APPsychology

Mr. Framo E-mail: jframo@lrhsd.org

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CourseExpectationsandResponsibilities

• Communicatewithmeaboutconcernsorproblemsinatimelyfashion;issuesmaycomeupatanytimeduringtheyear.Icanprovidemanypossiblesolutions,butonlyifIknowaboutyourconcernsorproblem.

• Cometoclasspreparedwithmaterialsforlearningandallrequiredassignmentsontheduedateassigned.Youmaychoosetotakenotesinanotebook,onatablet,three-ringbinder–whateverworksforyou.Irecommendathree-ringbinderbecauseIoftenhandoutassignmentsandnotes.

• Collaborativegroupworkisanessentialpartoflearning.Whenworkingingroupsitisyourresponsibilitytoparticipatefullyanddoyourshareofthetask.

• Haveanopenmindtonewideasthatmaychallengeyourcurrentwayofthinking.Berespectfuloftheopinionsofothersandshareyourownthoughtsasmuchaspossible.Welearnfromeachotherandyourviewpointmatters.

• Avoidprivateconversationsandcallingoutwhileothersarespeaking–raiseyourhandappropriatelyifyouhavesomethingtosharewiththeclass;Iwelcomeyourcontributiontotheclass.

• ThisisNOTastudyhall–NOsleepingordoingothercoursework.

• Remainactivelyengagedduringtheentire57minuteswehavetogether–lifemovestoofasttoberushingoutthedoor,slowdownandenjoythetimehere

• Adheretotheresponsibletechnologyexpectationsandprocedureasoutlinedinthestudentagreement(i.e.colorcodedportionsofclassperiod,warning/detention/disciplinereferral)

• Ifyouareabsent,itisYOURresponsibilitytomakeanappointmentwithmetoreviewthemissedwork.Irecommendcheckingwithmetomakesureyouhaveeverythingyouneed.Inmostcases,youwillonlyhaveasmanydaysasyouwereabsenttocompleteassignments.IfyouareabsentforanextendedperiodoftimeIsuggestemailingmedirectly.

WereyouABSENT?

WasitonaDAYthatclassmeets?

NOThenyoudidn’tmissanythingYESKeeponreading

First,checktheCLASSFILEFOLDERS…Second,askaCLASSMATE…Third,makean*APPOINTMENTwithMr.Framo*DoNOTaskmeatthebeginningofclass–seemeafterclass,please.

Please,donotexpectthatIcan“catchyouup”inthefewminutesbeforeclassstarts.WhenyoumeetwithmeIwillbeabletoexplaintoyouwhatyouneedtocompleteand/orwhatyoumissed.Ifyoudonotmakeupworkinanappropriateamountoftime,Iwillnotgiveextraextensions.

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ResponsibleTechnologyUseAgreementCellphonetechnologyhasbecomeapervasive,andoftenessential,partofoursociety.Asateacher,Ihavetakenmanypositionsontheuseoftechnologywithintheclassroomoverthecourseofmycareer.Inthepastfewyears,cellphoneandothersimilardeviceshavegrownexponentiallyamongstudentsforpersonaluse.Forthisreason,IhaveestablishedanexpectationandprocedurethatIbelievewillhelpstudentslearntheappropriateuseofsuchtechnology.Researchhasshownthattheteenagebrainiswireddifferentlyfromthatofadults.Ihaveincludedarticlesandvideosonmywebsite,www.jframo.com,whichyoucanaccesstolearnmoreaboutthegrowingconcernsofpsychologistsandotherhealthprofessionals.Ifeeltheseexpectationsandproceduresarethebestwaytomeettherealitiesofour21stCenturylearners.Idonothavea“zerotolerancepolicy”becauseIamawarethatphonesandsimilartechnologyareapartoflife.Mygoalistohelpstudentslearnwhentoappropriatelyutilizethesetechnologiesintheclassroomanddevelopskillsnecessarytonavigatethisever-changing,fast-pacedworldwelivein.Current“cellphoneandsimilardevices”expectationsandprocedure:

1. Bysigningthisagreement,studentsunderstandthatfromthispointforwarddisobeyingtheclassexpectationswillresultindisciplinaryconsequences.

2. Eachday,thelessonmayconsistof“RED”,“YELLOW”,and/or“GREEN”

technologytime.

a. Duringa“RED”portionofaclassperiod,NOcellphoneorsimilartechnologymaybeused.Ifastudentisusinghisorhertechnology,evendiscreetly,Iwillsilentlypassayellowsliptothestudent.Thisslipnotifiesthestudentthatheorshehasbrokentheexpectationsandmustserveadetention.Afterthefirstdetentionhasbeenserved,ifsubsequenttechnologyuseisobserved,adisciplinaryreferralwillbesubmittedtotheappropriatebuildingassistantprincipalforfurtheraction.

• NOTE:Mypurposefora“RED”lightportionofalessonistoallowforundividedattentionoflecture,discussion,groupinteraction,orsimilartypesofactivity.Itisessentialtobefocusedatthistimewithoutdistractions.

b. Duringa“YELLOW”portionofaclassperiod,studentsmaymonitortheirownuseof

cellphonesorsimilartechnologywhilecompletingindependentworkorsimilarassignments.Myexpectationisthatstudentsmaybeabletomulti-taskatthistime.However,iftheexpectationisthatstudentworkistobesubmittedattheendoftheclassperiod,Iwillnotacceptitlate.

• NOTE:Mypurposeforthisistoallowstudentstodevelopsomeformoftime-management.Also,theexpectationisthatstudentswillbeabletolearnwhentheyneedto“turnoff”andfocus,withoutmedirectlymonitoringthis.

c. Duringa“GREEN”portionofaclassperiod,studentsmayberequiredtouse

cellphonesaspartofthelesson.Inaddition,a“GREEN”portionmaysignalthatstudentshavefreeuseofphoneswithouttheneedtomonitortime.

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FrequentlyAskedQuestions:HowcanIsucceedinthisclass?–First,definewhatsuccessmeanstoyou;Icanhelpguideyou.Generally,engageinactivelearning.Studentswhofindawaytomakethematerialmeaningfuloftenenjoytheclassmoreandfindtheyreachtheirgoals.Usetheresourcesprovidedandfocusonlearningthematerial-notsimplymemorizingforthetest.IhaveanexampletoshareinourclassdiscussionbutI’mnotsureifitistoopersonal?-Ifyouhavedoubtsaboutwhatyouwouldliketosharethenyoumaywanttoholdofforshareitwithmeafterclassandwecandecidetogether.Thegeneralruleofthumbistosharefromyourpersonalexperiencewhenitdirectlyconnectstothetopicofdiscussionandcanenrichtheclassdialogue.Ifyouchoosetoshare,pleasedonotuseactualnames.HowshouldIstudyforassessments?-Thebestwaytostudyforassessmentsistoreadthetextbook,takenotesinyourownwords,studyforthepracticequizzes,andpayattentioninclass.Applysomeoftheknowledgeyoulearninthiscoursetohelpyouprepareforallofyourcourses.DoIhavetoreadtheentirechapter?WhatifIgetbored?–Shortanswer,“YES”and“YouMIGHT,butthatisOK”.Inthecaseofalongchapter,itmaybeexpectedthatyourmindwillwander.Ifyoufindthistobethecase,breakthereadingupintosmallerunits.ThegoalistoreadforCOMPREHENSION,nottojustgetthroughthechapterwithnolevelofunderstanding.Istartedoffonthe“wrongfoot,”canIcatchup?-Ifyoustumbleatthestartoftheyearornewmarkingperiod,thekeyistotalkwithmeaboutitearly.Don’twaituntilthemiddleofthesemester.Communicationiskey!HelpfulHints:

• Beastudentstartingwiththefirstdayofclassandstickwithituntiltheendoftheyear!

• DUEdatesarenotDOdates

• AskaLOTofquestions.Ifyouareconfusedaboutsomething,thenyoucanbetthatanumberofotherpeopleintheclassarealsoconfused;morequestionsasked=moreclearunderstanding=moreenjoyableclass.

• RatherthanattemptingtowritedowneverywordIsay,trytowritedowntheimportantinformationinyourownwords(asmuchasyoucan).

• Trytofindatleastoneortwostudentsinclasswithwhomyoucanstudy

• PurchaseorborrowanAPPsychologyReviewbookorflashcards

• Gettoknowtheresourcesthatcomewithyourtextbook.

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CoursePurposeTheAPPsychologycourseisdesignedtointroducestudentstothesystematicandscientificstudyofthebehaviorandmentalprocessesofhumanbeingsandotheranimals.Studentsareexposedtothepsychologicalfacts,principles,andphenomenaassociatedwitheachofthemajorsubfieldswithinpsychology.Theyalsolearnabouttheethicsandmethodspsychologistsuseintheirscienceandpractice.

TopicsandLearningOutcomes

ThefollowingisadescriptionoflearningobjectivesforthemajorcontentareascoveredintheAPPsychologyExam,aswellastheapproximatepercentagesofthemultiple-choicesectiondevotedtoeacharea.Thislistingisnotintendedtobeanexhaustivelistoftopics.

I.HistoryandApproaches(2–4%)Psychologyhasevolvedmarkedlysinceitsinceptionasadisciplinein1879.Therehavebeensignificantchangesinthetheoriesthatpsychologistsusetoexplainbehaviorandmentalprocesses.Inaddition,themethodologyofpsychologicalresearchhasexpandedtoincludeadiversityofapproachestodatagathering.

II.ResearchMethods(8–10%)Psychologyisanempiricaldiscipline.Psychologistsdevelopknowledgebydoingresearch.Researchprovidesguidanceforpsychologistswhodeveloptheoriestoexplainbehaviorandwhoapplytheoriestosolveproblemsinbehavior.

III.BiologicalBasesofBehavior(8–10%)Aneffectiveintroductiontotherelationshipbetweenphysiologicalprocessesandbehavior—includingtheinfluenceofneuralfunction,thenervoussystemandthebrain,andgeneticcontributionstobehavior—isanimportantelementintheAPcourse.

IV.SensationandPerception(6–8%)Everythingthatorganismsknowabouttheworldisfirstencounteredwhenstimuliintheenvironmentactivatesensoryorgans,initiatingawarenessoftheexternalworld.Perceptioninvolvestheinterpretationofthesensoryinputsasacognitiveprocess.

*V.StatesofConsciousness(2–4%)Understandingconsciousnessandwhatitencompassesiscriticaltoanappreciationofwhatismeantbyagivenstateofconsciousness.Thestudyofvariationsinconsciousnessincludesanexaminationofthesleepcycle,dreams,hypnosis,circadianrhythms,andtheeffectsofpsychoactivedrugs.

VI.Learning(7–9%)Thissectionofthecourseintroducesstudentstodifferencesbetweenlearnedandunlearnedbehavior.Theprimaryfocusisexplorationofdifferentkindsoflearning,includingclassicalconditioning,operantconditioning,andobservationallearning.Thebiologicalbasesofbehaviorillustratepredispositionsforlearning.

VII.Cognition(8–10%)Inthisunitstudentslearnhowhumansconvertsensoryinputintokindsofinformation.Theyexaminehowhumanslearn,remember,andretrieveinformation.Thispartofthecoursealsoaddressesproblemsolving,language,andcreativity.

VIII.MotivationandEmotion(6–8%)Inthispartofthecourse,studentsexplorebiologicalandsocialfactorsthatmotivatebehaviorandbiologicalandculturalfactorsthatinfluenceemotion.

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IX.DevelopmentalPsychology(7–9%)Developmentalpsychologydealswiththebehavioroforganismsfromconceptiontodeathandexaminestheprocessesthatcontributetobehavioralchangethroughoutthelifespan.Themajorareasofemphasisinthecourseareprenataldevelopment,motordevelopment,socialization,cognitivedevelopment,adolescence,andadulthood.X.Personality(5–7%)Inthissectionofthecourse,studentsexploremajortheoriesofhowhumansdevelopenduringpatternsofbehaviorandpersonalcharacteristicsthatinfluencehowothersrelatetothem.Theunitalsoaddressesresearchmethodsusedtoassesspersonality.*XI.TestingandIndividualDifferences(5–7%)Anunderstandingofintelligenceandassessmentofindividualdifferencesishighlightedinthisportionofthecourse.Studentsmustunderstandissuesrelatedtotestconstructionandfairuse.XII.AbnormalBehavior(7–9%)Inthisportionofthecourse,studentsexaminethenatureofcommonchallengestoadaptivefunctioning.Thissectionemphasizesformalconventionsthatguidepsychologists’judgmentsaboutdiagnosisandproblemseverity.XIII.TreatmentofAbnormalBehavior(5–7%)Thissectionofthecourseprovidesstudentswithanunderstandingofempiricallybasedtreatmentsofpsychologicaldisorders.Thetopicemphasizesdescriptionsoftreatmentmodalitiesbasedonvariousorientationsinpsychology.XIV.SocialPsychology(8–10%)Thispartofthecoursefocusesonhowindividualsrelatetooneanotherinsocialsituations.Socialpsychologistsstudysocialattitudes,socialinfluence,andothersocialphenomena.

CourseMethodsThiscourseistaughtatanacceleratedpacetomeettheThursday,May9thAPPsychologyexamdate.Studentsmustcontinuallybereading,reviewingmaterial,andstudyingthroughoutthiscourse.Independentlearningisexpectedforsomeunits,withinclassreviewprovided.Ifatanytimeyouneedextrahelp,pleaseletmeknow.Homework,forthiscourse,isdefinedasanyworkrequiredtocompleteassignmentsortounderstandcoursematerial,outsideofthe57-minuteclassperiod.Usingthisdefinition,youmayalwayshavehomework.Inadditiontocompletingrequiredassignments,youneedtomasterthematerialwecoverinclassandinthetext.Justreadingthetextandbeinginclassdoesnotguaranteethatyouunderstandthematerial.Itisyourresponsibilitytomasterthismaterial,butyoucanseemeforassistanceatanytime.

TypesofAssessment:

• Objectivetestsconsistingofmultiple-choicequestions(APstyle–5choices)• Freeresponsequestions–APFRQformatandothershortanswerresponsetypes• Alternativeassessmentprojectstodemonstrateknowledgeofcoursematerial• Reading,criticalthinking,anddiscussionpromptassignments

ALLstudentsareexpectedtobeabletotakeanAPPsychology“practice”exampriortotheMay9thCollegeBoardAPExam.This“practice”examwillconsistof100APPsychologyexamquestionsand2freeresponsequestionsadministeredoverthreedays.