Curricular Materials

These modules were created by the members of a Task Force on the Applications of Psychological Science to Teaching and Learning. Their goal was to use research from the psychological and educational sciences and show how it can be applied to practical instructional problems and needs. They selected topics for these materials based on the Teacher Needs Survey that was conducted from 2004–06 with over 2,400 teachers giving feedback about their greatest professional development requirements.

 Based on those outcomes, these 10 teaching modules were created to reflect the array of challenges teachers may face in the classroom.

• Practice for Knowledge Acquisition
• Developing Responsible and Autonomous Learners
• Research in Brain Function and Learning
• Bullying
• Classroom Management
• Diagnosing Student Thinking
• How do I get my Students over their Alternative Conceptions (Misconceptions) for Learning?
• Developing Responsible and Autonomous Learners
• Using Praise to Enhance Student Resilience and Learning Outcomes
• Improving Students' Relationships with Teachers to Provide Essential Supports for Learning
• Using Classroom Data to Give Systematic Feedback to Students to Improve Learning

• Ethnic and Racial Disparities in Education: An APA presidential task force staffed by the Center for Psychology in School and Education (CPSE) examined the issue of educational disparities.

• TOPSS — Unit lesson plans
  These unit lesson plans for high school psychology teachers include a procedural timeline, a content outline, suggested resources and activities and references.

• Applying Psychology to Teaching and Learning
  Resources based on the contribution of psychological science to issues in the K-12 classroom.

• The Other 3 Rs: Reasoning, Resilience and Responsibility
  A third grade curriculum promoting the teaching of reasoning, resilience and responsibility was successfully piloted in the Montgomery County, Maryland Public Schools.

• PowerPoint Presentations for High School Psychology Teachers
  The APA Committee of Teachers of Psychology in Secondary Schools (TOPSS) has invited all 54 of APA's Divisions to create Power Point demonstrations for high school psychology teachers to access on-line and use in their classrooms.

• Sample Academic Calendars for High School Psychology Courses
  The sample pacing calendars on this page provide teachers with examples of actual calendars from other psychology teachers.

Curricula Publications

• National Standards for High School Psychology Curricula
  Guides curriculum decisions by providing learning objectives for high school psychology students, and content and performance standards for teachers.

• Psychology Teacher Network
  A quarterly publication of the APA Education Directorate with articles describing research and topics of special interest to psychology teachers.

Monitor on Psychology Articles

• Social and emotional learning curriculum available

• Resilient kids learn better