MASTERY LEARNING BENEFITS LOW APTITUDE STUDENTS

s of recent articles published in Teaching of Psychology LOOKING GOOD, TEACHING WELL? LINKING LIKING, LOOKS, AND LEARNING REGAN A. R. GURUNG AND KRISTIN VESPIA Does the appearance of an instructor and the format of the class influence student grades and learning? We tested this question with 861 undergraduate students who completed an online questionnaire rating their instructors. Students were equally spread across class year and were from different majors. We used multiple regression analyses and found that likable, goodlooking, well-dressed, and approachable teachers had students who said they learned more, had higher grades and liked the class better. TEACHING OF PSYCHOLOGY 34(1), 5 PSYCHOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY: A CALL FOR INTEGRATION SUSAN M. KOGER AND BRITAIN A. SCOTT Environmental scientists warn that the health of the planet is rapidly deteriorating and the primary cause of the crisis is human behavior. Psychology can contribute greatly to understanding and changing behaviours that negatively impact global ecosystems; however, environmental issues are not generally included in psychology curricula and psychology is not often represented in environmental curricula. We describe the relevance of psychology to environmental problem solving; suggest how to integrate environmental issues into psychology courses; and urge psychology faculty to collaborate with environmental studies and science faculty to strengthen the training of future policy makers, conservation scientists, and activists. We conclude that psychology has a critical role to play in creating a sustainable society. TEACHING OF PSYCHOLOGY 34(1), 10