February 19, 2019
Augustina Wofford, senior at Montana Western, was a teaching assistant for the class “Intro to Psychology” taught during third block by Psychology Professor Mark Krank.
Wofford aided in group work, provided tutoring help on Tuesdays and Thursdays each week, and created her own lesson and unit plan which she taught the second to last day of the block.
Her lesson plan focused specifically on social psychology because it is a topic Wofford is passionate about. “I think it is fascinating how situations can make people do what they do,” Wofford stated.
She taught about Asch Conformity Experiments, the Stanford Prison Experiment, and the Milgram Experiment all of which focus on social influences, beliefs, opinions, and how and why people react the way they do.
“I think the nature of the topic social psychology drew them in and it was interesting to them. The students were all very respectful,” said Wofford about her experience as a teaching assistant.
Wofford spent hours prepping for her teaching lesson, and learned just how much time and care goes into being an educator. For her lesson, Wofford wrote a literature review and offered engaging activities that kept students discussing and brainstorming during the entire class.
“After you’ve been through just a portion of what they go through, you see how much teachers care about their students. They have done everything just to help you succeed and do the best you can,” she said.
At Montana Western, classes are taught using Experience One. Students take classes on a block schedule, one at a time for 18 days. Wofford initially felt intimidated teaching on the block system, but as a student, she is aware of the benefits associated with this immersive approach to education.
Wofford plans to pursue her education further and eventually, obtain a Ph.D. She aspires to use both her art and psychology degrees to focus on marketing research in art.
Wofford believes this opportunity has helped prepare her for graduate school and she feels more confident to apply because of her experience as a teaching assistant.
For more information about Montana Western’s block scheduling, please visit the Experience One website.
