Psychological Foundation, and the American Association of Higher Education; and STP established the Wilbert J. McKeachie Teaching Excellence Award to honor his contributions to the teaching of psychology.

Yet for all the notoriety his career has brought, Bill McKeachie has remained a model of humility, decency, and humanity. And, as an avid softball player over the years, Bill has often proudly noted that the most significant accomplishment of his APA presidential year (1976) was the fact that he pitched three no-hitters that year. We are grateful to Eric Landrum and Garth Neufeld for their efforts to preserve Bill's voice for posterity, and I hope you will enjoy listening to this conversation with one of our greatest teachers.

Ken Keith

STP Past-President

March 2018

E016: Melissa Beers: All-Ohio, All-Ohio State, All-In for Teacher Training Feb 20, 2018

Show notes

In this episode Garth interviews Melissa Beers from the Ohio State University. It's clear from this interview that Missy does not do anything "half" -- she's all-Ohio, all-Ohio State, all-psychology, completely dedicated to her graduate students' development as student-centered teachers, she's all about assessment, and that she completely embraces her dream job which is all about teaching.

E015: Bridgette Martin Hard: The Artistry and Craft of Teaching Feb 06, 2018

Show notes

In this episode Garth interviews Bridgette Martin Hard from Duke University in North Carolina. In a delightful interview, Bridgette discusses the craft of teaching, the importance of storytelling and narrative, the advantages of her theater and improv training, how teaching conferences transform teachers in isolation into teachers in collaboration, pays homage to many mentors (including Charles Brewer), and more.

E014: Dan Corts: Renaissance Man, World Traveler Jan 23, 2018

Show notes

In this episode Eric interviews Dan Corts from Augustana College in Rock Island, IL. Dan is truly a modern-day Renaissance man, including his diverse interests as an undergraduate student to understanding and appreciating the importance of mentoring to playing a key role in Psi Chi (the International Honor Society in Psychology) to being a successful introductory psychology textbook author and his curiosity as a world traveler.

E013: Ken Keith: Iowa Farmboy, True Scholar, and Gentleman Jan 09, 2018

Show notes

In this episode Garth and Eric interview Ken Keith from the University of San Diego. Recorded at the Annual Conference on Teaching, Ken was, as always, a true gentleman -- whether talking about his own educational choices, his inability to accept a compliment, special friendships and the grammar police, and still to this day embodying his 'aw shucks' Iowa farm boy mentality.

E012: Regan Gurung: Intro Psych Expert, National Leader, and More Dec 26, 2017

Show notes

In this episode Eric interviews Regan Gurung from the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. In this whirlwind interview -- from a Bombay childhood to Carleton College to the importance of reunion planning to contributing to 'tend and befriend' to service to the discipline (including introductory psychology), it's clear that Regan has more stories to tell.

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

PsychSessions: Conversations about Teaching N’ Stuff

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected