5th Meeting: Psychology and Teaching

A small crowd of ETJ members and friends warmly welcomed the guest speaker, Dr. Amy Szarkowski, a Psychology Lecturer at Miyazaki International University, during its 5^th meeting held on July 10, 2005.

Dr. Szarkowski delved on the topic: Psychology and Teaching. She began her presentation by discussing Howard Garner’s concept of Multiple Intelligence- the various ways by which children perceive, understand and learn many different things. The various types of intelligence includes: 1. Verbal/ Linguistic; 2. Logical/ Mathematical; 3. Visual-Spatial; 4. Bodily/ Kinesthetic; 5. Musical/Rhythmic; 6. Interpersonal; and 7 Intrapersonal. On this basis, Dr Szarkowski emphasized that one has to tap or focus on the child’s special type of intelligence in order to help him grow and learn to the fullest of his potentials.

Dr Szarkowski had a lengthy discussion on the use of body movements or sign language as an effective means to teach children. One does not have to be an expert in sign language; Studies have shown that students’ memory retention increase by 70 % when they are allowed to link vocabulary words with movements.

The second topic she presented was on Social Cognition – how culture influences the learning capability of a child, which includes the family, school, the society where the child belongs. Dr Szarkowski also discussed Vygotsky’s concept of “zone of proximal development” as the fastest way to teach children. Working on this realm entails teaching the children “just above what they already know, then challenge them to reach out little more”

The third and final topic she presented was about Bandura’s Social Learning Theory – the four (4) learning processes, which includes: attention, retention, production and motivation.

In conclusion, she stressed that by applying the above three principles, one has to identify the child’s learning ability or special type of intelligence, give proper motivation which results to high memory retention, and therefore brings out the best in every child.

Part II of the meeting was an open forum, a free flowing discussion and exchange of thoughts and ideas related to the topic at hand.

Our sincerest thanks and appreciation to our presenter, Dr. Amy Szarkowski, for generously sharing her time and expertise. And to all those who attended the meeting, thanks for being a part of ETJ-Miyazaki. Hope to see you again!

Presenter’s Profile:

Dr. Amy Szarkowski is a Psychology Teacher at Miyazaki International College (MIC) with the following academic citations:

· PhD in Clinical and Health Psychology from Gallaudet University, Washington, DC.

· M.A. on Administration & Supervision from Gallaudet University

· MS on Clinical Psych, Specialist License in Deafness and Mental Health from Richmond, Kentucky, USA.

· B.S. in both Psychology and Health

She teaches courses in the Teacher Certification Program at MIC, working with students who hope to become English teachers in Japan. She works as a consultant for several schools and she has a specialize training in neuropsychology and cognition (how the brain works, learning disabilities, neuropsychiatry)

She enjoys volleyball, running, watching the sunrise, and being around with children. She is interested in learning to play the guitar and learning how to play soccer. She likes good conversations, delicious food, chocolate, and spending time with friends and family.