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

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

The American Psychological Association (APA) Teachers of Psychology in Secondary Schools (TOPSS) Charles T. Blair-Broeker Excellence in Teaching Awards recognize outstanding teachers in psychology. There will be up to three annual awards.

Winners will receive a framed certificate, engraved award, cash prize of $500, and a free TOPSS membership or renewal for the 2019 membership year. Additionally, Worth Publishers is generously donating a $500 credit to Bedford Freeman & Worth Publishers and a copy of the “High School Psychology Video Anthology DVD” to each of the winning teachers.  For additional details and the nomination process, please see http://www.apa.org/about/awards/teaching-excellence.aspx.  

The nomination deadline is February 15, 2018.

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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