~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The main 428 website is on CLEW after you are registered in the course.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

2011 Practicum Students donated volunteer hours to our community !
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

2010 Practicum Students donated over 1184 volunteer hours to our community!

Thursday, April 22, 2010 University of Windsor Daily News http://web4.uwindsor.ca/units/pac/nvdailynews/nvdn.nsf/fulltoday/F49206F6E867DC6D8525770D002684F1/?opendocument Practicum course caps years of study for psychology students Psychology professor Marcia Gragg says her fourth-year course, practicum in developmental psychology, gives students a chance to put their learning into practice. "It's like a capstone course for psychology," she said Wednesday, after watching the 12 students present projects on their placements at local schools and service agencies. "It's magical for them to take what they have learned over the last four years in the classroom and apply it in the real world." Brianne Drouillard, a fourth-year psychology major, said she was surprised at how tough today's kids have it in their schools. She entered a middle-school class ready to apply her behaviour modification techniques, only to see her approach stymied when her client was teased by his classmates. "I was unprepared for that level of bullying," Drouillard said. "I am used to working in a controlled environment." Once she adjusted her program so that her client was not centred out, she found it was effective in reducing his disruption in the class in favour of appropriate participation. It helped her appreciate the value of real-world experience. "I know a lot about the theory of behaviour analysis," she said. "But this course gave me the opportunity to apply that knowledge. It was the most valuable course I have ever taken." It's a comment echoed by Shawna Scott, who like Drouillard, will begin graduate study in child clinical psychology at the University of Windsor this fall. "The key to understanding the children was observation, and in this course, I spent over 100 hours watching their interactions," Scott said. "It's the best way to approach the intervention." Scott held a diploma in Early Childhood Education before entering the developmental psychology program, and said her practicum placement has given her a new confidence. "I used to focus on pre-school ages, but this course has helped to broaden my horizons," she said. "I'm no longer intimidated by the older children." Psychology student Valerie Attewell delivers her presentation on teaching children with autism how to pronounce words, Tuesday in the Odette Building.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


The 2009 Practicum Students donated over 1100 volunteer hours to our community!

Placements give psychology students practical experience00Thursday, April 16, 2009 Katie Quinlan never thought anyone would be excited to hear her sing Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star. Her practicum placement in the special education department of Catholic Central high school convinced her otherwise. The psychology senior was one of 12 students to complete professor Marcia Gragg's course, practicum in developmental psychology, this semester. The students gathered Tuesday for presentations on each of their experiences and what they learned. Quinlan worked with an 18-year-old student with developmental disabilities. To help him stay on task during classroom work, she rewarded him with a serenade. "He had a choice of Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star or Head and Shoulders, Knees and Toes," she said. "He loved being sung to." The behaviour modification technique worked just liked it's supposed to, Quinlan found—over her weeks of volunteer labour, her client saw a marked improvement in his focus. This spilled over into other areas as well, as he participated in more physical exercise and social interaction. Monique Dugal, head of Catholic Central's special education department, says Quinlan had an impact on her client that spread to others. "While she was interacting with that student, she brought her vitality to all the others in the classroom," she says. "The other students got to hear a new voice and see a new face; she brightened up the staff with her enthusiasm." Dr. Gragg says that contribution makes the course a win-win. Local agencies, including schools and social services, get skilled, conscientious volunteers; the students get practical experience in applying their theories to help individuals in need. "When we first started the course, we had a hard time finding placements. Now there are more openings than students to fill them," she says. "Monique Dugal told me she would take two students next year." Students in Marcia Gragg's (far right) practicum in developmental psychology class presented the results of their experiences Tuesday.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The 2008 Practicum Students donated over
1305 volunteer hours to our community!


Daily News Public Affairs & Communications

Thursday, April 24, 2008

Hands-on experience "amazing" for psychology students


No experience in her university career has meant as much as teaching football skills to a boy with autism, says fourth-year psychology student Arug Khurshid. She was one of 14 students in Marcia Gragg's course, "Practicum in Development Psychology," to present the results of their placement projects Tuesday in Dillon Hall.~

Khurshid's four-year-old client, whom she called by the pseudonym Joseph for confidentiality, needed to develop a way to connect with his father, a self-described "football nut." Learning to throw and catch a football was just the ticket.

"You should see the way Joseph looks at his dad," Khurshid said. "Now I know that they have an activity they can do together. It's so rewarding—his mom was so thrilled to see the progress."

All the students worked with children with special needs, said Dr. Gragg—designing behaviour plans for their clients, implementing them, and meeting weekly as a class to discuss their progress.

"Nobody takes this class unless they want to do extra work," she said. All told, the group contributed more than 1300 volunteer hours to local non-profit agencies and schools.

Psychology student Andrea Coppens said the practicum course in behaviour therapy was "amazing."

..

"When I started this class, I was begging people I knew for placements," she said. "This year, I had more placement spaces than students. These people know that fourth-year University of Windsor students are a valuable resource." Andrea Coppens had already earned her BSc in psychology from the University of Western Ontario before coming to Windsor. She said that Gragg's reputation was what attracted her to the practicum course. "She's the best. Everyone knows her name and knows how passionate she is," Coppens said. But it was the chance to make a difference that she values most. "I just couldn't believe there was a course like this—it was amazing," said Coppens. "I have taken a lot of theoretical classes, but this is the first time we got a lot of hands-on activities to put our learning into practice, and take it to the real world."

Jaclyn Brown, a fourth-year psychology major, agreed, calling the experience "the most beneficial course that I have taken in university."

She said the material helped her to become more organized: "It teaches things that can be applied globally."

And, Brown said, she found a unique application of the course principles of reinforcement behaviour therapy—training her sister's Labrador retriever to fetch the cordless phone when it rang. The only problem?

"Sometimes she would start to chew it," Brown said with a laugh.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The 2007 Practicum Students donated over
1472 volunteer hours to our community!

The 14 students presented final reports Tuesday afternoon on their placements with schools and social services agencies. Many say they hope to continue volunteering once the semester is over. Shavonne Davis, who plans to attend the Faculty of Education this fall, calls the practicum "the greatest experience of my life." She developed a program to improve the gross motor skills of a young boy with an autism spectrum disorder, hoping to teach him to walk a balance beam. "I appreciate the connection between physical accomplishment and self-esteem," says Davis, a runner with the Lancer track team. "I've been working with kids with autism for a couple of years. It's exactly what I want to do." She says students should find more ways to test their classroom learning in real-world situations. "I would recommend this class to anybody," she says. "It's a lot more applied than a lot of courses here at the university."

Fourth-year psychology student Shavonne Davis presents her practicum placement to classmates and colleagues.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

2006 Practicum Students Donated over 1116 volunteer hours
to Windsor and Essex County!






~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Psychology students learn from experience
University of Windsor Daily News, Tuesday, April 26, 2005




Whether the experience provides reinforcement or forces a redirection, students taking the practicum course in developmental psychology say it is valuable in setting a career path. Monday afternoon, eight graduating students made presentations on their placements with social service and educational agencies.~

"I thought it was incredible. I had never really worked with children," says Candace Huie. She had been interested in pursuing a career in counselling, but since helping a grade one boy develop social skills, she has decided to complete a degree in social work at the University of Windsor.

"Book knowledge and actual hands-on experience are two different things," says Huie. "I would definitely recommend this course to anyone in psychology."

Samantha Sheehan found that her work with an autistic child at the Summit Centre for Preschool Students with Autism convinced her she should continue toward a career as a learning enrichment teacher.

"The practicum course gives you the experience to make important career decisions," she says. Sheehan has applied to the Faculty of Education, and hopes to work with children with special needs.

"It really does make a difference," she says. "Any small improvement is a large improvement in a child's life."


V.I.P. coordinator Marium Tolson-Murtty; Laurie Leeming, senior therapist at the Summit Centre, student Samantha Sheehan; professor Marcia Gragg; and student Candace Huie, after yesterday's presentations.

It was the second year the course was offered, and professor Marcia Gragg says her students are learning while making an important contribution.

"These volunteers are very much appreciated in the school system and at their placements with the Summit Centre," she says. All told, the eight donated a total of over 750 hours of service.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Practicum valuable, say psychology students
University of Windsor Daily News April 20, 2004



Her first practical experience in developmental psychology was "so much more" than she anticipated, says fourth-year student Quratulain Hassan Khan. She joined ten classmates making final presentations of their experiences with the university's first undergraduate practicum course in psychology Monday afternoon.~

"You can study from texts, but when you actually go out into the real world, it's a totally different experience," says Khan. In her case, her experience has caused her to reconsider a career working with developmentally challenged children.

Students Quratulain Hassan Khan and Tracy Villemaire served their practicum internships working with autistic children at the Summit Centre, in what all parties concerned agree was a valuable experience. Clockwise, from top left: Psychology professor Marcia Gragg, Khan, Summit Centre senior therapist Laurie Leeming, Villemaire.

She was placed with the Summit Centre for Preschool Students with Autism, teaching sign language to "George," a three-year-old with no verbal skills. Although by the end of her term he had made progress, Khan admits being used to more immediate results.

"It made me learn so much about myself," she says. "I think it was a great experience."

Each of the students spent 70-90 hours working with children in schools or preschools, says professor Marcia Gragg. They designed behaviour plans for their subjects, implemented them, and met weekly as a class to discuss their progress.

Laurie Leeming, senior therapist at the Summit Centre, says the student volunteers she supervised made great contributions: "I would recommend to anyone to get one."