 |
 |
||||
|
 |
||||
|
|
|
||||
|
|
||||
|
How To Use the Standards in Day-to-Day Lesson Plans
It may seem a difficult task, especially for the beginning teacher of psychology, to "translate" the standards presented in this document into day-to-day lesson plans. Fortunately, there are many resources available to help in this regard.
First, note that there are suggested performance indicators for every performance standard. These performance indicators may be used as a starting point for classroom activities or student assignments. They are only suggestions. Teachers will want to substitute and supplement freely as they develop their own courses and lesson plans.
Second, use materials provided with psychology textbooks. Most books have an extensive package of materials that can be used to teach content more effectively. Perhaps the most helpful of these materials is the instructor’s manual, which generally contains background information for the concepts covered in the text, lecture ideas, and suggestions for activities, demonstrations, and assignments. The usefulness of this information may vary, and one way to help select the most valuable information is to use the instructor’s manual in conjunction with these standards. Time is at a premium for most teachers, so the standards can be helpful in choosing what to emphasize. Ideally, the teacher can relate every class activity to these standards.
Third, many other resources can help build the standards into an effective course. Teachers of Psychology in Secondary Schools (TOPSS) has been especially active in publishing a series of unit plans designed to help instructors teach a scientifically based course. Each of these plans contains a suggested procedural outline, a content outline, activities, critical-thinking exercises, discussion questions, and a bibliography. Two of the already published units, An Introduction to the Field of Psychology and Stat Pack, are extremely helpful for developing the Introduction and Research Methods unit, which is the core of these standards. As they are developed, these unit plans are distributed free to TOPSS members. Previously published units are available for a nominal fee from the Education Directorate at APA.
Other print, computer, and video resources worth considering are included in the appendixes of this document. To teachers developing their first high school psychology course, the sheer volume of these resources can seem daunting. The best thing for a teacher to do is to start with the basic framework provided by the standards to determine which parts of the textbook will be taught. The teacher should join TOPSS to tap into a source of high quality curriculum materials (as well as a professional connection with other high school psychology teachers and a variety of student-oriented benefits, among other things). The teacher needs to explore other sources of information to continually refine and improve the psychology course. As long as the materials and activities used fit the standards suggested in this document, students will experience an accurate, high-quality introduction to the science of psychology.
This section contains a Lesson Planning Sheet to help connect your present teaching strategies and materials to the standards and to develop new lessons designed specifically to meet one or more performance standards. The format of the sheet makes it possible to integrate the standards quickly and efficiently into the curriculum in a practical, useful way.
To show how the Lesson Planning Sheet might be used, a blank planning sheet, and two sample lessons are included, along with the necessary supporting materials.
Lesson Planning Sheet (for day______________of a_____________________day unit)
Standard Area (Unit Name):________________________
Domain:
Targeted Content Standard(s):
Targeted Performance Standard(s):
Performance Objective__________.___________:_____________________________
Materials Needed:
Notes:
Lesson Planning Sheet (for day_______________of a________________day unit)
Standard Area (Unit Name): Stress, Coping, and Health
Domain: Biopsychological
Targeted Content Standard(s):
CONTENT STANDARD 2: Physiological reactions to stress
Targeted Performance Standard(s):
Performance Objective 2.1: List and explain possible physiological reactions to stress
A. Teaching strategy to be used: Discussion of stress, its sources, and how it affects health
(see attached notes)
B. Performance indicator (assessment technique): Stress/Biodot journal activity
C. Estimated time required: One period of class time and out-of-class assignment
Materials Needed:
Biodots, available from Biodot International. 1-800-272-2340
Student journal handout (attached)
Notes:
Stress Unit Introductory Notes
