We are pleased to announce that five of our graduate students have recently won the Graduate Students’ Teaching Award! Congratulations!!

Egor Ananyev
Fu Siling Charlene
Alethea Koh Hui Qin
Melvin Ng Mai Rong
Vania Yip Ting

Since Alethea, Melvin, and Vania are first-time winners, we also took the opportunity to find out what makes them such effective teachers.

Alethea

What inspires you to teach?

I had a couple of teachers as an undergraduate that made me discover how wonderful and exciting psychology was, and it has led me to where I am right now. I realize that a tutor’s own passion and enthusiasm in the topic can be infectious, in the way that it facilitates a keen desire to learn more about the subject. As how I have been influenced by my teachers, I want to pass this excitement on to my students; to enable them to discover what quickens their heart and makes them interested when it comes to learning about psychology. Sometimes as I teach, I’ll spot a few sparkling glints in the student’s eye which shows that they have caught that interest as well. It makes me very happy and motivated when I see that 🙂

What are some of the major challenges you face as a teacher?

Interestingly, the main challenge I face is the same challenge I had as a student; being hesitant to speak up. The students are very bright and have many great ideas during group discussions, but when it comes to sharing it with the rest of the class, most students are reluctant to speak out. From a teacher’s perspective, I’ve come to realize that the quality of discussions do vary from class to class, depending on the initiative taken by the students to voice out their questions and opinions. As a tutor, I want all my students to be able to have a fruitful tutorial and so far, the best way to encourage them is to make them feel at ease, and also provide many other mediums for them to voice out.

Why do you think you are an effective teacher?

I am as much of a student as I am a teacher. I always find myself learning something new each class, each topic and even each lesson. These experiences add up to improve myself, so that both I and my students can grow to enjoy the time spent in each tutorial. In addition, I love what I am teaching. It is because it is psychology that’s why I can teach; it is something I understand and would love to share with anyone even if I wasn’t a teacher, and that’s why I can joyfully do it in class as well 🙂

Melvin

What inspires you to teach?

Over the course of my many years as a student, I have come across many teachers. There have been those whose classes required a great force of will from me to merely attend, and there were those whose passion and excitement lit a fire, a consuming hunger that that continues to rage on within me to this day. It is the latter that I aspire to be, and that which I hope to embody eventually. To be able to do as they did, to not merely tell or show, but to reveal the beauty that is inherent in things that you feel passionate about, that you are truly interested in… And to see that same flame lit in the eyes of another, that is what inspires me to teach.

What are some of the major challenges you face as a teacher?

It is easy to show and tell. To, as Yeats so adroitly puts it, “fill a pail”, but to “light a fire” in others, therein lies the true challenge. In addition, it does not help that students tend to be so very afraid of making mistakes, of saying things that they think are wrong or ridiculous, even when such thoughts prove to not only be incredibly revealing, but insightful. To be able to convey information in ways that are relatable and interesting, and to encourage open discussion without fear of reprisal and with abandon, those are what I strive to achieve.

Why do you think you are an effective teacher?

Having a background in psychology definitely helps. To be able to use the knowledge I acquired from my cognitive psychology and behavioural and conditioning modules in a practical manner is an extremely exhilarating experience. In addition, teaching is its own reward for me, and I enjoy it immensely. Also, I strive to see the material from their perspective, to phrase and structure things in a way that assists and encourages them to find examples of their own from their everyday experiences and lives.

Vania

What inspires you to teach?

During a conversation about motivation in the workplace, a professor challenged me “what is one crucial factor in any workplace that you cannot compromise, and that can mitigate other unpleasant factors?” After much reflection, I felt that it would be having a heart for the people I serve. Hence, my main inspiration to teach comes from the students— having a concern for their mastery of course content, motivation to learn, as well as their personal development in life urges me on, at the same time mitigating unpleasant tasks that accompanies the job, such as administrative duties. Also, I am blessed to have had nurturing mentors in my life— teachers, professors, bosses, pastors who not only inspired my learning in a particular area, but also taught me important skills and values through their ways and coaching conversations with me. This inspires me to teach as I have personally experienced how it can potentially influence lives, no matter how small it may be.

What are some of the major challenges you face as a teacher?

A common sentiment that students express is that they get overwhelmed with the large amounts of information in the study of Psychology. Hence, it is challenging to inspire intellectual curiosity and learning in students especially for content related to, but beyond the curriculum, or the capacity to challenge and question current literature, which I feel are important to have. One personal challenge is that I am still slightly uncomfortable when quizzed about something I do not know. I am learning to develop greater humility— acknowledging that I have my limitations, to be at ease with it, and to learn alongside my students.

Why do you think you are an effective teacher?

Over and above academia, I feel that as teachers, we have an influence over students’ personal development in some way. I am thankful that students perceive me to be an approachable tutor which puts me in a better position to reach out to them. I try to share my experiences and life lessons, whenever appropriate, in hope that this may inspire them to apply lessons learnt in Psychology to improve the quality of their lives. Additionally, I enjoy catching up with students outside of tutorial and even after the module ends— some of them sought advice on internships and future directions, or shared their struggles about school and coping. These are opportunities that I treasure, and which helps me to learn (am still learning!), through self- reflection and feedback from students, to develop the values and skills of an effective teacher and mentor.