Besides mathematics, I also have a growing fond of teaching something that is beyond my “subject” — after all, I see teaching and learning more as the subject, but rather ways to make meaning, research, and build community. As I have evolved from a pure mathematics person to someone that uses quantitative methods in social science, so have my interest changed. Rather than going for the deepest mathematics, I am more interesting in interpreting the results in context, and hence this piece about my teaching experiences in scoial sciences.
Fall 2020: School, Society, and Teachers
Everything fell apart this semester, as this was supposed to be my first arranged TA experience with Dr. Catherine McTamaney, but COVID, 13 hour time difference, plus an early terminated job made this TA experience extremely challegenging. But, it is extremely rewarding at the same time — I have had the chance to deeply interact with my Chinese students in this class to which, until this day, some I have formed great memories with.
Fall 2021: School, Society, and Teachers
With in-person teaching back in 2021, I was ready to dish-out my teaching plans for this class. However, although we are still assigned students, we no longer have our 1-hour-per-week discussion section anymore, meaning less time with students. However, I tried to have fun when possible. Oral exams, exam by video, exam by poster, I did it all. Best memory goes to coarcing all my students read the Analects of Learning during the time when the prof was gone. All the students hated it. For me and the two other Chinese that was there (Helen and Monica), that was core memory unlocked.
Summer 2023: Introduction to Psychology
It seems that I have a knack of writing syllabuses. During the Disseration summer at Oxford, I had to make some extra cash to make up for a stolen laptop in London. I came up to this Psychology course, a little afraid at first as this is my first time teaching psychology. Turns out I was too worried — the kids are, of course, more interested in dating, drinking, and exploring Oxford, that the academic part was the least of their concern. Well, I still carried on with my job, but it’s nice when there is no Sheldon Cooper in your class that is ready to grind you down.
Spring 2024: John Locke Psychology Essay Competition
In Spring 2024 I was presented with an opportunity to coach several students for the John Locke Essay writing competition, where I focused on all three prompts in the Psychology category. As this was a first, it was quite rough at the beginning. At the end, I was much more familiar with students’ level of writing and giving them the right amount of nudge to help them be successful in writing their own piece of academic research, which is a first for most students.
