Say hello to a promising new blog

I was delighted yesterday to learn about a new psychology blog that THSP readers will LOVE. Books for Psychology Class is the brainchild of two amazing high school psychology teachers, Nancy Fenton and Laura Brandt, and here is the introduction they posted:

Welcome to the Books for Psychology Class Blog. The goal of this Blog is to share books that would be useful in an introductory Psychology class for both instructors and students.  We encourage anyone who is interested to submit reviews of books they would recommend, please e-mail us at lbrandt@d125.org or nfenton@d125.org.

They are off to a terrific start for me already, featuring one book I've read (Quiet) and two that are on my reading list (Behind the Shock Machine and David and Goliath). Let's here it for more quality places to share information for psychology teachers.


Well done, Laura and Nancy!
--posted by Steve

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What's your favorite "FRQ Practice" method?

A post on the AP Psychology Teacher Community site got me thinking about the different ways AP Psych teachers help students prepare for the Free Response Question part of the exam. The free response question is a unique item format: it's different than traditional "essay questions" that students and teachers are familiar with, and if students aren't ready for these unique characteristics, it can be a surprising and frustrating experience.

Here's a list of "FRQ studying techniques" I've heard of or seen demonstrated. I'm sure there are plenty of others, and there may be good reasons to choose one method over another. Please share your techniques/recommendations in the comments!

• Walking students through a "mock reading experience." This is easier to do if you've been an AP reader (which you should all do! It's an amazing experience! Please apply!) You can tell students that they are now "readers," and train them in one of the released scoring guides. After training, assign partners and students read sample essays, grading them using the scoring guides. Through this experience, students learn the ins and outs of the scoring guides, and get a much better idea about the kinds of thinking the FRQs demand. 
• Some teachers get students involved in writing scoring guides. This can be more time consuming, but it's a deeper examination of what it takes to measure knowledge and application of psych concepts in the FRQ format. Students could write scoring guides in groups, then another group could use the scoring guide on a sample essay and give the group feedback about how it worked. 
• I've been playing with a "progressive FRQ" (and I'm sure this idea doesn't originate with me). I wonder if it would be possible to "build" a longer FRQ over the course of a semester/year, starting with a short FRQ after the 1st unit, then adding another section/more bullets after the 2nd unit, etc. Students would need to "repeat" their answers to the earlier parts of the question on each exam, which can help students practice recalling information from previous units. I took a swing at an example here  (https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/985931/Progressive%20FRQ.docx)

I know there are MANY more ways to do this well, so please chime in using the comments!

image source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AP_Psychology

posted by Rob McEntarffer

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Sugar and the Brain

SUGAR!!!!!

A colleague was looking for examples and descriptions for the economic idea of diminishing marginal utility.   He ran across this video on sugar and the brain.  It deals with taste buds, brain parts, dopamine and all sorts of brain and physiology ideas.  It's only 5 minutes and has some fun graphics to keep the kids interested. Not all the various terms we use are in here, but may are referenced. Check it out.


posted by Chuck Schallhorn

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The Spinning Lady Illusion Updated

One of my students from last year found this and shared it with me. Thank you Harleen. :)

It is an update of the spinning lady illusion to make it more visible for each direction.  The original was from this link:
https://31.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_la72c3KYmq1qabovao1_r1_500.gif 

In the comments section, there were requests to have the illusion explained.  Here are a few excellent links that explain this and other illusions.  Enjoy :)

http://www.moillusions.com/spinning-girl-illusion-explanation/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spinning_Dancer
http://theness.com/neurologicablog/index.php/left-brain-right-brain-and-the-spinning-girl/
http://psychology.about.com/od/sensationandperception/ig/Optical-Illusions/spinning-dancer-illusion.htm
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/04/28/the-truth-about-the-spinning-dancer/?_r=0



Posted by Chuck Schallhorn

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Correlation, Causation and Some Cautions

I found this great post on Twitter and it's such a simple example for a basic stats point.  Thanks to io9. The article explains the distinction and how our cognitive biases can influence what we take as acceptable data.

The original link to the article can be found here: http://io9.com/on-correlation-causation-and-the-real-cause-of-auti-1494972271?utm_campaign=socialflow_io9_facebook&utm_source=io9_facebook&utm_medium=socialflow

or Link
Here is a screenshot of the article and headline:

Note that the author of the graph intended it as satire, not reality.

Posted by Chuck Schallhorn

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2014 TOPSS Deadlines: Teaching Awards, Essay Competition, and APF grants!

In case you didn't see it: Emily Leary (the fabulous person at the APA who works with TOPSS - hi Emily! - ELeary@APA.ORG) sent this email announcing upcoming deadlines. These are all great opportunities!

"APA TOPSS Excellence in Teaching Awards
These awards recognize outstanding high school psychology teachers.  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 2015 membership year. Additionally, Worth Publishers is generously donating a set of their “Interactive (PowerPoint) Presentation Slides for Introductory Psychology,” volumes 1 and 2, as well as the “Worth Video Anthology Flash Drive for Introductory Psychology,” to each of the winning teachers.  The nomination deadline is March 1, 2014.  For details, see http://www.apa.org/about/awards/teaching-excellence.aspx. 

TOPSS Competition for High School Psychology Students
The 2014 TOPSS Essay Competition requires students to describe the biopsychosocial factors that contribute to obesity and offer a solution using psychological science.  Up to four students will receive $250 scholarships for their winning work.  The submission deadline is April 1, 2014.  For details, see http://www.apa.org/ed/precollege/topss/student-competition-question.aspx.   

Professional Development Awards for High School Psychology Teachers
These APF Awards will provide up to $500 for teachers to travel to and attend the APA Annual Convention, Aug. 7-10, 2014, in Washington, D.C.  APF will award $2,500 in grants in 2014. The application deadline is April 1, 2014.  For details, see http://www.apa.org/apf/funding/professional-topss.aspx. 

High School Psychology Teacher Network Grants
These APF Awards support the development of local or regional networks of psychology teachers.  APF will award $2,500 in grants in 2014. The application deadline is May 1, 2014. For details, see http://www.apa.org/apf/funding/psychology-teacher-network.aspx. "

posted by Rob McEntarffer

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Congrats to the 2013 TOPSS board!

Congrats to the folks elected to the 2013 TOPSS board! Wahoo! If you aren't a member of TOPSS yet, now is a great time to join - new lesson plans and other goodies coming soon!

Here's the announcement on the APA/TOPSS page

"The APA Committee of Teachers of Psychology in Secondary Schools (TOPSS) is delighted to welcome three new members who will join the committee beginning in 2014.

• Chair-elect: Michael Hamilton of Hopkinton High School (Hopkinton, Mass.).
• Member-at-large: Virginia Welle of Chippewa Falls Senior High School (Chippewa Falls, Wis.). 
• Membership Coordinator: Amy Johnson Ramponi of Kimberly High School (Kimberly, Wis.). 

The TOPSS Committee extends sincere thanks and appreciation to Jann Longman, Tonya Hinton and Katie Clark for their service to TOPSS and their commitment to excellence in the teaching of psychology. 

TOPSS also thanks Ken Keith, PhD, for his term as a TOPSS college faculty representative. Keith's term ends in December 2013, and a new college faculty representative will be announced in early 2014."

(PS: These folks are on Twitter if you want to send congrats that way -  @mhamilton81 @Welle_APpsych , and @AmyRamponi) 

posted by Rob McEntarffer

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Repurpose old board games with a new purpose!

This post might be more useful for Sociology (or even Government?) teachers, but I think the underlying idea/concept might apply in interesting ways for psych teachers. I spotted a tweet from @reubenhoffman (Reuben's website: https://sites.google.com/site/reubenhoffman/) about a "Social Stratification game, and I think it's a very cool idea.

Reuben sent this link to the rules of the game . The concept is that you change the rules of Monopoly in order to help students think/talk about socio-economic class issues. I haven't done this with students yet, but I imagine it starts some GREAT conversations.

Reuben's example makes me wonder: could Psych teachers do something similar, maybe with other games? The Game of Life for developmental psych? Clue for research methods? Anyone do anything like this, or have other ideas? Please chime in in the comments section.

posted by Rob McEntarffer

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Your brain is all squishy

Scott Miller (great psych teacher from Washington State - hi Scott!) sent me a link to this amazing video of a (very!) recently removed brain. In the video, Dr. Susan Stensaas from the University of Utah explains that this brain was removed during an autopsy of a cancer patient. The video does a great job showing the fragility of the brain, and it would be tough to get a more accurate "view" of what the human brain is physically like unless you were present at an autopsy.

I'm sharing this video because it might be very useful during the Bio unit, or even during discussions about concussions, etc. BUT (as Scott points out) PLEASE PREVIEW! It will definitely make queasy students (or teachers :) uncomfortable, and you may want to make it optional viewing.

The Unfixed Brain

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHxyP-nUhUY&feature=youtu.be

posted by Rob McEntarffer

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APA TOPSS Webcast for Psychology Teachers: Does That Psychology Demonstration Really Work?

Anyone interested in a webcast? I (Rob McEntarffer) got invited to do one for the APA/TOPSS (nice! I'm honored!), and I'll try to make it a fun/educational experience. Details below:

Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2013 at 7:00 p.m. EST
Presented by Robert McEntarffer, Lincoln Public Schools, Lincoln, Neb.

This first-ever TOPSS webcast will be free of charge to TOPSS members , and $20 to all others. TOPSS members will be emailed a discount code by mid-November, which will give them free access to the webinar. We hope you will join us!

Description

Psychology teachers often use activities and demonstrations to help communicate important concepts to students. However, it can be difficult to know if students remember the concept or just the exciting details of the activity. During this webcast, participants discuss how to keep the focus on learning during demonstrations. The presenter shares several ways to use technology and the formative assessment process to check whether or not an activity resulted in students learning the psychology concept. This hourlong webcast will include time for questions and answers.

Click on this link to register - hope to "see" you there! (Note: the teacher in the image above isn't me. But she looks happy!)
http://www.apa.org/news/events/2013/topss-webcast.aspx


posted by Rob McEntarffer

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