This year is my 25th year teaching psychology, and I’ve been reflecting on how classroom teaching has changed during this time. I remember figuring grades with my pocket calculator and bubbling in the results, using a “ditto” machine for copies, and using a film strip projector to add some excitement to my presentations. How things have changed as I sit here typing on a computer with 8 GB of memory and think back to my Apple IIe with its glorious 1 MB of memory (8 GB = 8,000 MB). How did we do it without the Internet and YouTube? And how did we teach psychology without the APA Teachers of Psychology in Secondary Schools (TOPSS)?
This year is also the 25th anniversary of TOPSS. I remember attending a month-long psychology institute at Texas A&M University in 1994 where I learned about TOPSS for the first time. As a new teacher, with few resources and not much support, it was like the heavens had opened. Along with the incredible experience of this National Science Foundation institute, my eyes were opened to a wonderful community of psychology teachers and an organization whose sole purpose was to help me do what I loved.
As I contemplate the role TOPSS has played in my career, I am thankful for the insight of the original steering committee and other dedicated individuals, and the support of the APA Board of Educational Affairs and other leadership at APA, who had the determination to see this group become a reality. I know I am not alone in my gratitude.
As the national voice for high school Psychology teachers, TOPSS’ list of accomplishments is impressive. A sampling includes:
- The National Standards for High School Psychology Curricula, first published in 1999 and revised in 2005 and 2011, supports high-quality teaching of psychological science and provides a framework for teachers and others to use in developing their courses.
- TOPSS has published 21 unit lesson plans for high school psychology teachers, providing content, activities and resources.
- The TOPSS Essay Competition for High School Psychology Students offers students an opportunity to be recognized.
- Three APA TOPSS Charles T. Blair-Broeker Excellence in Teaching Awards are annually awarded to recognize outstanding high school Psychology teachers.
- Through the generous support of Lee Gurel, PhD, and the American Psychological Foundation (APF), the annual APA/Clark University Workshop for High School Teachers is held yearly in Worcester, Massachusetts.
- High school Psychology teachers can apply for APF funding to support professional development.
- TOPSS sponsors three hours of programming at the APA Annual Convention each August.
These accomplishments speak to the dedication of the nearly 50 high school teachers and approximately 22 college advisors who have served on the TOPSS Committee since 1992, and the incredible support of the Education Directorate staff in making ideas a reality.
As TOPSS looks to the future, change is inevitable. The numbers of students taking psychology continue to grow. In 2016, 293,350 students took the Advanced Placement Psychology exam, an increase of 16,379 over the previous year. It is currently the sixth largest exam AP exam. In addition, in May 2016, 19,575 candidates worldwide who took the International Baccalaureate (IB) psychology exam and 5,176 candidates worldwide who wrote their IB extended essay in psychology (IBO, 2016). In 2009, the most recent year of available data, the National Center for Education Statistics reported that 30 percent of graduating students earned credits in a psychology course during their four years in high school. These numbers were supported by the College Board, who found that 32 percent of all graduating high school students in 2015 who took the SAT took psychology during high school (College Board Research & Development, 2015).
Considering this growth, how can teachers best meet the needs of an increasing and more diverse student population? As teachers, we know that psychology courses can play a vital role in our high schools. Students find our courses intrinsically interesting because of the content, but the impact of our courses can be long lasting. We are in a unique position to help students become better consumers of information by increasing their scientific literacy and critical thinking skills. We also can help students attain the skills that will promote their emotional well-being and metacognition. Students can also gain insight into how psychology can help solve some of the most challenging questions facing our society today. TOPSS will continue to play an important role in providing teachers the support they need to tackle these issues.
To this end, the TOPSS Committee looks forward to the first APA Summit on High School Psychology Education to be held July 9–14, 2017, at Weber State University (Ogden, Utah). The goal of the summit is to promote the value, delivery, assessment and reach of psychological science through the teaching of high school psychology. At the summit, groups of talented high school and college faculty will embark on a journey to investigate and develop action plans for the most pressing issues related to the future of our courses and set the stage for the next 25 years of TOPSS. Summit outcomes and action plans will be broadly shared to involve as many TOPSS members and others interested in high quality psychology education as possible.
The past 25 years have flown by, bringing incredible changes and progress. What lies ahead for TOPSS is full of promise. I hope you will be a part of it.
References
College Board Research & Development. (2015). College-bound seniors 2015: Recent high school graduates who took psychology during high school, by course type. New York: Author.
College Board (2016). AP Program Participation and Performance Data 2016. Retrieved from https://research.collegeboard.org/programs/ap/data/participation/ap-2016opens in new window.
International Baccalaureate. (2016). The IB Diploma Programme statistical bulletin, May 2016 examination session. Retrieved from https://www.ibo.org/contentassets/bc850970f4e54b87828f83c7976a4db6/dp-statistical-bulletin-may-2016-en.pdfopens in new window (PDF, 1.87MB).
U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics. (2009). America’s high school graduates: Results from the 2009 NAEP High School Transcript Study.
About the author
Kristin H. Whitlock, MEd, has been teaching AP psychology since 1992 and currently teaches at Davis High School in Kaysville, Utah. Currently Kristin serves as chair of the TOPSS Committee. She is a question leader at the annual AP psychology reading and has served as the College Board advisor to the AP Psychology Test Development Committee. She has authored many articles and teaching materials to support the AP psychology curriculum and has presented at numerous teaching conferences. Most recently she presented at the National Institute on the Teaching of Psychology, Stanford’s Psychology One Conference, the AP Annual Conference and the National Council for the Social Studies Annual Conference. As a College Board consultant, she also conducts AP psychology workshops. Kristin is also the program director for the annual Utah-Teachers of Psychology in Secondary Schools Fall Conference. When not doing something related to psychology, Kristin loves to spend time with her three fabulous children and wonderfully supportive husband.
