There are four recent additions to the materials that the Teachers of Psychology in Secondary Schools (TOPSS) has released after the APA Summit on High School Psychology Education in 2017.
Advocacy Toolkit for the Psychology Teaching Credential
Depending on the state an individual teaches in, there may or may not be any requirements to teach the subject of psychological science at the secondary level. For example, in the state of Pennsylvania, anyone with a valid PA certificate for Social Studies is qualified to teach psychology. In states without credentialing, individuals can teach the course with little preparation and content knowledge. This toolkit lists each state’s credentialing status. Then, teachers can follow the five guidelines to promote, require, or maintain credentialing in their respective state.
Teaching Psychology: Where can I find help
Psychology is growing in popularity nationwide. It was estimated that 30% of graduating high school students earned psychology credit in 2009. Although course offerings are increasing, there are many teachers who feel isolated in their buildings and underprepared to teach psychology. The “Where can I find help” document can assist teachers with frequently asked questions (FAQs) like: 1) Where can I find help with instructional … support…including supplemental materials…?; 2) How do I strengthen my content knowledge…?; 3) How can I connect with psychology teachers online…?; 4) Where can I find out about professional development opportunities…? and more! For high school teachers who are new to psychological science, this is a great place to begin.
Canvas Course Template
The Internet provides teachers and students of psychological science with access to a plethora of simulations, videos, and quizzes. Combing through these resources and vetting each one takes time. Well, the work has been done by an amazing team of dedicated professionals! Not only can teachers have the best online tools at their fingertips, but the online materials have been aligned with the APA National Standards.
Thanks to the technology strand from the APA Summit on High School Psychology Education, there is now a FREE Canvas Course Template for teachers of psychological science. Even if you are not familiar with Canvas, you can sign up for a free account. Watch this Youtube video by Brad Wray for instructions.
For each unit, there are resources and online activities as well as videos and quizzes. There are also opportunities for students to practice retrieval within each unit. Students can assess their understanding of concepts with links to Kahoot games and practice quizzes based on released materials from the College Board (old Advanced Placement Psychology exam questions).
Skills Deliverables
Psychology is a perfect platform to teach students skills that they can use in life, college, or their career. In addition to expanding their content knowledge, students can use psychological concepts to enhance a variety of skills.
There are three sets of materials for teachers and students on metacognitive, transferable, and well-being skills. Only a few of the lessons are highlighted, so see each tab for more!
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Metacognitive skills – these lessons and activities help students plan, monitor, and evaluate their learning processes.
- In this lesson, students can evaluate their understanding of experimental elements of design (i.e. identifying and operationalizing the variables). Suggested revisions of this assessment include asking students to answer questions like “Are you confident about your answer?” or “I was confused by _________” These questions allow students to monitor their understanding.
- For more tips on how to promote metacognitive strategies (planning, monitoring, and evaluating) into lessons and assessments, see the Metacognitive Assignment Revision Tool.
- Exam Wrapper – This reflection tool has students consider topics that confuse them prior to and after the exam. Pre and post-exam handouts are provided: Students are encouraged to evaluate the effectiveness of their review methods and the amount of time spent in preparation for the exam.
2. Transferable skills – these activities refer to “work habits” that can be applied in postsecondary pursuits or future careers.
- During open-house night, teachers could have a letter prepared for parents/guardians explaining the skills their child will gain in the course.
- Using the stages of morality by Lawrence Kohlberg, this lesson emphasizes the importance of honesty and integrity.
- Using O*NET (an online database of occupational information), students choose skills at which they excel. Then, they will get a list of careers linked to their selected strengths. Teachers could ask students to find a career in the list that might related to psychological science and have students reflect on the skills: Which match their strengths and which would be areas of improvement?
3. Well-being skills – these resources help teachers incorporate positive psychology into the classroom.
- Students can practice gratitude to enhance subjective well-being.
- Teachers can also apply Albert Ellis’ Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) to help students reframe harmful emotions, so that they can build resilience in the face of stress.
- After taking the VIA Strengths survey, students can analyze how their signature strengths contribute to personal success.
To see all the deliverables, please go to: Summit Deliverables.
Want to become a member of TOPSS and join us in promoting psychological science? While these materials are free, your membership gives you access to other great resources like our Unit Lesson Plans and supports the work of APA/TOPSS.
