Today was the first day of general psychology with Abby. The class opened with a welcome and brief catch up from the summer happenings. We moved into orientation for the the class this semester which will further explore and build upon the foundations covered in intro to psychology last term. We covered ground rules, course objectives, assignments and class format. A productive session.
Assignment
One journal entry
Session Minutes
90
Minutes Student Attended
90
Lesson Comments
Abby appeared rested and eager to be in class. She engaged in the full 90 minutes contributing with comments and questions. Thrilled to be teaching and working with Abby again this term.
Today, Abby was given the final exam for Intro to Psychology. She and I connected via Skpye, I proctored the exam as she was completing it in her classroom. She was given the full two hours to complete the exam. She used 75 minutes to complete the exam on her own. Once finished, we reviewed each question together and discussed the "why" behind the answers. She appears to have grasp the majority of the material for the semester and continues to have an interest in the field.
Assignment
n/a
Session Minutes
120
Minutes Student Attended
120
Lesson Comments
Today, Abby was given the final exam for Intro to Psychology. She and I connected via Skpye, I proctored the exam as she was completing it in her classroom. She was given the full two hours to complete the exam. She used 75 minutes to complete the exam on her own. Once finished, we reviewed each question together and discussed the "why" behind the answers. She appears to have grasp the majority of the material for the semester and continues to have an interest in the field. Abby was a pleasure to have as a student. It was a treat to see her advance in the subject and further mature as a student.
Today, I provided Abby with a mock test for the final exam. She completed the mock within the first thirty minutes of the class and we spent the last half of class reviewing each question and answer discussing examples pertaining to the material covered during the semester.
Assignment
study for final
Session Minutes
60
Minutes Student Attended
60
Lesson Comments
Today, Abby was settled and prepared to complete the mock test. After completing the mock test we discussed each question and answer in detail. Abby was able to provide examples and further clarification with the material. Great work!
Today Abby asked to open the class with a discussion around abortion and what was happening in the news. She was able to relate the content to portions of the material we have covered during this semester. We moved on from this to close the anxiety disorders with specific phobias, social, and obsessive compulsive disorder. We closed the class by discussing a plan for the final assessment and preparing for the exam.
Assignment
Compose a list of topics covered during this semester and bring to class Monday for review
Session Minutes
120
Minutes Student Attended
120
Lesson Comments
Abby was eager to begin class and requested discussing the current events with abortion. She was able to relate a portion of the conversation to the material covered in this semester. Moving on to the final assessment and material, she was asked to "free style" a list of topics we have covered. She was able to recall 21 terms. Nice work.
I was on campus to meet with Abby and continue discussing and closing out the anxiety disorders. While there she reported she was not feeling well and would be leaving early.
Assignment
none
Session Minutes
30
Minutes Student Attended
30
Lesson Comments
Class was cancelled as Abby reported not feeling well and stated she would be leaving early. No assignment given.
Today, we reviewed the final review outline I drafted for Abby to use as a study guide. As explained, it is not expected that she know every detail for each of the items listed but rather be able to speak in general about each one and demonstrate a broad understanding for the material. I reminded her this is an introduction to the subject and much of the material has follow-up classes as a stand alone subject for someone pursuing a degree in psychology.
Assignment
review study guide and be prepared to discuss on Wednesday
Session Minutes
60
Minutes Student Attended
60
Lesson Comments
Abby was a bit distracted the first half of class. She shared with me the concern and anxiety she was experiencing after learning a new former student from Benjamin had enrolled at The Batt School. We talked through and tried to identify options to eliminate the anxiety. She was able to regroup and focus on the course material for the remainder of the class.
Abby observed a picture and was asked to identify the number of animals she sees. She identified 10 animals, after which she wrote how this activity was an example of Gestalt's principles of visual perception.
Following that activity we reviewed some of the Theorists and vocabulary taught this year in preparation for her final exam.
Today, we continued discussing anxiety disorders. We completed the discussion with generalized anxiety disorder and moved on to Phobic disorder. This disorder has physical symptoms as well as the mental elements. Additionally the patient recognizes the fears are irrational but is unable to overcome them and function. We also spent time discussing fear is a learned emotion. We used John Watson's theory as an example.
Session Minutes
60
Minutes Student Attended
60
Lesson Comments
Great class today. Abby was lively and provided examples and raised questions specifically seeking clarification for phobias and whether or not they were part of the DSM-IV. Next class we will spend time reviewing the five classifications for specific phobias, social and panic disorder and concluding with obsessive compulsive disorder.
Class today started with a brief review of the previous course material using the DSM-IV and the definition for neurosis and psychosis. We launched into the classification for anxiety disorders. These include, Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), Phobia, Panic, Specific, Social and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. We started outlining and listing examples for GAD. We also tied into the disorder of the previous material using cultural differences to discuss how they would impact the diagnosis.
Assignment
none
Session Minutes
120
Minutes Student Attended
120
Lesson Comments
Great class today. Abby presented a lot of questions and clarifications. She had examples for the material, some of which were not an exact match for this particular lesson but were easily used to support previous classes --specifically, learning and development.
We continued with the DSM-IV-TR criteria required for specific diagnosis and the importance of cultural differences. The lecture included examples for disorders, and how cultural differences could exhibit a behavior that would appear as a mental disorder but in reality it is nothing more than a difference in social norms. We also discussed looking ahead and the specific disorders we would begin reviewing.
Assignment
Reviewing class notes
Session Minutes
60
Minutes Student Attended
60
Lesson Comments
Class was lively and the hour flew. Abby was engaged and full of questions and examples. At the beginning of the semester she shared her interest in abnormal behaviors her questions and engagement with the material support her interest.
