This article concludes the series on APA’s High School Psychology Summit taking place July 9-14 at Weber State University in Ogden, Utah. We’re going to briefly describe the final two strands of the Summit and examine how all the strands interconnect. As a reminder, the first 6 strands were:
- Psychology as Science
- Skills that Promote Flourishing and Well-being
- Revising the National Standards for High School Psychology Curricula
- Assessing Learning Outcomes
- Credentialing and Identifying the High School Psychology Teacher
- Ongoing Professional Development
Strand 7 is Diversity and Access, co-chaired by Yadira Sánchez, PsyD, and Tammy Hughes, PhD. Participants in this strand are charged with developing resources for teachers addressing diversity issues with high school psychology students. This group will produce materials guiding teachers on how to introduce and infuse diversity in all areas of teaching psychology. The final strand (8), Technology and Online Learning co-chaired by Ladonna Lewis, PhD, and Brad Wray will explore and describe best practices on the use of technology for high school psychology teachers. These working group members will investigate and make recommendations regarding online teaching as a way to increase the reach of psychology science (particularly in rural and underserved areas) while generating a list of pedagogically appropriate technology tools.
Making connections
All strands have deliverables or products that strand members will work on before, during, and after the summit. To strengthen the impact of the summit, the steering committee is identifying cross-group connections that will magnify the effectiveness of each strand’s efforts through collaboration across working groups during the summit. For example, a likely Strand 1 (science) deliverable is a position paper regarding the role of psychology in the sciences that connects the Next Generation Science Standards with the National Standards for High School Psychology Curricula. This paper will be essential for Strand 3’s product of a new framework to develop the next set of psychology standards. Another cross-group connection, a Strand 5 (credentialing) product, will be a state-based advocacy template aimed at showing how a high school psychology course could be considered a social studies and/or science credit. This Strand 5 outcome will require clarity about the role of psychology in the sciences (Strand 1) which will help guide the development of the new National Standards (Strand 3) which decision makers at the school district and state levels will use to make the case for psychology as both a social studies as well as a science course.
Another cross-strand connection example includes Strands 6 (professional development), 7 (diversity and access) and 8 (technology). Technology and online teaching will be crucial for promoting diversity and understanding of diversity issues as a professional development opportunity. One of Strand 6’s outcomes is recommendations for online and in-person professional development opportunities. Strand 7 will develop strategies to promote greater awareness and understanding of diversity issues among high school psychology teachers and students. Strand 8 will produce a document sharing best practices in the use of technology for high school psychology teachers and recommendations regarding online teaching. Each of these outcomes involves the work of the other strands.
Cross-strand efforts will help psychology teachers address several questions: How does a teacher present teaching activities for learning emotional well-being, metacognition and employability (Strand 2; skills) using technology tools that are pedagogically appropriate for teaching these psychology concepts (Strand 8; technology)? What does an experienced teacher need to know (Strand 6; professional development) about how to introduce and infuse diversity in all areas of teaching psychology (Strand 7; diversity and access)? Yes, all 8 strands can stand alone, but they are also interconnected in many ways. During the summit, it will be a priority to have time for the members of different strands to connect and have their thinking informed by the thinking of others.
Taken together, the APA Summit on High School Psychology Education presents an opportunity to strengthen the value and reach of psychological science, the way it is delivered and assessed.
About the authors
Ladonna Lewis, PhD, received her BA in psychology from The University of Oklahoma in 1990, her MS in psychology from The University of Oklahoma in 1994, and her PhD in experimental psychology (emphasis in social psychology) from The University of Oklahoma in 1997. Ladonna is a faculty member in the psychology department at Glendale Community College in Glendale, Arizona where she has taught for 14 years, and is currently the assistant director of the honors program. Ladonna teaches both face-to-face and online classes and has given several presentations regarding online teaching and learning, and is a Quality Matters™ master reviewer.
Ken Weaver, PhD, is dean of The Teachers College and professor of psychology at Emporia State University in Kansas, where he has taught for 30 years. He was a Peace Corps volunteer in Philippines’ public health education for two years and a middle school science teacher in South Carolina for five years. Ken participated in the 1999 National Forum on Psychology Partnerships and the 2008 Puget Sound National Conference on Undergraduate Education in Psychology, served on the National Standards for High School Psychology Curricula Working Group from 1999 to 2004, and chaired the working group on the certification of high school psychology teachers. He is a fellow of APA and has received an APA Presidential Citation for outstanding leadership in support of teaching and learning, the Robert S. Daniel Teaching Excellence Award from the Society for the Teaching of Psychology, and the Psi Chi Florence L. Denmark National Faculty Advisor Award.