Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Psych Teacher Survival Kit--Need Your Input




Good Day Everyone! Standardized testing is upon us. In pondering my career and life, I have often wondered how much better I would have been if I had a mentor at my school or better resources at my disposal (note: I began teaching before the internet was big). To the right is a picture of a survival kit if I were to be stranded in the wilderness. But I have a different idea in mind.
My request is this. In the comments section, I'd like us to create two lists. The first is a "First Year Psychology Teacher's Survival Kit." The second is to create a list for first year AP psych teachers. There will be overlap. I have my own ideas, but would like to tap into the collective wisdom of this group. So please add your idea(s) in the comments section. Consider this a brainstorming list--all ideas accepted. Once this runs its course, I will compile and create a document that I will send to the APA and NCSS for possible dissemination to teachers around the nation.
Thanks,
Chuck

1 comment:

Mrs. Welle said...

I would recommend that anyone planning on teaching AP Psych attend an AP Psychology workshop (half or full day) offered by the College Board. My district sent me to one before I started our program and it was invaluable (learned the structure of the course, topics covered on the exam, and how the exam is scored).

As far as materials, I'm sure I could come up with a lot, but the two items that really jumped out at me were:

Scantrons (for grading MC sections of tests). I didn't have these my first year and now can't live without them. Of course, this may be because I have 4 sections of the class and over 80 students. When I scored tests by hand it took forever and I still had Free-Responses to grade. This makes returning tests quickly much easier.

Also, get your school library to purchase a copy of the current DSM. The students like exploring it and it's hard to talk about the importance of a book you don't have.