Matthew Normand
Teaching Approach
I believe that teachers have a responsibility to both stimulate interest in the subject matter of the course and to encourage and inspire further study outside of the classroom. That is, students should be taught to teach themselves, first and foremost.
The subject matter of any given course is, in some ways, a means to that end. The behavior of any one student in a classroom is a small part of the overall academic behavior of that student. It is the study that takes place outside of the classroom that has the most impact.
I structure my classes in such a way as to allow for continuous monitoring of both the performance of the students and my own performance. I expose students to material in small, manageable units with corresponding exams administered on a weekly or bi-weekly basis. Doing so allows students to continuously assess their mastery of the material and remediate any deficits before they become unmanageable.
Students also are able to correct for poor performance on one or more exams without necessitating extra credit assignments, thereby making for clearer grading criteria and putting the control in the hands of the student. In addition, the frequent exams provide me a useful tool with which to evaluate the effectiveness of my teaching as the semester progresses.
Courses
Psychology of Learning (Psyc 107/207)
History & Systems of Psychology (Psyc 125)
Behavioral Assessment (Psyc 158/258)
Behavioral Treatments & Applications (Psyc 251)
Research and Scholarship
My primary interests, broadly defined, are the application of basic behavioral principles to problems of social significance (including obesity and other behavioral health issues). I also am interested in issues pertaining to the philosophy of science.
I am an Associate Editor for the journals The Behavior Analyst and The Analysis of Verbal Behavior and serve or have served on the editorial boards of the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, Behavior Analysis in Practice, and Behavioral Interventions. Some of my recent publications include:
Normand, M. P., Machado, M. A., Hustyi, K. M., & Morley, A. J. (in press). Infant sign training and functional analysis. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis.
Normand, M. P., & Kohn, C. S. (in press). Teach your children well: A review of Chance's The Teacher's Craft: The Ten Essential Skills of Effective Teaching. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis.
Hustyi, K. M., Normand, M. P., & Larson, T. A. (in press). Behavioral assessment of physical activity in obese pre-school children. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis.
Normand, M. P., Kestner, K.M., & Jessel, J. (2010). An analysis of treatment failure with the high-p instruction sequence. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 43, 735-738.
Normand, M. P., & Osborne, M. R. (2010). Promoting healthier food choices by college students using individualized dietary feedback. Behavioral Interventions, 25, 183-190.
For more information, visit my Personal webpage
Contact Information
Matt Normand, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Psychology
Psychology Room 104
Email
209.946.7317
University of the Pacific
3601 Pacific Avenue
Stockton, CA 95211