The Home-Court Advantage: A Debate Format for the Teaching of Personality

Abstract

students aware of the heterogeneous nature of the institution and the variety of problems to which it must respond.One final dimension of the program must be described, as it defines the student's training in academic as well as practical terms. Students are required to read several books and journal articles on behavior modification, client centered therapy, sensitivity training, and perspectives on abnormal behavior during the course of the semester. In addition they must keep daily logs of their activities at the Center. At a weekly three hour seminar their logs and readings are discussed and criticized to combine theory with practice. These sessions are at times resented by students because they are tired of academic approaches and want only to work with their patients. It is difficultto make some students recognize the need for combining these two approaches, but for those who see the necessity, training on the wards seems to proceed with greater ease; they seem more capable of responding with a variety of approaches to problems rather than being bound by the singular approach taught on a particular unit.In retrospect, it seems that an academic institution, working with a psychiatric center, can provide a meaningful academic and pre-vocational experience for students. In fact, if either the practical or academic features of the practicum were eliminated, students could become too immersed in the concreteness of a daily work world or the theoretical abstractions of an academic orientation. The combination of the two institutions is ideal and should be considered by college faculty for inclusion in their curriculum.As a member of a college faculty, I would add, on a personal note, that it is a very pleasant opportunity to work both at the college and the psychiatric center. The change of pace from one setting to another adds perspective to my teaching psychology in classes and gives me an entirely different professional community to experience and communicate with.

Teaching Psychology through an Instructor-Debate Format

“…Our conclusions regarding student response to the debate format are similar to the conclusions from other debate studies using college instructors (Bauer & Wachowiak, 1977), college students (Berg, 1979) and elementary students (Smith, Johnson & Johnson, 1981).…”

Resolved: Academic Debate Should Be a Part of Political Science Curricula

“…The strongest argument for using academic debates zeros in on the acclaimed contributions of debate to three domains of student learning: (1) cognitive domain (development of critical thinking); (2) affective domain (generation of interest in the subject matter); and (3) a domain of skills and abilities (communication and teamwork skills) (Allen et al 1999;Bauer and Wachowiak 1977;Brembeck 1949;Budesheim and Lundquist 2000;Byron, et al 1993;Combs and Bourne, 1994;Green and Klug, 1990;Elliot 1993;Moeller 1985;Smith 1990). …”

“…Recently, it became increasingly popular in the undergraduate courses in psychology, sociology, and history (Bauer and Wachowiak 1977;Budesheim and Lundquist 2000;Elliot 1993;Moeller 1985;Smith 1990). A vast number of teachers across the curricular acknowledge instructional benefits of this highly participatory teaching technique that provides students with opportunities to meaningfully talk, listen, interact, deliberate, read and reflect on the content, ideas, issues and concerns of an academic subject.…”

Global Politics on Trial: Using Educational Debate for Teaching Controversies of World Affairs

“…During the last decade, American academia witnessed the resurgence in the popularity of educational debate. This instructional method re-entered undergraduate courses in psychology, sociology, and history (Bauer and Wachowiak 1977;Moeller 1985;Green and Klug 1990;Smith 1990;Elliot 1993;Budesheim and Lundquist 2000). Debate has not, yet, become a part of international studies undergraduate curriculum.…”