Videos for AP Psych Content Review

Beginning last year, I have created some review videos for AP Psych students with the assumption that they already learned the material and needed some brushing up or clarifying. My YouTube channel can be found here:  http://www.youtube.com/user/SchallhornAPPsych

My seven newest videos are on psychologists (there are way more than you'd think when you put them in a PPT slide show).  There are nearly 80 psychologists in the AP Psych outline, so each one has a page with a picture and a few key ideas for review.  I hope you and your students find these videos useful.








Here are a couple of my most popular videos from the past year:



























posted by Chuck Schallhorn

AP Psychology Exam - Last Minute Items - 2013

This blog post is a slightly edited version from what Kent has posted in the past.  Just a few minor updates/edits.
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With the AP Psychology Exam only a week and a half away, many of us are reaching the end to a long journey that started last fall. Below are some of the "last minute" items I (Kent) tell my students. Note: This listing is basically the same as previous years, with the exception of the guessing adjustment.

General Information:

• Monday May 06, 2013 in the afternoon
• Bring pencils with erasers and blue or black pens
• Bring a watch that does not beep
• Do not wear any psychology related clothing
• Do not bring anything else: books, papers, calculators, cell phones, etc.

Multiple Choice Section:

• 100 multiple choice questions
• 70 minutes
• 2/3 of the overall grade
• A-E Answers
• Names, charts, graphs, drawings are all possible
• There is no 1/4 point adjustment for guessing, if you are not sure about a question, take your best educated guess after using process of elimination

Free Response Section:

• 2 required Free Response (essay) Questions
• 50 minutes
• 1/3 of the overall grade - 1/6 of grade for each question
• Points are given for correct responses not taken away for incorrect material
• Points can only be removed if one part of an answer contradicts another part
• Read through both questions before doing anything else
• Think through the answer before starting to write
• Write an outline or notes in the test question booklet
• Don’t be afraid to cross something out, if needed
• Write in sentences - DO NOT OUTLINE OR BULLET YOUR ANSWER.
• Be as complete as possible, but keep to the point.
• Watch the time. Don’t get caught short on essay #2
• Structure the answer following the structure of the question

Test Security:

• Do not discuss the multiple-choice section with anyone
• Do not discuss the free response questions for 48 hours. The general rule of thumb is wait until the questions have been posted on the College Board website
• Do NOT post, text, email etc. anything about the exam on the Internet, especially on Facebook, Twitter or other social networks
• Do not come and visit me between the multiple choice section and free response section

Please feel free to leave any other ideas in the comments section below. Best of luck to everyone.
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Updated posted by Chuck Schallhorn

Free on-line HIGH QUALITY Video Lectures

What sets this apart from other free on-line lectures? 

First, the engaging video micro-lectures that reinforce topics taught in a typical AP class. Second, the level of specificity makes it incredibly easy to review a specific topic. Clips are about 5 minutes long, but each topic is clearly labeled so teachers and/or students can easily target attention to a specific area.
 
Third, transcripts are a click away for those who prefer reading. Finally, there are quizzes for each section.

http://education-portal.com/academy/course/ap-psychology.html

Other courses are available, so looking around the site might prove useful for teachers of other topics. The Education Portal is committed to a no cost model of on-line education. 

Please feel free to make a comment about your impressions or post how/if you will use this resource.


Thanks Sara I. for bringing this to my attention.
posted by Nancy Diehl

AP Review, Self-Diagnostics, and Metacognition

When it comes to all my courses, I am a huge fan of students figuring out what they know and what they do not know.  Most of my students come to my class not knowing this meta-cognitive process so I attempt to aid them in learning how to do this.

Some key questions in metacognition in learning are:
(from McTighe and Wiggins [2013] in Essential Questions: Opening Doors to Student Understanding)

1. What do I know and what do I need to know?
2. Where should I start?  When should I change course?  How will I know when I am done?
3. What's working?  What's not?  What adjustments should I make?
4. Is there a more efficient way to do this?  Is there a more effective way to do this?  How should I balance efficiency and effectiveness?
5. How will I know when I am done?
6. What should I do when I get stuck?
7. How can I overcome my fear of making mistakes?
8. What have I learned?  What insights have I gained?
9. How can I improve my performance?
10. What will I do differently next time?

The first part is when we examine, in class, the most missed exam questions from the most recent exam.  I either create a handout or project them onto the screen.  We go over the questions examining:

1. what kind of question it was (definitional, conceptual, application, or analysis)
2. what vocabulary and non-vocabulary words in the stem and options were difficult
3. examining the WHY of the correct answer (often making subtle distinctions between the correct answer and the next most correct answer)

I also offer "test corrections."  This is a process where a student must come in before or after school to examine which questions they missed and fix them.  This is a link to the form I am currently using.  The form asks "why did I miss this question?"

• I did not understand what the question was asking.
• One or more words were new to me.
• I did not have the vocabulary term(s) in my notes
• I did not ask a question about this topic in class.
• Other:   

In reviewing for the Advanced Placement Psych Exam, I give them an outline of the college board's course description (linked here) posted on my web page of documents for teachers of psych and soc.

I give them the outline and ask them to use a notation to identify which concepts and ideas they:

• know well
• kind of know
• say to themselves, "huh?"

We use that as a beginning of a self-diagnostic of whether or not they know the material to use as a guide for their own studying.

I also use the released exams in the same way.  As the students become practiced in this series of steps, their self-reflections become more sophisticated and their understanding of the concepts becomes reinforced.  This also increases the quality of their study habits for those who avail themselves of this option.

We use all these materials as fodder for review when I host the Saturday and Sunday review sessions in my classroom the month leading up to the exam.

posted by Chuck Schallhorn

AP Review Resources--2013 Version

The AP Psychology exam is now less than a month away and by now most of us have gotten to the point of finishing our curriculum and are prepping our students for the upcoming exam.  Below are some resources to help students review on their own.  While updating this list today, I've discovered that some old resources that were excellent are no longer available.  Thanks to Steve Jones for some of these links in previous years.


Videos

AP Psych Review Videos from Chuck Schallhorn
YouTube Channel:  http://www.youtube.com/user/SchallhornAPPsych


Video Review from the UK
http://www.psychexchange.co.uk/videos/



The PsychFiles by Michael Britt-Video Review Series
http://www.thepsychfiles.com/?s=%22ap+psychology%22

Shared by Charleen Gribbon (I had forgotten this one)
http://education-portal.com/academy/course/psychology-101.html


Online and Apps
The Genes to Cognition Website for the Original 3D Brain and Other Great Bio-based Resources
http://www.g2conline.org/

AP Review on Twitter--Steve Jones Link from previous post
http://teachinghighschoolpsychology.blogspot.com/2013/03/the-return-of-ap-psych-review.html

For Brain Review--the 3D Brain App
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/3d-brain/id331399332?mt=8

Brain Tutor 3D--App 
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/brain-tutor-3d/id301362928?mt=8

Apps - 5 Steps to a 5, Brainscape, PsycTest Hero

Vocabulary Sites


Quizlet exam review flash cards - 394 terms, 771 terms, famous psychologists



AP Psych Study Sets--Vocabulary
http://quizlet.com/subject/ap-psychology/



Teacher sites - these have an assortment of various links to review sites.

• Stanley
• Collins
• Donner
• Lazarewicz
• http://home.mindspring.com/~j-squared/apreviewsite/index.html

APPsychology.Com Study Site from a former AP student
http://appsychology.com/HowPass/howpasshome.htm

Course Notes for AP Psych--Most material taken from previous site
http://www.course-notes.org/Psychology

Psychology Review Notes from Intro Psych Classes
http://www.alleydog.com/101notes.php#.UWq5gSusbnw

Online Psychology Intro Course at National Repository of Online Courses
http://www.montereyinstitute.org/courses/Psychology/nroc%20prototype%20files/coursestartc.html


Review Books

• Barron's AP Psychology, 5th Edition (by our own Rob McEntarffer)
• Cracking the AP Psychology Exam, 2013 Edition (College Test Preparation)
• 5 Steps to a 5 AP Psychology, 2012-2013 Edition (5 Steps to a 5 on the Advanced Placement Examinations Series)
• Barron's AP Psychology Flash Cards, 2nd Edition

If you have additional resources and ideas, please add them in the comments.

posted by Chuck Schallhorn

FREE!! Join the world of Massive Open Online Course- MOOCs

Millions of users from around the world have signed up for an ever-expanding menu of courses offered for free from over 70 leading colleges and universities.  Coursera and EdX are the two of the most popular.

Weekly lectures are available in short clips of 10-20 minutes, additional reading is specified, and how much you participate or not is up to you.  There are all kinds of optional supplements for additional learning. The breadth of topics is tremendous with several psychology related classes on offer.

Above is a screen shot of my current status on Coursera. Behavioral economist (most content is directly related to psychology) Dan Ariely teaches the first course, and Scott Plous of the Social Psychology Network, which has fantastic teaching resources, will be teaching Social Psychology.

 Happy free learning!
(This weeks lecture was, in part, about the special case of "free" and how that impacts consumer behavior. Note learning is applied in the title of the post.)

posted by Nancy Diehl

Bipolar Disorder with delusions as the topic of a rock musical?
Lyrics/music as a teaching tool

Winning the Tony Award for best score and Pulitzer Prize for drama (2010), the rock musical, Next to Normal presents insight into how the lives of a family can be impacted by mental illness.

Of particular interest are parts of the songs:
1. "I miss the mountains" demonstrating the impact of how medications can take away an individual's sense of self as well as issues related to medication compliance.

2.  "My psychopharmacolgist and I" touches on the inexact science of prescription, challenges regarding side effects, differing goals of the therapist and client AND even a nice demonstration of transference along with humor.
 
The links above are to the lyrics, the songs are available in the usual places (itunes, youtube, etc).  The show is really interesting and well done, and the impact of mom's illness on Diana's husband and daughter feel very authentic. Wikipedia has a lengthy synopsis.

Even better, take a fieldtrip and see a production.  (Be aware of adult language in certain scenes).  Here (click on upcoming) is a link to the traveling productions page.

Happy spring!
Nancy Diehl