How Regional High School Teacher Networks Will Take your Game to the Next Level

Professional development opportunities for high school psychology teachers have traditionally been hard to come by. In the past, the only significant opportunities to see presentations on best practices in the teaching of high school psychology were limited to the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) annual meeting or the Advanced Placement Annual Conference. Both are outstanding opportunities for professional growth but typically require significant travel and expensive conference fees.

Over the past five years, the TOPSS committee has made a concerted effort to expand opportunities for teachers around the country to network and share best practices through encouraging the development of regional networks.

The goal of this post is two fold:

To make people aware of regional network opportunities that currently exist and  encourage teachers in states without such meetings to take a leadership role in creating a regional network for their area, which then can provide quality professional development at a low cost for participants.

Benefits of regional networks

1. Best Practices: Do you struggle with how best to present current neuroscience research or how to get students to keep proactive and retroactive interference straight?

Come to a workshop and learn what strategies other teachers are using. These networks bring teachers together from diverse backgrounds to share the “best of the best” when it comes to classroom practices. You will undoubtedly leave with new activities and perspectives on how to teach various topics.

2. Networking: Are you the only psychology teacher in your school? Maybe even in your district?
   This can be isolating for both new as well as seasoned teachers. These regional groups create an opportunity to meet other passionate professionals who teach the same subject as you and can therefore understand the unique challenges you face in your classroom. As an example, last year 57 teachers from seven states attended the New England Teachers of Psychology (NETOP) meeting and made valuable connections that will enhance their teaching support network for years to come.

3. Connecting With University Level Faculty: Most of the workshops and conferences also include presentations by one or more professors who are willing to share findings from their current research. This allows teachers to stay up to date on what is happening in the world of psychology, which they can then relay to their students.

Existing Networks

There is no need to reinvent the wheel in creating a workshop for professional development. A number of strong networks already exist and are thriving throughout the country. These groups are “how to” models for creating high impact professional development. Below are some links to sample a few such groups.

• Milwaukee Area Teachers of Psychology (MATOP)
• New England Teachers of Psychology (NETOP)
• Utah Teachers of Psychology in Secondary Schools (UTOPSS)

To find out if there is a regional network in your area, please click here: Current Regional Networks

It is the sincere hope of the TOPSS committee that eventually these meetings will be held on an annual basis in every state. That is an ambitious goal and to accomplish it we will need talented teachers to take a leadership role in the creation and planning of these networks.

There is funding! In conjunction with APA and TOPSS, the American Psychological Foundation (APF) through the generous donations of Dr. Lee Gurel has created grants that can help defray some initial costs involved in getting a workshop up and running. In fact, this year there is $10,000 available to fund innovative programs that support networking and professional development opportunities for high school psychology teachers, as well as collaborative events for teachers and students.  The deadline is July 1.

How to apply for a Grant:

Visit the 2016 APF High School Psychology Outreach Grants website

Interested in starting a group?

Here is an article from the Psychology Teacher Network (PTN) that provides insight on how to undertake such a venture. The TOPSS committee is also willing to help guide you in the process and you should feel free to email me at mhamilton@hopkinton.k12.ma.us if you would like to further explore this possibility.