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During senior year of HS, at a parochial HS in Southern California, I took Psychology. The teacher was a dolt - a lady more who was more way cool than smart and, when speaking to her one on one, she seemed very pedestrian to me. I got an "A," but that didn't mean I liked her.
During the first class meeting, she did a thing called "Hot Seat." Basically, upon calling the roll, she made every person go up there and sit at the teacher's desk and be asked ANY questions from the rest of the class. Nothing off-color or inappropriate went down, but I thought this was bizarre, not to mention a trespass of normal boundaries, especially since nothing in this class subsequently involved presentations, participation, or anything of the sort.
Don't you find this bizarre as well? If you are familiar with teaching protocol, is this sort of thing permissible, acceptable or recommended?
I don't find it bizarre at all - it was an icebreaker for the class to get to know each other- this type of activity is done all the time.
Why was this moved to psychology (definitely a topic about teaching/school unless I am missing something.
I don't find it bizarre at all - it was an icebreaker for the class to get to know each other- this type of activity is done all the time.
Why was this moved to psychology (definitely a topic about teaching/school unless I am missing something.
If you would like to see it moved to teaching, then please request that.
It assumes you have 30 kids who all play well together and really give a damn. I see a couple of problems:
- a person may have a very hard time getting up there to talk about themselves, but not when giving a report about something detached
- people could ask something like "You look better, how much weight did you lose?" or "Did you get an ear job/tuck?" or "Don't you have a sister/brother who is another class and really popular?"
It isn't the right time for something like this - going to HS does not equate to going on Oprah.
What should a teacher do if the questions trespass the bounds of privacy? I've only seen this ONCE and I did not approve of it at all.
Many young people are quite self-centered these days - only think of themselves.
So I think that exercise would be a good way to get the people in the class to learn to place themselves in other people's "shoes". Think about how those other people are feeling up in front of the class like that.
And that is what psychology is - understanding other people!
And if the class was optional - the students choose to take the class, then I would think it would be a pretty good bunch of students. Not like a class with all athletic types in it where the "questions" could get out of hand.
But if someone did ask an inappropriate or hurtful question, the teacher could say "You don't have to answer that!" Or "You don't have to answer that unless you feel comfortable doing so!" Or maybe ask the person in the "hot seat" how she/he feels being asked such a question -> Ask the person who asked the inappropriate question why they asked that. Explore feelings, etc.
The first word that came to mind has already been used: icebreaker.
I don't think anyone said that the person HAD to answer the questions, just see what it's like to be in the hot seat, to be in another person's shoes. There was more to that lesson than meets the eye.
The first word that came to mind has already been used: icebreaker.
I don't think anyone said that the person HAD to answer the questions, just see what it's like to be in the hot seat, to be in another person's shoes. There was more to that lesson than meets the eye.
- People did answer all the questions
- She never interjected along the way - in a few cases, she could have, but that's my opinion
- It was a small graduating class of 200, so most people knew each other - she couldn't "de-clique" the group the last 4 months of senior year
- It was the only time I've seen it in my life, and it didn't work
I might have been more amenable to "go up there for a minute and tell us about yourself" in a classroom setting, but that is also unnecessary.
To be honest I don't think they could have gotten us to do that in our high school 4 months before graduation. Did you actually learn anything in this class? Sounds like a typical fraudulent high school class with just another "at least a I got a job doing something" teacher.
To be honest I don't think they could have gotten us to do that in our high school 4 months before graduation. Did you actually learn anything in this class?Sounds like a typical fraudulent high school class with just another "at least a I got a job doing something" teacher.
You're right about that being ridiculous senior year. Partly, I think SHE was both trying to be "nifty" and nosy, and not teach that day.
Yes. I learned because I read the book and did what I was assigned. Psychology is an interesting topic. And your assessment of this teacher is "spot on." She was one of the non-clergy teachers that make a pit stop at a parochial high school, and then are gone ... the variety that got a degree in God knows what, is kind of cool, looked like a volleyball/tennis type, and this was her calling card to credibility.
I had a good introductory psych class in college, though.
I was a sarcastic, clown/comedian in high school- until the teachers would sit me at the front of the class
then it was different..
I think the teacher was brilliant to do this-different perspectives- we can never ever know what someone else is seeing out of their own eyes,,,but to sit in the teachers seat..at the front of the class..getting questions,,,,,brilliant!!
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