Professional Development Options for High School Psychology Teachers Part 2

One of the best experiences for professional development is the APA/Clark Workshop. Ask any of the hundreds of "graduates" from the workshop and they will tell you it was one of the most professionally rewarding experiences they have had.

This year, Amy Ramponi and Brad Wray will be the primary Teachers of Psychology in Secondary Schools TOPSS presenters. Below is the photo from 2018.

I encourage anyone who is the sole psychology teacher in their school to apply. This is especially true if you are from a traditionally underrepresented community. One of the goals for the APA in general, and TOPSS more specifically is to bring in more people to increase ethnic, socioeconomic, gender, age, geographic, disability/ability, sexual orientation, and belief system diversity.

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Professional Development Options for High School Psychology Teachers

The American Psychological Association (APA) and Teachers of Psychology in Secondary Schools (TOPSS) has some excellent professional development for teachers. Here are but a few:

The stars on the map represents the various regional and state conferences that are held regularly. Grants from the APA are available to apply for to underwrite the costs of the conference and/or speakers. Personally, I have been to both the Northern California, Arizona, Indiana, and Chicagoland conferences in my career. They have all been excellent and I came away with multiple activities and resources from all of them. Best of all, I gained friends and a professional learning network.

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Teaching Psychology: Where Can I Find Help?

The great folks at the APA/TOPSS have created a wonderful list of online resources for psychology teachers called, "Teaching Psychology: Where Can I Find Help?" Highlights include information for regular psych, IB Psych, and AP Psychology; professional development; course development; PLNs; much more.

Check out the resources at the link above. Incredibly helpful for any teacher, not just teachers new to the profession or subject area.

posted by Chuck Schallhorn

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Request for Feedback on APA’s National Standards for High School Psychology Curricula

Request for Feedback on APA’s National Standards for High School Psychology Curricula 

The National Standards for High School Psychology Curricula Working Group invites feedback on the National Standards (APA, 2011) to inform the next revision of the policy document.

 All high school psychology teachers are invited to complete a short survey available online here by July 1, 2018.

The Working Group will review all submitted feedback this fall as it begins to revise the psychology standards. The current National Standards, which expire in August 2021, define learning benchmarks for the high school psychology course.





The standards are available online at http://www.apa.org/education/k12/national-standards.aspx. Questions can be sent to topss@apa.org.



posted by Chuck Schallhorn

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APA Annual Conference--HS Teacher Opportunities

Hi Everyone,

If you can, check out the offerings for the APA's annual convention. This year it is in San Francisco in August. If you are already out here, join us. Among other offerings, you can see me interview the great Paul Ekman. I still cannot believe that one. So check this out and register!

The following is excerpted from a letter by past-Chair of TOPSS, Kristin Whitlock, sent out to TOPSS members. Wonderful opportunities for teachers of high school psych!

---

Dear Colleague, I am writing to encourage you to attend the annual American Psychological Association (APA) Convention, being held August 9-12, 2018, in San Francisco, CA. APA is a great opportunity to learn firsthand about current findings in psychological science, network with other high school psychology teachers, and meet noted psychologists.

Full Day Pre-Convention Workshop for Psychology Teachers 

On Wednesday, August 8, the APA Education Directorate is hosting a full day workshop for psychology teachers on metacognition, hard to teach topics in introductory psychology, and improving student well-being. The cost of this workshop is $40 to attend for TOPSS members; breakfast, lunch, and materials will be provided. Presenters are Elizabeth Yost Hammer, PhD, and Elliott Hammer, PhD, both of Xavier University of Louisiana, and Annette Jordan Nielsen of Woods Cross High School (Utah). For details and to register, please visit the workshop website. The application deadline is July 1. The workshop will be held at the San Francisco State University downtown campus. Space is limited, so we hope you will register soon.

 TOPSS Invited Speakers and Reception 

We are pleased to announce the TOPSS invited speakers at Convention. These sessions will all be held in the Moscone Convention Center:

• Elliot Hammer, PhD, Xavier University of Louisiana; Leveling the Field: Fostering Identification with School in all our Students; Friday, August 10, 3:00 – 3:50 PM, Moscone Center Room 206

• Paul Ekman, PhD, University of California, San Francisco; Lee Gurel Lecture: A Conversation with Dr. Paul Ekman; Saturday, August 11, 2:00 – 2:50 PM, Moscone Center Room 215 

• Linda Woolf, PhD, Webster University; Randal M. Ernst Lecture: Politics, Sex, Religion, and Rights: Controversial Topics in the Classroom; Saturday, August 11, 3:00 – 3:50 PM, Moscone Center Room 151 

There will also be a reception for high school psychology teachers on Friday, August 10, from 5:00-6:30 PM, at The Irish Bank, 10 Mark Lane, San Francisco, CA 94108. We hope you can join us for complimentary drinks and appetizers.

The APA Convention is an outstanding opportunity to learn about psychology and network with teachers and psychologists. You can choose from hundreds of sessions on psychology, including numerous plenary addresses on cutting edge research in the field at APA.

You can read about additional convention sessions for educators through the Society for the Teaching of Psychology website. You can read a high school teacher perspective on why the APA Convention is the “greatest professional development opportunity available” here.

If you are not the only psychology teacher at your school we hope you will share this information with your fellow psychology teachers. For more details and to register for convention, visit the APA Convention website. You can also register on-site. We hope to see you in August!

Sincerely,

Kristin H. Whitlock, MEd Davis High School,
Kaysville, UT
Past Chair, TOPSS
Chair, TOPSS 2017 Convention Programming





Office of Precollege and Undergraduate Education
The American Psychological Association
750 First Street, NE Washington, DC 20002-4242 202-572-3013
Email: topss@apa.org


posted by Chuck Schallhorn

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APA Center for Psychology in Schools and Education Needs Your Help

Hi All,

I am at the APA Spring Consolidated Meeting in Washington, D.C. at the moment. There is a group called Center for Psychology in Schools and Education. They have a great desire to assist teachers, counselors, and support personnel in the K-12 world.

They need your feedback in order to create resources and programming to best meet our needs.

Please take a few minutes to fill out the survey at this link.

For additional information, please contact Maha Khalid at mkhalid@apa.org or call at 202-336-5977.

posted by Chuck Schallhorn

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APA TOPSS Charles T. Blair-Broeker Excellence in Teaching Awards

Back in 1997, I met this quiet and humorous gentleman from Iowa named Charlie. He was one of the instructors at the Nebraska Wesleyan Psychology Teacher Institute. Little did I realize the impact he would have on my teaching career and the entire world of high school psychology. I now get to call him a friend.

Prior to October 2014, this award was named “APA TOPSS Excellence in Teaching Awards.” It is now called, the "APA TOPSS Charles T. Blair-Broeker Excellence in Teaching Award." You may not know Charlie, but you have likely been influenced by his approach to teaching, the activities he created or popularized, or may even use his textbook. In any case, there is this excellence in teaching award that is named after him.

There are a few items needed to apply, so get started now. No matter where you are in your career if you can get the materials together because you are an excellent psychology teacher, make the time and apply. This award is one of the high marks in anyone's teaching psychology career.

Make the time for this one--you won't regret it.

Details can be found here:
http://www.apa.org/about/awards/teaching-excellence.aspx


posted by Chuck Schallhorn

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APA Psych Learning Curve

Psych Learning Curve: one of the reasons I am thankful.

Less than a year ago, I was attending my first APA Consolidated Board Meeting in Washington, D.C. This is one of the perks/challenges of serving on the TOPSS Board. It's volunteer, but rewarding work.

I was able to meet quite a few wonderful people, but this post is about two of them, Hunter Clary and Amanda Macchi, two of the social media folks at the APA Education Directorate.  They run the @apaeducation Twitter account.

The real reason for this post is not any of the above. The purpose is to extoll the virtues of the newsletter and blog Hunter and Amanda put together called Psych Learning Curve.

As you can see from the screen cap from the site, there are a variety of topics that are curated and shared each week from K-12 education to undergraduate and graduate school. Students are even included. The team does some great research to update this site regularly.

In short, if you are short on time and want to get the best information out there on both education and psychology, do check out this resource. You will be thankful. Join TOPSS today to help support this exceptional resource.


posted by Chuck Schallhorn

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APA General Psychology Summit Steering Committee Members Announced

The following announcement comes from the American Psychological Association, the lead organization of which TOPSS is a part. Our very own TOPSS President, Kristin Whitlock is a part of this committee. If you have thoughts on the upcoming summit, please visit the link below.

The APA Board of Educational Affairs (BEA) has appointed eight members to serve on a new Steering Committee to plan a working conference on introductory psychology. Under the leadership of co-chairs, Regan A. R. Gurung, PhD (University of Wisconsin, Green Bay, WI) and Garth Neufeld, MA (Cascadia College, WA), the members of the Steering Committee include representatives from the high school, associate, and baccalaureate levels: Bill Altman, PhD (SUNY Broome College, NY); Melissa Beers, PhD (Ohio State University, OH); Bridgette Hard, PhD (Duke University, NC); Jennifer Thompson, PhD (University of Maryland University College, MD); Kristin Whitlock, MEd (Davis High School, UT); and Katherine Wickes, PhD (Blinn College, TX). 

To begin the planning process, the steering committee will be developing a proposal that will articulate the need for an APA General Psychology Summit. The steering committee will identify major issues and concerns related to the teaching and learning of introductory psychology. The steering committee will also be considering possible formats for the summit, the desired outcomes, and strategies to maximize its impact. To gather input from various stakeholders across the discipline, the steering committee invites feedback from interested groups and individuals about the important issues that need to be addressed at a working conference on introductory psychology. 

Please go to the survey at http://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/4007831/Working-Conference-Introductory-Psychology to share your feedback before the end of the day on December 6, 2017.

posted by Chuck Schallhorn

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Infographic on Trends in Psychology

Link for .pdf file of this poster

posted by Chuck Schallhorn

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Professional Development Resources and Regional Networks

Where can you get some quality professional for your psychology background? Look no further than what we have put together at the American Psychological Association/TOPSS.

If there is nothing in your state, find the link to create your own group and make something happen! The APA/TOPSS has some excellent resources to get you started.

Teaching Toolkit from APA/TOPSS

Check it out!

http://www.apa.org/ed/precollege/topss/state-local-groups.aspx

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APA/TOPSS Membership-Teaching of Psychology in Secondary Schools

The Teaching of Psychology in Secondary Schools (TOPSS) is an amazing organization that is a part of the American Psychological Association. Member benefits include connections to other psychology teachers around the world, the national standards, lesson plans for all the psychology units, professional development resources, and so much more.

The photo taken this past summer was of the participants of the APA Psychology Summit designed to examine the current state of affairs of teaching high school psychology and making choices about which directions we wanted the field to go into the future. Hint: the science of psychology was a huge portion.

In any case, join us in making the future of psychology even better by joining TOPSS. You can access everything at the link below. Join now and you get three extra months of membership.

http://www.apa.org/membership/hs-teacher/index.aspx

There are also many opportunities for leadership for those interested.

posted by Chuck Schallhorn

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Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. address, APA convention, 1967

Did you know that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. addressed the APA convention in 1967? I didn't! This blog post about his talk might be a very useful (and timely) post to use with your students.

Answering MLK Jr.’s Wake-Up Call

Here is the full text of his speech at the APA convention:

King's challenge to the nation's social scientists

posted by Rob McEntarffer

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Psychology of Racism resources from the APA

The fabulous Emily Leary (she's the assistant director of the APA office of Precollege and Undergraduate Education who does a lot of work for/with with TOPSS, and all high school teachers over her a debt, even if we don't realize it!) sent the following resources that might be useful for any high school psychology teacher who wants to discuss the events in Charlottesville with students:

• A letter from the APA to the mayor of Charlottesville offering any help they need
• A list of national experts on the psychology of racism
• A reference list of articles/research on the psychology of racism
• Great Psychology Today blog post from Dana Dunn (another friend of high school psychology) 
• Advice from Valerie Strauss at the Washingon Post - how to teach about Charlottesville

posted by Rob McEntarffer

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TOPSS and the APA Convention

This message is from Emily Chesnes at the APA. If you are already going to the APA Annual Convention, fantastic. If you are within a few hours' drive, make plans and go!

We hope to see many of you this week at the APA Convention in Washington, DC.  The TOPSS-invited sessions are listed below; please note that the location of the Friday, August 4, TOPSS reception at the APA Convention has changed.  The reception will be held this Friday from 5:00-6:30 PM at Fado Irish Pub at 808 7th Street N.W., Washington, DC, (202) 789-0066.

For more convention sessions for psychology teachers, see this recent Psychology Learning Curve post on convention highlights, this Division 2 chart of convention programming, or this listing of educational programming.  For registration information and to see more on programming, visit the APA Convention website.

TOPSS-invited speakers:

Friday, Aug. 4

1-1:50 p.m. | Convention Center Room 143B
Randal M. Ernst Lecture: High School Psychology: A Discussion on the 2017 APA Summit
Chair:  R. Scott Reed, Hamilton High School, Ariz.
Participants:  Randal M. Ernst, EdD, Nebraska Wesleyan University; Amy Fineburg, PhD, Jefferson Public Schools, Ala.; other summit participants.

2-2:50 p.m. | Convention Center Room 144A
In the Light of a Star: An Introduction to the Life and Works of William Stern (1871-1938)
James T. Lamiell, PhD, Georgetown University
Chair: R. Scott Reed, Hamilton High School, Ariz.

3-3:50 p.m. | Convention Center Room 143B
The Lee Gurel Lecture: The Power of Persuasion
Robert Cialdini, PhD, Arizona State University
Chair: R. Scott Reed, Hamilton High School, Ariz.

5-6:30 p.m.
Please join us for a TOPSS Reception
Fado Irish Pub
808 7th Street N.W., Washington, DC
(202) 789-0066).

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Maria Vita is Amazing! AKA What to Buy for Your Psych Class

Fellow TOPSS Board Member Maria Vita is an amazing person. Over the past year, she has shared a Google Doc she put together highlighting with links some things you may want to purchase for your psychology classroom.

I leave you with her list:

The links in the doc are active, but not the ones below in the picture. Open the doc and check all of them out. She is pretty terrific.

posted by Chuck Schallhorn

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APA Psychology Summit Day 2

Day two of the APA Psychology Summit began with a leadership meeting in the morning, shortly after Tomee led a group of teachers in yoga. After breakfast (we are being fed quite well), Dr. Eric Amsel, Associate Provost of Weber State, Dr. Aaron Ashley, Psychology Department Chair, and Dr. Charles Wright, President of Weber State all greeted and welcomed us officially for our first day of work.

Next came Dr. Yaira Sánchez, from Academia Marie Reina in Puerto Rico, who introduced Dr. Tammy Hughes of Duquesne University. She valiantly stepped in for the ailing Dr. Frank Worrel for today's keynote speech. She had to take Dr. Worrel's work and presentation on diversity research and make it her own. If we had not known that it was not her presentation and that she had only a week to prepare, we would not have known she was the pinch hitter. She shared many important pieces of research on identity, connection to dominant groups, academic achievement, and connections among these and other variables.

After a brief break, we began to work in our strands.

1. Psychology as Science
2. Skills that Improve Flourishing and Well-Being
3. National Standards for High School Psychology Education
4. Assessing Skills and Content in Psychology
5. Identifying and Credentialing High School Psychology Teachers
6. Ongoing Professional Development
7. Diversity and Access
8. Technology and Online Learning

Each working group has two co-chairs and at least six other people to complete the work. There is more to come on the details of what each group will be coming up with and recommending. A big part of this summit is to lay the groundwork and framework for work that will be completed by groups to come later. Some will be within TOPSS such as reworking the national standards and working with the education directorate to obtain funding for more week-long professional development opportunities for psychology teachers as well as taking the resources already in existence and reorganize them and create video demonstrations for teachers to learn how to show a concept in class. So as you can see with both this and with the additional ideas above, there will be work that will be years in progress for this group to begin and for others to continue and/or finish.

During lunch, we viewed a video of students from Maria Vita's classes and Kristin Whitlock's classes about what psychology meant to them. We were already sitting with our teams in our respective strands. We discussed as a group our takeaways from the video and then shared out as a large group from each table. 

After lunch, we returned to our work rooms and spent the afternoon progressing in our various strands. Work was intense and beneficial. The pure joy so many of us felt at working with others who are just as passionate about psychology is so incredibly energizing. Friendships have been both created and continued today.

Dinner was a barbecue of steak or chicken. Excellent food again Weber State!

For some pictures, check out the Facebook page for the NCSS Psychology Group if you are a member. If not, contact Daria Schaffield to become a lifetime member. I have Daria to thanks for most of the pictures posted below. She and friends went on a walk after dinner and saw spectacular views. 

KEn Weaver leading the lunch discussion--Brad Wray and Rob MacEntarffer with the Microphone
Yes, we threw it around the room to speak.  

Our Weber State hosts pose with Tony Puente, APA President

This is the entire summit group of participants at lunch today. Thank you to Emily Chesnes for this photo.

posted by Chuck Schallhorn

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APA Psychology Summit Day 1

After hours of travel, we gathered on the campus of Weber State University at the foot of the Wasatch Mountains. Some arrived for meetings on the 8th. Most of us arrived today traveling from Connecticut, Puerto Rico, Arizona, Michigan, California, Florida, and other far-flung locales from around the US. Why are we here? Take a look at the details of the Psychology Summit at this link.

Several different groups had lunch at a local pizza place called the Pie Pizzeria. For the math aficionado among us, all the staff had a large 𝝅 on their shirts.

The heat and the altitude combined with a long day of travel created many thirsty travelers. The campus gave us a water bottle in our welcome bag and there are refill stations around campus near every drinking fountain. Great use of resources! Nearly everyone commented on the beauty of the mountains. Some even went for hikes before the events of the late afternoon.

In the morning before everyone else arrived, the steering committee made final decisions about what approaches each of the eight strands were to take. From 2 to 4, there was another leadership meeting that included the current TOPSS board. At 4 pm, all 70 of us or so gathered for refreshments and had a big getting to know you set of conversations as well as some reunions. We were reminded that during all of our work this week, we needed to keep our mission in mind: "to create the best future for high school psychology education." Further solidified later in the talks was the message that there are many people who have taught psychology in some form in secondary schools going back almost 200 years. We are building on their work and the work we are doing is not some final product. We are only beginning this process for others to build on. The is a start point, not an endpoint. There will be many opportunities for people around the country to become involved in what we begin this week.

Dr. Randy Ernst and Dr. Amy Fineberg, steering committee co-chairs, introduced the evening and prepared us for the week to come. CEO of the American Psychological Association, Dr. Arthur Evans send a pre-recorded message to our group. Dr. Jaime Diaz-Granados, Executive Director of the APA Education Directorate share some wisdom. Dr. Tony Puente, President of the APA shared a history of teaching high school psychology showing us where it has been. At the end of his speech, Dr. Puente gave Randy Ernst an award for which no one was aware ahead of time recognizing Randy's contributions over the past 35 years to the teaching of high school psychology.

Randy Ernst and Tony Puente pose after the night's dinner

Kristin Whitlock, TOPSS Chair, introduced Charlie Blair-Broeker, a 38-year veteran of high school psychology. Charlie gave a humorous look at the history of teaching psychology during his lifetime, from the old reel-to-reel projectors to electric typewriters and more. The younger in the audience looked upon some of the tools of education with either bewilderment or horror as they appeared to not be aware of technology before computers. Just saying.

Charlie Blair-Broeker

Tony Puente

The evening was ultimately filled with one of hope and forthcoming effort recognizing that each of us has a part to play in the next steps of what happens in the history of high school psychology. Stay tuned for more.



posted by Chuck Schallhorn

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APA Summit on High School Psychology Education

APA Summit 

on 

High School Psychology Education 

The American Psychological Association and Weber State University, with generous support from many contributing sponsors, are pleased to host the first-ever APA Summit on High School Psychology Education in Ogden, Utah, July 9-14, 2017. The mission of the summit is to create the best future for high school psychology education. Please visit the Summit website to read about the goals, objectives, and plans for this landmark event.

The keynote addresses for the summit will be live-streamed through the summit website and we encourage anyone interested in learning more about high school psychology to join us online for these talks. Talk details are listed below. 

Recordings of the keynotes will be available online following the summit if you cannot join us live. High school psychology courses are the start of the pipeline into the discipline and help educate the public about psychological science.

High school psychology is a popular course and enrollment in Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate psychology courses, in particular, have increased over the past two decades. The summit steering committee believes that all of APA should have a vested interest in ensuring that the teaching of high school psychology is of high-quality and effective. Outcomes, deliverables, and action plans will be widely shared following the summit.

Details of live streamed talks:

Sunday, July 9, 2017, 7:00 p.m. ET 
Opening Remarks
Randy Ernst, Ed.D., and Amy Fineburg, Ph.D., Steering Committee Co-Chairs
Arthur C. Evans, Jr., Ph.D., CEO, APA
Jim Diaz-Granados, Ph.D., Executive Director, APA Education Directorate
Antonio Puente, Ph.D., University of North Carolina Wilmington, APA President

Sunday, July 9, 2017, 8:30 p.m. ET 
Charlie Blair-Broeker, MAT, Hawkeye Community College
"High School Psychology: A Long and Winding Road"

Thursday, July 13, 7:30 p.m. ET 
David Myers, Ph.D., Hope College
"Teaching Psychological Science in a Post-Truth Age"

Due to unforeseen circumstances, a third keynote address on "Introducing Diverse Perspectives in High School Psychology: Sources and Content" scheduled for Monday, July 10, may not be live streamed but we hope to record the talk to post online following the summit. Please contact eleary@apa.org with any questions.




posted by Chuck Schallhorn

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APA Convention and Workshop

The information about this year's APA convention is detailed below. There are several opportunities for high school teachers to see the experts and learn more about psychology.

The annual American Psychological Association (APA) Convention will be held August 3-6, 2017, in Washington, DC.  Here are three important reasons to consider attending APA:

                                                                                          

1.       Full Day Pre-Convention Workshop for Psychology Teachers

On Wednesday, August 2, the APA Education Directorate is hosting a full day workshop for psychology teachers on hard to teach topics and enhancing the teaching of introductory psychology.  The cost of this workshop is $40 to attend for TOPSS members; breakfast, lunch, and materials will be provided. Presenters are Dana S. Dunn, Ph.D., of Moravian College in Bethlehem, PA, Nancy Fenton of Adlai E. Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire, IL, and Jessica Flitter of West Bend High School in West Bend, WI.  For details and to register, please visit http://on.apa.org/2kCAOhl.  The registration deadline is July 1.  The workshop will be held at Trinity Washington University in the Payden Academic Center.  We hope you will register soon. 

2.       TOPSS Invited Speakers and Reception

                                                                                 

The APA Committee of Teachers of Psychology in Secondary Schools (TOPSS) is pleased to announce the TOPSS invited speakers at Convention.  These sessions will all be held at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center on Friday, August 4:

• Robert Cialdini, Ph.D., Arizona State University: The Lee Gurel Lecture: The Power of Persuasion 

• James T. Lamiell, Ph.D., Georgetown University: In the Light of a Star: An Introduction to the Life and Works of William Stern (1871-1938)

• Randal M. Ernst Lecture: High School Psychology: A Discussion on the 2017 APA Summit, with Randal M. Ernst, EdD, Nebraska Wesleyan University; Amy Fineburg, Ph.D., Jefferson Public Schools; and other summit participants

There will also be a reception for high school psychology teachers at RFD Washington (810 7^th Street, NW, Washington, DC, 20001), from 5:00-6:30 PM on Friday, August 4.  We hope you can join us for complimentary drinks and appetizers. 

3.       The APA Convention is an Outstanding Opportunity to Learn about Psychology and Network with Teachers and Psychologists

You can choose from hundreds of sessions on psychology, including numerous plenary addresses on cutting-edge research in the field at APA.  Many sessions are aimed at educators; you can also read about additional convention sessions for teachers through the Society for the Teaching of Psychology website at http://teachpsych.org/conferences/apa/index.php.

posted by Chuck Schallhorn

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