2008 Syllabus for Psychology
July 28 - August 1, 2008
Institute Overview
The institute will address the primary content areas of a typical AP Psychology course. In pursuit of our goal to enhance the teaching of psychology at the AP level we will examine ways to supplement the standard lecture through demonstration, selection of discussion topics and exercises, and other interactive research components of an introductory psychology course. Time will be spent examining the AP Psychology Exam, including a discussion of strategies for preparing students for the exam. Special attention will be given to materials participants can take home to use in class and to applications of educational technologies (e.g., power point, video, and computing) supporting the teaching of psychology.
Institute Goals
The fundamental goal of the institute is to provide an overview of a college-level introductory course in psychology with an emphasis on demonstrations, labs, activities, resources, etc. that the classroom teacher can use in their classroom. Steps to accomplish this are threefold:
- First, to review issues of significance and of current interest in the central areas of psychology.
- Second, to share tools, techniques, tips, and other resources to address the "how-to" aspect of teaching the AP course.
- Third, to discuss various aspects of the AP Psychology exam and how to prepare students to be as successful as they can be.
My hope is that the institute's participants will leave excited about the prospect of teaching psychology, fairly knowledgeable about the discipline and its subfields, and armed with some specific ideas and practical information for lectures, demonstrations, discussions, and other activities.
Consultant Background
Kent Korek currently teaches AP Psychology and chairs the Social Studies Department at Germantown High School in Germantown, WI. In his twenty-eight years at GHS, he has
taught Psychology, Political Science, Economics, Sociology, Social Problems, US
History and AP Psychology since its inception in 1992. Prior to working at
Germantown, Kent taught in
West Allis for 2 years after
graduating from Marquette University with a double
major in history and psychology.
In 2003, Kent developed the companion web site and authored the classroom electronic presentations (PowerPoint) for the textbook, Thinking About Psychology. This past year, he worked on the web site and Powerpoints for the second edition of the text as well as creating questions for a Radio Frequency Classroom Response System (Clickers).
For the past three years Kent has been invited to be a reader for the AP Psychology Exam. For the 2008 AP Psychology Reading, he has been invited to be a Table Leader. Kent has been endorsed as a College Board Consultant and has attended, facilitated and presented at many summer institutes including a number sponsored by the National Science Foundation
Institute Preparation
Your pre-workshop assignment is to gather and bring with you, three "tried and true" activities for teaching psychology. These activities might include demonstrations, readings, worksheets, projects, lessons, etc. that you have found to be effective tools in teaching some psychological concept(s), work consistently year after year and that your students enjoy. At some point during the week you will be asked to briefly explain your activities to the group. If you have yet to teach psychology, please bring activities from other topics areas which could be adapted to a psychology class (i.e. review games). Please bring 25 copies of any item you wish to distribute to the group.
Institute Schedule
Monday
- Introductions
- Course Overview
- Methods, Approaches and History
- Research Methods
Tuesday
- Biological Bases for Behavior
- Sensation and Perception
- States of Consciousness
Wednesday
- Teaching AP Psychology (textbook selection, organization, reviewing for AP exam, etc.)
- Learning
- Cognition
- Testing and Individual Differences
- Developmental Psychology
Thursday
- Personality
- Motivation and Emotions
- Abnormal Psychology
- Treatment of Psychological Disorders
Friday
- Social Psychology
- Wrap-up
Graduate Credit Option
Participants may also earn three graduate education hours for any of the AP Summer Institutes from Washburn University for a reduced tuition rate of $85 per credit hour and the successful completion of an academic assignment. The academic assignment must be submitted to Dr. Sandy Tutwiler (sandy.tutwiler@washburn.edu) by August 15, 2008.
Additional Information
Timothy W. Peterson, Ph.D.
Dean of Continuing Education
Washburn University
1700 College Avenue
Topeka, KS 66621Phone: (785) 670-1399
Fax: (785) 670-1028