Matthew Sorley

What Do I Teach?

As an Instructor with the Department of Psychology, most of my professional activities revolve around teaching. I try to create engaging and supportive environments that encourage students to take ownership of their learning, acquire and refine skills associated with success, and empower them to make thoughtful contributions to communities they find personally meaningful. Here’s a sampling of recent work:

• Introduction to Psychology I and II. These courses introduce the discipline of psychology and consider how psychological research questions are framed and explored. Many years ago, I developed sections exclusively for Psychology-majors. These provide an opportunity for students to attend a class that is smaller than other sections of intro, meet people with a similar interest in psychology, participate in active learning assignments and the doing of psychology, engage in reflection and application of the material to their lives, and consider the program and opportunities to further engage with the discipline.

• The Psychology of Success. Designed and taught alongside my colleague Anne Bowker, this first-year seminar focusses on the skills associated with success at university and beyond. All activities are designed to smooth the transition to university life and topics include self-confidence, goal setting, healthy active living, mental health and well-being, career exploration, and more.

• Sport and Performance Psychology. This 3^rd-year course emphasizes how athletes, exercisers, and performers use psychological skills to create environments associated with optimal performance and reaching one’s potential. Students complete a 3-stage project known as the Psychological Skills Training Plan, which involves developing a personalized, evidence-based plan to enhance performance in a context that is personally meaningful. Essentially, students take on the role of a sport psychologist and conduct a case study analysis, only they are conducting it on themselves. As a result, this project incorporates an element of experiential learning into a large, online class. Related to the field, you can sometimes find me talking sport psych with athletes, although it’s probably best if I’m not on skates.

• Discovery University. This joint-venture between the Ottawa Mission, U of Ottawa, Carleton, and other community partners provides no-cost educational opportunities for low-income and unsheltered adults. I’ve taught with the program several times and find the environment to be rich and dynamic. This owes much to a group of students who choose to be there and offer unique perspectives and a strong desire to learn and grow.

• Beyond teaching, I’m also interested in recruitment and engaging potential students with the discipline and Carleton Psychology. I am also passionate about supporting instructors, TAs, and instructional design teams. More recently I’ve started working on projects that further highlight teaching and the inspiring and creative people who do it.

What Else Have I Been Up To?

It’s important to provide opportunities for students to acquire and refine the skills that enhance employability. One avenue involves supplementing traditional courses with community service learning, work experiences, and other activities outside the classroom. For several years I served as the inaugural Experiential Learning Chair, which I regarded as a teaching bridge between students looking to gain experience and those with opportunities to share. I also worked with our Practicum in Psychology students, who were combining their academic studies with experience in applied environments such as community agencies, hospitals, government, or other organizations.

Before that I served as Undergraduate Chair and collaborated with our talented faculty and award-winning staff to develop a) a co-op option for our B.A. (Honours) students; b) our concentrations, which afford students an opportunity to explore an area of Psychology in-depth, while receiving a formal designation on their degree; and c) The Psychology Undergraduate Research Event (PURE), a celebration of student achievement in which 4^th-year undergraduate students share their honours research via poster presentations.

Where Was I Before Carleton?

I served as an Instructor with the Crisis Management and Human Psychology Program at Algonquin College, teaching courses on human relations, group dynamics, and abnormal psychology. I was also the Training Coordinator and a Crisis Intervention Team Leader for a 24-hour distress and crisis hotline and was a member of the Ottawa Post-Suicide Interagency Debriefing Team. Prior to entering the field of psychology, I completed a law degree. Yes, my career path has been decidedly non-linear! Early considered career options included shortstop for the Toronto Blue Jays, drummer for the rock band Journey, and Spiderman. However, I was only able to achieve one of these goals.

If you want to know more, don’t hesitate to send a note. I enjoy hearing from students.