AP Psychology s curriculum content areas are set within a tight time-line: 1. Introduction-September

Transcription

1 Walnut Grove Secondary School Course Title/Teacher Advanced Placement (AP) Psychology J. Bryant-Taneda Courses are scheduled in a rotating eight-block schedule. Each class meets for a 64-minute block for five out of every eight school days. In a 187-day school year, classes meet approximately 120 hours per year. WGSS has Flex 42 minutes per day; it is expected with AP Psychology that first period Flex will periodically be used for assigned student work and class discussions. Please manage your Flextime accordingly. Course overview or summary AP Psychology is intended for students who are interested in advanced placement standing which is equivalent to a First Year Psychology Course at a college/university level. AP Psychology is designed to introduce students to the systematic and scientific study of the behaviour and mental processes of human beings and animals. Students are exposed to the psychological facts, principles, and phenomena associated with each of the major subfields within psychology. Students also learn about the methods psychologists use in their science and practice. Admission to AP Psychology depends on the student's interest in the subject as well as on his or her academic record. It is recommended that students obtain at least 72% overall in Psychology 12. However, many highly motivated students with less than outstanding records have successfully completed AP courses and have obtained college/university credit and/or advanced placement through the AP Examinations. Students who successfully complete this AP course and exam will obtain college/university credit and/or advanced placement through the AP Examination. The AP examination is approximately two hours long and includes both a 70-minute Multiple-Choice section and a 50-minute Free Response section. (It is usually scheduled on the Monday or Tuesday in the first week of May.) The Multiple-Choice section accounts for two-thirds of the students' examination grade and the Free-Response section for the remaining one-third. The percentage that follows each of the topics listed in the "Outline of course content" below correlate to the multiple-choice part of the exam. AP Psychology 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 (Recent Exam Scores: 5 36%; 4 18%; 3 23%; 2 10%; 1 13%) Course objectives The central question addressed in AP Psychology is, How do psychologists think? The psychologist David Myers wrote that to think as a psychologist, one must learn to restrain intuition with critical thinking, judgmentalism with compassion, and illusion with understanding. Whether students choose to pursue a career related to psychology or a vocation in some entirely different field, critical thinking and compassion will be of great value. Outline of course content and skills Please note that the units taught, their length, and their order will depend upon such variables as class, composition, availability of resources, and time tabling constraints. AP Psychology introduces the methods of inquiry and evaluation used by psychologists. The course provides information relating to issues that all individuals encounter not only in himself or herself, but also in relationships with friends and families. Students will acquire insight into the complex determinants of behaviour and develop an appreciation of individual differences. AP Psychology s curriculum content areas are set within a tight time-line: 1. Introduction-September

2 History and Approaches: schools/perspectives, modern ideology 2. Ch. 1 Thinking Critically, Psychological Science, & Ethics of Experimentation-September Research Methods: scientific inquiry, statistics, ethics 3. Ch. 18 Social Psychology-September Attitudes, behaviour, conformity (Asch), obedience (Milgram), role playing (Zimbardo) 4. Ch. 2 Neuroscience and Biological basis of Behaviour-September- October Neurons, brain, nervous system, anatomy, genetics (Plomin), heritability 5. Ch. 3 The Nature and Nurture of Behaviour-October Genetics and learning (Rozenweig) 6. Ch. 4 Developmental Psychology-October- November Studies, theories (Piaget, Kubler-Ross, Kohlberg, Erikson, & Freud) 7. Ch. 5 Sensation-November Psychophysics (Weber), sensory organs, transduction 8. Ch. 6 Perception-November Attention and processing (Gestalt) 9. Ch. 7 States of Consciousness-November Waking, sleep, dreaming, hypnosis (Freud) 10. Ch. 8 Learning-December Classical conditioning (Watson, Pavlov), Operant conditioning (Skinner), Modeling and Observational Learning (Bandura) 11. Ch. 9 Memory-December Encoding, storage, retrieval, creation (Loftus) 12. Ch. 10 Cognition and Language-January Thinking, problem solving, language (Chomsky, Vygotsky, Whorf) 13. Ch. 11 Intelligence, Testing, and Ethics-January History, methodology (Binet), norms (Terman), reliability, validity 14. Ch. 12 Motivation-January Concepts (Maslow), hunger, sexuality 15. Ch. 13 Emotion-February Achievement, physiology, expression (Darwin), theories (James-Lange, Cannon-Bard, Schacter) 16. Ch. 14 Personality-February Psychodynamic (Freud, Jung), Trait (Myers-Briggs), Humanistic (Maslow), Social-Cognitive 17. Ch. 15 Psychological Disorders-February- March Models, classifying, categories (see DSM V) 18. Ch. 16 Psychological Therapy-March Psychoanalysis, Behaviouristic, Humanistic, Cognitive, Group, Pharmacological 19. Ch. 17 Stress and Health-March- April Concepts (Selye), health 20. Ch review - April- May 21. General review-may 22. AP Psychology exam-may 23. Post exam: WGSS Final Exam (Long Answer Questions, Short answer discussion questions, and student inquiry question presentations) 24. Post WGSS exam: There may be one course block that is designated a study block during the post exam period; this will be identified; student attendance with study material is expected. Topics as they approximately correlate to the curriculum and multiple-choice portion of the AP exam:

3 1. METHODS, HISTORY, TESTING and INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES (18%) Methods and History a. logic, philosophy, and history of science, b. approaches: biological, behavioural, cognitive, humanistic, and psychodynamic c. experimental, correlational and clinical research d. statistics: descriptive and inferential e. ethics in research Testing and Individual differences a. standardization and norms b. reliability and validity c. types of tests d. ethics and standards in testing e. intelligence f. heredity/environment and intelligence g. human diversity 2. BIOLOGY, SENSATION, PERCEPTION, and CONSCIOUSNESS (20%) Biological bases of behaviour a. physiological techniques b. neuroanatomy c. functional organization of nervous system d. neural transmission e. endocrine system f. genetics Sensation and Perception a. thresholds b. sensory mechanisms c. receptor processes d. sensory adaptation e. attention f. perceptual processes States of Consciousness a. sleep and dreaming b. hypnosis c. psychoactive drug effects 3. SOCIAL and DEVELOPMENTAL (19%) Social psychology a. group dynamics b. attribution processes c. interpersonal perception d. conformity, compliance, and obedience e. attitudes and attitude change f. organizational behaviour g. aggression/anti-social behavior Developmental psychology a. life-span approach b. research methods (e.g. longitudinal, cross-sectional) c. heredity-environment issues d.developmental theories e. dimensions of development (physical, cognitive, social, moral) f. sex roles and sex differences 4. LEARNING and COGNITION (16%) Learning a. biological factors b. classical conditioning c. operant conditioning d. social learning e. cognitive processes in learning Cognition a. memory b. language c. thinking d. problem solving and creativity 5. PERSONALITY, MOTIVATION and EMOTION (13%) Personality a. personality theories and approaches b. research methods

4 c. assessment techniques d. self-concept and self-esteem e. growth and adjustment Motivation and Emotion a. biological basis b. theories of motivation c. hunger, thirst, sex, and pain d. social motives e. theories of emotion f. stress 6. ABNORMAL BEHAVIOUR and TREATMENT of ABNORMAL BEHAVIOUR (14%) Psychological Disorders/Abnormal Behaviour a. definitions of abnormality b. theories of psychopathology c. diagnosis of psychopathology d. anxiety disorders e. somatoform disorders f. mood disorders g. schizophrenic disorders h. organic disorders i. personality disorders j. dissociative disorders Treatment of psychological disorders a. treatment approaches: i. insight therapies, psychodynamic/phenomenological approaches ii. behavioural approaches iii. cognitive approaches iv. biological therapies b. modes of therapy c. community and preventative approaches Other areas selected for study will include those considered important in today's society, 21 st C learning, as well as meaningful for students in the course. Students will be challenged to relate psychological concepts to their own lives. Procedures for Assessment and Evaluation Students' work in AP Psychology is evaluated on an on-going basis. Students will be evaluated on the basis of tests, exams, assignments, projects, research, investigation, and group tasks, and discussions. All tasks will be graded on writing and critical thinking skills as well as on content that is relevant to the particular assignment. WEIGHTING and TASKS: Units as mentioned above: 1. 18% Methods, History, Testing and Individual Differences 2. 20% Biology, Sensation, Perception and Consciousness 3. 16% Learning and Cognition 4. 19% Social and Developmental psychology 5. 13% Personality, Motivation and Emotion 6. 14% Abnormal Behaviour and Treatment of Abnormal Behaviour Tasks: Oral and Written Tests and quizzes Assignments Group and study work Tests are modeled on the AP Exam with multiple-choice questions. Myers Psychology 7 th edition online quizzes are suggested for study. Quizzes are scheduled once per week with focus on unit vocabulary. Assignments come in the format of Psychology Experiment Journal and Free Response Essay questions. Projects focus on the psychological experimental method and brain structure; Free Response essay questions are modeled on the AP Exam format. References (Bibliography) must always accompany analysis/research assignments.

5 Group work consists of informal and formal discussions. Online experimental research is often the basis for group analysis. The basis for the discussion may be classroom handouts, activities, or discussion questions. WEIGHTING for each TERM: Term 1 Term 3-80% (cumulative grade book) Final Exam - 20% In lieu of a traditional final exam, students are given In-class exam questions that cover a broad spectrum of the year s content. Students use their class notes and text to reflectively interact with the content and demonstrate their understanding in a written and discussion format. As well students present their Inquiry Question in oral, powerpoint, and video format. Absences: Students who miss tasks must come during Flex or before school (7:55am) to make up their work. A note explaining the reason for the absence is expected from a parent or guardian. Important information specific to this course Students are expected to have materials specific for this course: One 3-ring binder with paper, pencils, erasers, highlighters, pencil crayons, school agenda and/or Walnut Grove app, and flash card paper. It will be helpful for students to have access to newspapers, magazines (Health Psychology, MacLean s) and online media. As well, students need to be able to use the computer and online research tools for homework and research purposes. Course connections to Graduate Profile AP Psychology has great potential for drawing upon the natural curiosity and interest that adolescents have concerning their development and behaviour. Many psychological concepts relate directly and immediately to the students' emerging sense of identity. Furthermore, students will develop a sense of understanding and compassion for others. Hence, the Langley Graduate Profile ties in well with the curriculum of AP Psychology: students will be diligent successful learners who aspire to integrate their understanding with their daily social life as well as commit to a high standard of achievement. Plagiarism Plagiarism is derived from the Latin word plagiarius, that means kidnapping or abducting. Plagiarism is when someone steals someone else s written work or uses someone else s words, ideas, or thoughts and passes them off as their own. It is a moral offence and can constitute copyright infringement. Students caught plagiarizing will be asked to speak with the teacher and possibly the Science Department Head and the administration. Consequences will be meted out. All acts of plagiarism are recorded with the WGSS Science Department. A student may receive a score of zero ( 0 ) on the plagiarized work, and may face suspension from school. Students should note that at post secondary institutions (Kwantlen, UFV, UBC, UVic, TWU, SFU ), a first offence of plagiarism often results in IMMEDIATE EXPULSION. WGSS will act proactively to prevent instances of plagiarism from occurring. At the same time, if plagiarism is committed, all WGSS Departments take plagiarism as a grave offence; serious consequences will follow. Course Resources Annual research and participation in collegial reading and marking AP Released Exam in Psychology & other support materials provided by the College Board (google College Board) APA materials for high school teachers: journals and new releases to sample unit plans. Bryant-Taneda, Julia (website) Discovering Psychology. Google Scholar: Myers 7 th edition online Quizzes and study material Myers, David. Psychology 6 th and 8 th edition (New York; Worth, 2008). (November) Advanced Placement Conference, Vancouver, B.C. Worth Publishers Student Center for Myers Psychology 2 nd edition online. Worth Publishers Active Psychology. Worth Publishers Teaching Modules.