Fun with Video

Today I took a course on how to use screen capture and video tools to create quick presentations for viewing outside of class. I'll be incorporating some of these into lessons in the coming year. The one you see below is an overview of how to use Quizlet flashcards for vocabulary review, a study resource that many AP Psych students use extensively.

Sorry for the background noise...a bunch of us were working in the same lab at the same time.

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

Well, friends, it is August. That means it's time to start thinking about the upcoming school year. Although I still have some meetings that need to be scheduled in to the next few weeks, I have a firm enough idea of the month's busy agenda to issue a couple of announcements about upcoming AP Psych-related events at Chi-Hi.

You'll need one of these for class.

First, textbook pick-up will take place August 20th-24th. I'll be able to provide specific details about hours in the near future. I was hoping to be able to schedule this event during registration this year, but I'll be at a conference much of that week, so I apologize.

Second, as you begin your back-to-school shopping, be sure to pick up a 3-Ring Binder for use in AP Psych this year. You'll need it to keep all of your notes and handouts--from September to May--organized (if you don't believe me, ask a former student). 1.5 to 2 inch width is sufficient for most students. 3 inches is overkill; don't hurt yourself. 

More details to come in the next couple of weeks! Enjoy the remaining days of summer. :)

AP Exam Reading

Mrs. Welle & fellow WI AP Psych Reader, Michael Ray

The AP Psychology Exam Reading wrapped up on Friday, June 8th, and I could not be happier to have been a part of it.

Some of you might easily dismiss this praise as stemming from my inordinate nerdy devotion to AP Psychology, but I don't think that's the whole picture.

Certainly the process was daunting. Reading student responses to the same question for 8 hours a day seems intimidating to a lot of people, and it is undoubtedly a lot of work. (For those interested, the process is described in greater detail in this article from CNN.com.) But the level of energy that accompanies the endeavor is quite remarkable.

I think Jordan Bienstock, author of the CNN article, captured it perfectly: "The AP Readings take place at four sites around the country with an all-star team of graders. You know that scene in an action movie, when the team of heroes has been assembled and walks in slow motion together while an electric guitar wails on the soundtrack? Replace the actors with academics, and you’ve got the general idea."

It was great to be a part of such a tremendous undertaking--in all, AP Psych Readers scored 218,812 student exams, each of which contained two Free Response Questions--and it was amazing to share the experience with so many talented high school and college-level faculty.

I was able to reconnect with friends that I had met at previous conferences and institutes, meet in person several teachers I had only communicated with via email and other electronic means, and make many new friends and professional connections.

Perhaps even more surprising to me? At the end of an exhausting school year, when I felt like I had really been run completely out of fuel by the many nights of little sleep and days of peak energy expenditure, at the AP Reading I began to look forward to next year. And that's saying something, this early in June.

Web Links for Juniors

For those completing your final exam in my absence next week, here are the links you will need. You will get the accompanying prompt sheet from my substitute when you arrive for your scheduled final exam period.

Good luck and have fun!

Web links for final exam:

Myers-Briggs/Jung Typology: http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/jtypes2.asp

EQ Test: http://www.queendom.com/tests/access_page/index.htm?idRegTest=3037

Project Implicit: https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/

Thanks for a Great Year!

It was bittersweet saying good-bye to my seniors yesterday...and to my juniors today. For those interested, I've embedded our 2011-12 AP Psych slide show. It's been quite a year!

Phineas Gage Lives!



Model of the path taken by the rod & its impact on white matter.

Well, sort of. Obviously this famous case study patient from the early days of brain science has been deceased for some time. However, a team of researchers recently published an article, Mapping Connectivity Damage in the Case of Phineas Gage, in PLoSONE which attempts to use modern brain imaging techniques to simulate the damage that occurred when that unlucky railroad worker had a tamping iron run through his head.

Besides reinforcing the idea that Gage was incredibly "lucky" in that this accident didn't kill him, the research also attempts to shed light on the role of white matter in shaping the behavioral changes experienced by Phineas.

The article is getting a lot of attention from Gage fans everywhere (e.g., CNN Health) and has sparked renewed interest in the story of the poor Phineas, who may not have been as permanently impaired by the injury as psychology lore would have us believe. In all, Gage's case is a great reminder of both the strengths and limitations of using case examples to learn about the brain. And these images are going straight into next year's slides for my neuroscience unit.

Reference:

Van Horn JD, Irimia A, Torgerson CM, Chambers MC, Kikinis R, et al. (2012) Mapping Connectivity Damage in the Case of Phineas Gage. PLoS ONE 7(5): e37454. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0037454

The Home Stretch

Looking for some online review tools for brushing up on your AP Psychology knowledge over the weekend? In addition to topic area Quizlet sets that we've been using all year, here are some links you might find helpful:

1. ShortYouTube Clips on Difficult AP Psych Topics - These were created by a fellow AP Psychology teacher for the benefit of psychology students everywhere. At the time of this post, he's uploaded 33 brief (3-5 minute) videos on some of the most tricky concepts in AP Psych, including reviews of Standard Deviation, Neurotransmitters, Schedules of Reinforcement, Types of Memory, and more.
2. Famous Psychologists Quizlet - for reviewing all those people and their work!
3. Practice Multiple Choice Questions - sorted by topic area
4. Twitter as a last resort? - Twitter users, if you are stuck, you can compose a Tweet with a question and the hashtag #appsychreview. There are a number of psychology teachers that have been answering questions from AP Psych students via that hashtag, including myself (@Welle_APpsych).

I hope to see a number of you at Sunday's review session, too!

6th Hour Students review Stage Theories of Development