Headlines
Educational Development
Eileen Wood Integrates Life & Learning in Psychology Classrooms
May 25/10
The Russian-born American Rabbi, Morris Adler once said: "The
purpose of learning is growth, and our minds, unlike our bodies, can
continue growing as we continue to live."
For Dr. Eileen Wood,
who just received the Wilfrid Laurier University 2010 Award for
Teaching Excellence in the full-time faculty category, those words echo
loud and clear. "My classes are full of people who are thinkers, but
who all think uniquely," says Dr. Wood, a professor in the department
of Psychology who has worked at Laurier for the past 20 years. "They
come from policing, nursing, biology, they're artists, and they bring
this diversity of backgrounds into my classroom that creates this
cosmopolitan environment in terms of knowledge -- and it's fabulous,
because they can discuss the topics from very different viewpoints.
"Then
my job is to re-direct that knowledge into an area where they may not
have expertise in, which is my area, so they may draw on that as I get
them to use what they already know."
Success in her chosen field
-- earning an Honour's degree in Psychology and a Master's degree in
Developmental Psychology at the University of Western Ontario, then her
Doctorate at Simon Fraser University in the area of Instructional
Psychology -- is something Wood attributes to instructors who made a
difference in her life, according to a recent Laurier press release.
"I'm fortunate to have had great role models whose commitment to
excellence in instruction excited my own interest in educational
research and my desire to become a good educator," Wood is quoted.
While
excelling at her craft and engaging classrooms ranging in size from 20
students to 400-seat lecture halls, Wood is also prolific in her
research with over 50 publications along with 11 books written/edited
to her credit. In her research, she examines how children and adults
acquire, retain and understand information presented through
traditional text-based delivery systems and digital media --
specifically computers and the Internet.
In addition, her
research looks at the social and cognitive outcomes of learners as they
engage technology in formal educational environments like classrooms,
along with informal environments that include gaming, blogs, and
interacting on Facebook.
"I try to introduce topics by talking
about everyday experiences, and psychology is fabulous for that because
we all make observations about other people, and often we don't share
those observations," Wood explained. "Then I'll address those
observations by asking my class, 'How many of you have ever done this?
Or seen this? Or had this reaction?' So, once I have them putting their
hands up, they start laughing because they know they've done exactly
that. Then I show them how that fits in with the topic we're covering
and why that's important.
"I think a sense of humour is probably your strongest ally in doing anything," Wood says with a laugh.
Humour,
along with patience, are what Wood integrates into her carefully
crafted classroom environment, as one student nomination concurred in
the press release: "Dr. Wood delivers the material in her class with
enthusiasm and passion. She's extremely patient, and is willing to
explain a concept multiple times to ensure that everyone has understood
it."
"I always try to explain the (psychology) jargon by keeping
the language at a level that is comfortable for everybody, so they
don't have to get out their dictionaries to figure out what I'm saying
to them," says Wood. "And that's really important to me, to be casual
with them so they can ask questions in their normal language -- not
feeling like they have to ask these 'smart questions' -- and that
they're comfortable asking me any questions.
"And that's the
key, to introduce those big terms slowly, one word at a time, and then
use it over and over again by showing them multiple different ways with
different definitions -- and then they're good."
So good, in fact,
that not only students praise her teaching strategies, but also peers
like Laurier colleague Dr. Kim Roberts, who considers Wood a mentor:
"(Wood) excels in teaching at both the undergraduate and graduate
levels...and even educates educators! She has committed her career to
helping people learn."
"Some people think that a degree comes in a
little box, or in the form of a little plaque, or that knowledge exists
in the books on the shelf -- but it doesn't," Wood concluded. "For me,
learning is life, and I'm hoping to make all my students life-long
learners."
View all Educational Development news |
View all Teaching Support Services news
View all Laurier news
