Tales of a Teacher: Firas Mansour

by Bailey Jacobs. This is the third of three Centre for Teaching Excellence Teaching Stories that will appear in the Daily Bulletin this week. The full versions of each piece first appeared on the Centre for Teaching Excellence's website.

When you walk into a first-year physics classroom of Firas Mansour the mood is light and among the students there is an energized dynamic. If you walk into class six minutes late, however, that's when the levity really begins.

Disruptions caused by tardy students can be a serious problem but they can be handled effectively with a light touch. The rule in Mansour’s classroom is that late students are expected to do a short stand-up comedy performance for the class to enjoy. The rationale for this policy is that the few minutes occasionally devoted to a brief stand-up routine are more than made up for by the incentive it gives students to arrive on time. The tardiness rule is only one of the many light-hearted ways that Mansour injects enthusiasm into his classes.

Mansour, an instructor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy with 19 years of teaching experience at the University of Waterloo, has many sources of pedagogical inspiration. One of them is what he describes as the “basic inner goodness” of his students. He believes that honouring the innate goodness of students, and relating to them on a “sublime level,” is the key to “transcending the barrier” between himself and his class.

Mansour transcends the barrier between instructor and student in many ways. In a lecture hall filled with hundreds of faces, he knows the majority of the students sitting in front of him by name. Addressing students by name allows Mansour to bridge the gap between instructor and student and, in turn, connect with the students authentically. A personal connection between instructor and student, something as simple as knowing students' name, provides students with an additional incentive to attend classes and amplifies their desire to perform well. Mansour believes this approach helps his students become accountable for their own academic success. Krista Boghosian, a former student of Mansour’s, elaborates: “His motivation to teach me expanded into a self-motivation to learn and do well in his course…. I thought, heck, if this guy cares so much, I should probably care too!”

“Me, on a comfort level, I like the environment to be fun,” states Mansour when discussing the mood of his classroom. His students wouldn’t have it any other way. “He creates interactive learning environments that are not only educational and memorable but also hilarious,” says Boghosian. Between bringing props to class for impromptu experiments, joking with students individually, and sharing personal stories and anecdotes, Mansour’s students never know what to expect when they sit down in class, but it's guaranteed there will never be a dull moment. “Physics is about life and life is fun, so a class should also include fun like life," says Mansour.

Mansour believes that “one oscillates between being infinitely serious and infinitely playful” and that great teaching requires a person to shuffle between the two, “sampling from the different wavelengths and states of being.” While Mansour has no problem being an “infinitely serious” instructor, he contends that a playful approach gets him miles further.

Mansour, a 2012 Distinguished Teacher Award recipient, views education as a continuously evolving element of his personal being. He states, “teachers are not always born, they can be made” and there is “always room for improvement.” Mansour elaborates this latter point by quoting Paulo Coelho: “When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.” Mansour is alluding to a decision he made some time ago to improve his teaching by drawing on the expertise of colleagues and CTE resources. He was clearly successful in this regard.

Mansour is also a champion of his students' academic development and patiently provides the assistance necessary to ensure the intellectual success of each individual. Whether holding his weekly two-hour evening review session or making himself available for one-on-one meetings with students who require extra help, Mansour is fully invested in their success. His student Krista Boghosian recounts that, “day in and day out, Mansour would come to class more energized than his students, more eager to teach than we were to learn.”

Perhaps Mansour's dedication and enthusiasm is best affirmed by his admission that “I don’t view teaching as a job—it’s a hobby, it’s fun… I look forward to it because I always come out more energized than I went in.”

 

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Killing the buzz around energy drinks

by Christine Bezruki.

High-caffeine energy drinks are designed to give you a boost, but a new study has found that teens prone to depression, and those who use drugs and alcohol, are more likely to consume them.

“While it remains unclear why these associations exist, the trend is a concern because of the high rate of consumption among teenagers,” said Sunday Azagba, a scientist with the Propel Centre for Population Health Impact at the University of Waterloo and lead author on the paper.

The paper, published in Preventive Medicine by researchers at the University of Waterloo and Dalhousie University, surveyed 8,210 high school students and found students prone to depression or those who are involved in risky behaviors are more likely to consume energy drinks than other teens.

A dangerous combination: energy drinks and drug and alcohol use

Nearly two-thirds of the students surveyed reported using energy drinks at least once in the past year, with more than 20 percent consuming them once or more per month. Younger high school students were more likely to consume energy drinks than older ones.

“These drinks appeal to young people because of their temporary benefits like increased alertness, improved mood and enhanced mental and physical energy,” said Azagba. “Marketing campaigns appear designed to entice youth and young adults. It’s a dangerous combination, especially for those at an increased risk for substance abuse,” she said.

Energy drinks have been shown to cause a number of negative health effects in their own right, including cardiovascular symptoms, sleep impairment, nervousness and nausea. The side effects are caused by the beverages’ high concentration of caffeine.

Given the negative health effects of excessive caffeine consumption as well as the link between consuming energy drinks and negative teen behaviours, “the trends we are seeing are more than cause for concern,” said Azagba.

Teens’ access to energy drinks should be limited

In recent years, energy drink sales have skyrocketed, with sales forecasted to reach $20 billion in 2013 in the United States alone.

“In our opinion, at the very least, steps should be taken to limit teens’ access to energy drinks, to increase public awareness and education about the potential harms of these drinks and to minimize the amount of caffeine available in each unit,” said Azagba. “This won’t eliminate the problem entirely, but steps like these can help mitigate harm to our youth. This is something we need to take seriously. Change won’t happen without a concerted effort.”

The study was based on data from the 2012 Student Drug Use Survey, consisting of a representative sample of junior and senior high school students from three provinces in Atlantic Canada.

 

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Friday's notes

Friends and colleagues of Khaled Soudki are being invited to a celebration of his life and work today at 2:00 p.m. in Room 0101 of the Quantum-Nano Centre. Soudki, a professor in the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, died September 17, 2013 after a long battle with cancer.

TEDxUW takes place in downtown Kitchener tomorrow at the Tannery. Be sure to tune into the livestream. This year's speakers include Dr. Paul Salvini, CTO, Christie Digital, Dave Wilkin, Founder, Ten Thousand Coffees, Prof. Frank Gu, Canada Research Chair and assistant professor in Waterloo's Department of Chemical Engineering, Mike Kirkup, director of Velocity, Ginny Dybenko, executive director of the University of Waterloo Stratford Campus, Rod Regier, Executive Director, Economic Development for the City of Kitchener, Dr. Neufeld, Associate Professor at University of Waterloo, and Waterloo undergraduate Christina Marchand. TEDx events such as this one are local spin-offs of the TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) conference, famous for its philosophy of sharing riveting ideas, for free, with the world. The local event is organized by a cross-disciplinary team of Waterloo students, staff, faculty, and alumni.

Here's the latest Nutrition Month "myth vs. fact" from Health Services dietician Sandra Ace:

Myth: Eating disorders affect mainly teenage girls.

Truth:  The spectrum of eating disorders, from Anorexia Nervosa to Bulimia Nervosa to Binge Eating Disorder, does not discriminate. These illnesses are found across genders, ages, cultures and socioeconomic groups, as. This video by Cynthia Bulik, Ph.D., of the University of North Carolina, examines how eating disorders affect women and men across the lifespan. For more information on eating disorders, including symptoms and how to get help, visit NEDIC.

 

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