This is the official Facebook fan page of the American Psychological Association Teachers of Psychology in Secondary Schools (TOPSS). Check out our rules of involvement for this page under "About."
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This is the official APA TOPSS Facebook fan page sanctioned by the American Psychological Association (APA) and the APA Committee of Teachers of Psychology in Secondary Schools (TOPSS). When you join APA TOPSS, you become part of the only professional membership group for high school psychology teachers. There are approximately 1,700 current TOPSS members, all of whom are High School Teacher Affiliates of APA. To become a member, visit: http://www.apa.org/membership/hs-teacher/index.aspx
This is the official APA TOPSS Facebook fan page sanctioned by the American Psychological Association (APA) and the APA Committee of Teachers of Psychology in Secondary Schools (TOPSS). When you join APA TOPSS, you become part of the only professional membership group for high school psychology teachers. There are approximately 1,700 current TOPSS members, all of whom are High School Teacher Affiliates of APA. To become a member, visit: http://www.apa.org/membership/hs-teacher/index.aspx
Operating as usual
Have you ever been unsure how to talk about disabilities, which language to use? This article provides some guidance on current language in the disability community and includes a suggested activity to use in class. From the latest PTN (see https://www.apa.org/ed/precollege/psychology-teacher-network).
Important guidance for talking about disability, including proper usage of health, impairment, and person-first language.
The latest from Dr. Stephen Chew: These psychology superpowers were written about psychology majors, but we think these are true for our students too - do you agree?!
*They know how to learn effectively
*They know how to manage stress and anxiety
*They know how to complete a complex task (if your students conduct research or
learn about/develop research skills)
*They understand personality traits and individual differences
*They have scientific literacy
*They know about biases and prejudices
Resources and a link to a version of Dr. Chew's presentation on these skills are provided online. From the latest PTN (read the full issue here: https://www.apa.org/ed/precollege/psychology-teacher-network).
Some thoughts on the unique strengths of a psychology major, including how to learn effectively, manage stress and anxiety, understand personality traits, and complete a complex task.
The latest PTN came out yesterday and included this article on incorporating social justice into psych courses. The authors suggest online readings on anti-racism and social justice, ideas for diversifying course content, suggestions for self-reflection, and provide a list of free DEI recourses for psych teachers. Read the full issue here: https://www.apa.org/ed/precollege/psychology-teacher-network
Ideas for adopting a social justice focus into your teaching, including incorporation of diversity, equity, and inclusion themes.
Advice from expert teachers on what to do and what to avoid in the classroom. For example, DO use authentic case studies to illustrate the diagnostic criteria found in the DSM-5. DON'T act out or dramatize symptoms or have students “diagnose” a person or fictional character. DO accurately present information about personality tests and their limitations when using sample items in class. DON'T use personality tests of questionable validity without informing students of their limitations.
Items to consider as you navigate the do’s and don'ts of teaching psychology.
Don't forget that APA published this diversity self-reflection tool for psychology teachers, to help teachers make their classrooms and school environments more inclusive and diverse places. There is a PDF version of the tool and an online version as well, and a list of resources on diversity for psychology teachers (see https://www.apa.org/ed/precollege/topss/considering-diversity/teacher-resources). We hope you'll use and share this with your colleagues!
This resource aims to boost interpersonal and cultural sensitivity in both students and teachers.
APA and APF awarded $12,000 in outreach grants in early August to support regional teaching networks for HS psychology teachers and we will have $13,000 to award for the next November 1 deadline! These awards support new and existing regional teaching networks, like those in Massachusetts (NETOP), Minnesota (MNTOPSS), and Nebraska (NEBTOPSS). We have a "how to" guide for supporting these networks here: https://www.apa.org/ed/precollege/topss/regional-networks-guide.pdf. We want to give away all of this funding so we hope you'll consider applying, especially if you want to start a new network. TOPSS thanks APF, Dr. Lee Gurel, and Dr. David Myers and Mrs. Carol Myers for their generous support of these grants.
$25,000 to support regional teaching networks that facilitate networking and professional development opportunities for high school psychology teachers.
This APA/TOPSS resource provides FAQs for high school psychology teachers! It covers questions like Where can I find help with setting up my psychology course? Where can I find out about PD opportunities for psychology teachers? What should I know about dealing with mental health issues in the classroom? What should I know about selecting demonstrations and activities to use in the classroom? Take a peek and feedback is welcome!
This resource provides the novice or veteran psychology teacher with a quick reference for needs and questions that arise while preparing to teach a course in psychology.
There are two weeks left to nominate a colleague (or yourself!) to run for either chair-elect or member-at-large on the TOPSS committee! Nominations are due August 31.
Learn more about being involved with the APA Teachers of Psychology in Secondary Schools (TOPSS).
Posting this again for any new psychology teachers! Here is a go to list of resources for new teachers:
TOPSS handbook for new teachers (advice from expert teachers): https://www.apa.org/ed/precollege/topss/resource-manual
Resource vetting rubric (questions to use to see if any class activity or resource is worth using in class):https://www.apa.org/ed/precollege/topss/vetting-rubric.pdf
Do's and don't for teaching high school psychology (things to avoid in the classroom, with better alternatives): https://www.apa.org/.../introductory.../navigate-teaching
Teaching Psychology: Where can I find help? (FAQs for new and veteran teachers): https://www.apa.org/.../topss/help-teaching-psychology
National Standards for High School Psychology Curricula (content standards and learning targets for HS psychology): https://www.apa.org/education/k12/national-standards
TOPSS unit lesson plans (content outlines, activities and resources): https://www.apa.org/ed/precollege/topss/lessons
2-day lesson plans from award winning teachers (from our Charlie award winners): https://www.apa.org/.../lessons/teaching-award-winning-plans
Searchable database of over 100 teaching activities: https://www.apa.org/ed/precollege/topss/lessons/activities
Lessons on skills (transferable, well-being, and metacognitive skills): https://www.apa.org/ed/precollege/topss/teaching-resources
Canvas course template on high school psychology (recently updated!): https://www.apa.org/.../prec.../topss/canvas-course-template
Join TOPSS to get discounts, monthly emails, PD, publications, and more! https://www.apa.org/.../your-membership/high-school-teacher
And APA and TOPSS have countless other resources for psychology teachers, including a report on psychology as science, assessment resources, an advocacy toolkit for the psychology teaching credential, an annotated bibliography of research aligned to the national standards, a video on the value of psychology, and recommendations to integrating technology into the psychology class. You can find all of these resources here: https://www.apa.org/ed/precollege/topss/resources.
And last but not least, the TOPSS website has the latest news and information for high school psychology teachers: http://www.apa.org/ed/topss.
We promote the scientific nature of high school psychology and meet the curricular needs of high school psychology teachers through unit lesson plans, the Psychology Teachers Network Newsletter and more. We also address professional needs of high school psychology teachers and provide opportunities....
As you start planning different activities or resources to use in your class, don't forget that TOPSS has a vetting rubric for you to use to decide if resources/activities are valuable to use in class. There are 8 questions to consider, such as what is the purpose of the resource? Is it accessible to all students? Does it encourage students' understanding of diversity? Their understanding of psychology as science? It is available here:https://www.apa.org/ed/precollege/topss/vetting-rubric.pdf
Dr. Susan Opotow of John Jay College of Criminal Justice and The Graduate Center, CUNY, is delivering one of the TOPSS invited addresses at APA 2021 on the psychology of conflict and will be holding an "office hour" tomorrow, Saturday, August 14, from from 12:30-1:00 PM eastern to answer any questions teachers might have on her talk! We hope you've registered for APA and will watch her talk, and our other speaker too (Leslie Berntsen, PhD, University of Southern California, on anti-racist pedagogy). Both talks are available as “on demand” content access at http://convention.apa.org.
Join the American Psychological Association for the APA 2021 Convention, August 12-14.
If you have time *tonight* (8/12) at 11:00 PM eastern, Dr. Leslie Berntsen, one of the TOPSS invited speakers, is holding an office hour to answer questions on her talk, on I Know What You Did(n’t Learn in Your DEI Book Club) Last Summer: Practical Tips for Anti-Racist Pedagogy. Hers is session #601 through the on demand platform at http://convention.apa.org. We hope you'll watch her talk and feel free to ask questions if you can join her office hour!
The APA Committee of Teachers of Psychology in Secondary Schools (TOPSS) encourages all high school psychology teachers to attend APA 2021, an all-virtual conference. TOPSS members can register for APA for only $35 and will have access to more than 1,000 sessions and posters covering the latest deve...
APA 2021 starts today and we hope you’ve registered! TOPSS members can register for just $35 and will have access to the on-demand videos for three months. Beside the 2 sessions TOPSS is sponsoring, here are some more you might be interested in! This doesn’t include the literally thousands of other sessions you can search for and watch on practically any topic on psychology! Other sample sessions of interest:
Elizabeth Y. Hammer PhD, will give APF Charles L. Brewer Distinguished Teaching of Psychology Award Invited Address on Just(ly) Teaching: Minor Changes for Major Impact
The STP Presidential Trio Panel (Linda Woolf, PhD, Amy Fineburg, PhD, and Susan Nolan, PhD) will present on Teaching During Rapidly Changing Times
Regan A.R. Gurung, PhD, and Garth Neufeld, MA will present on It’s All In There: Strategies for Infusing APA IPI Integrative Themes in Introductory Psychology
Main stage talks of interest include:
Today/Thursday at 2:30 PM ET with Robert Cialdini, PhD, on The Power of Persuasion and Pre-Suasion to Create Change
Tonight/Thursday at 7:00 PM ET on The Entertainment Industry and Psychology: Changing the Way We Think About Mental Health
Friday at 9:30 AM ET on the following topics: Beyond Batman: How Stories Teach Psychology and Facilitate Therapeutic Dialogue (Travis Langley, PhD), Pedagogy, Technology, and Psychology: Lessons for a Post-COVID World (Michelle Miller), Connecting with Your Students (Mikki Hebel, PhD)
Friday at 11:00 AM ET on Fighting Misinformation with Psychological Science
Friday at 1:00 PM ET keynotes on What Has Neuroscience Revealed About the Adolescent Brain? (Adriana Galván, PhD) and The Emergence of Personality Disorder in Adolescence: New Findings and their Implications for Treatment (Rebecca Shiner, PhD)
Friday at 2:30 PM ET keynotes on Surviving and Thriving 20 Years After 9/11 (Deepa Iyer, JD) and The Power of Psychology to Heal the Political Divide (Tania Israel, PhD)
Friday at 7:00 PM ET on Critical Conversations: Finding the Courage to Discuss and Dismantle Racism
Saturday at 9:30 AM ET keynotes on Resilient Cognitive Aging: Why Real Life is Better than Brain Training (Elizabeth A.L. Stine-Morrow, PhD) and Social Influences on the Neurobehavioral Effects of Abused Drugs (Michael Bardo, PhD)
Register for APA at http://convention.apa.org
TOPSS sessions: https://www.apa.org/ed/precollege/topss/convention
STP sessions:http://teachpsych.org/resources/Documents/conferences/apa/APA%20STP%202021%20Program%20-%20June%202021.pdf
On-demand session index:https://irp.cdn-website.com/a5ea5d51/files/uploaded/APA2021-on-demand-index.pdf
#apa2021
Join the American Psychological Association for the APA 2021 Convention, August 12-14.
APA has a new teaching resource coming out soon on resilience* related to the return to school during the pandemic that will be great for the early days of school that will be shared with teachers as soon as possible! In the meantime, several of these resources on skills are also great for the first day of class or early in the semester! There are 20 lessons here on metacognitive, transferrable, and well-being skills. Take a peek and please use these as needed!
*The new lessons on resilience were supported by a supplemental grant from the Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention, Division of Adolescent and School Health (FY2020 Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) COVID-19 Supplement).
Three sets of materials for teachers and students on metacognitive, transferable and well-being skills.
APA 2021 starts this week! TOPSS members can register for this all-virtual conference for just $35 and will have access to more than 1,000 sessions and posters. Registration also gives you 3 months of on-demand access to all sessions and posters, for you to watch at your convenience or use in class! APA starts August 12-14.
TOPSS will sponsor two TOPSS invited sessions and there are dozens of other sessions for psychology teachers, including sessions sponsored by STP (see the 2021 link here: http://teachpsych.org/conferences/apa/index.php). For more information on APA 2021 and to register, visit the APA 2021 website at http://convention.apa.org. #APA2021
The APA Committee of Teachers of Psychology in Secondary Schools (TOPSS) encourages all high school psychology teachers to attend APA 2021, an all-virtual conference. TOPSS members can register for APA for only $35 and will have access to more than 1,000 sessions and posters covering the latest deve...
We are extending the call for nominations for the TOPSS Committee elections to August 31! If you are interested in joining the committee and running for member-at-large or chair-elect, or if you know someone who would be a great leader, please nominate yourself or a colleague! We encourage teachers in all locations and from diverse backgrounds (including diversity in race/ethnicity, gender, ability/disability, sexual orientation, age, and religion) to consider running for TOPSS office.
Learn more about being involved with the APA Teachers of Psychology in Secondary Schools (TOPSS).
As you start getting ready for the new school year, we hope you'll think about using this video on the value of high school psychology to get your students excited about your class! You can also use it to recruit students to sign up for your classes later in the semester or year or share with parents/your administration to show why learning psychology is important. You can find more information for students at http://on.apa.org/highschool.
Psychology -- the scientific study of mind and behavior -- is all around us. Discover how taking a psychology course in high school can teach you how to be a...
TOPSS encourages all high school psychology teachers to register for APA 2021, an all-virtual conference. TOPSS members can register for APA for only $35 and will have access to more than 1,000 sessions and posters. Registration also gives you 3 months of unlimited on-demand access to all sessions and posters, for you to watch and rewatch at your convenience. APA starts August 12-14.
TOPSS is pleased to announce two TOPSS invited sessions, to be made available as on-demand sessions:
Leslie Bernsten, PhD, University of Southern California
Lee Gurel Lecture: I Know What You Did(n’t Learn in Your DEI Book Club) Last Summer: Practical Tips for Anti-Racist Pedagogy
Susan Opotow, PhD
John Jay College of Criminal Justice and The Graduate Center, City University of New York
Conflict as Opportunity: The Psychology of Conflict as a Resource for Teaching and Learning
There are dozens of other sessions for psychology teachers, including sessions sponsored by STP (see the 2021 link here: http://teachpsych.org/conferences/apa/index.php). For more information on APA 2021 and to register, visit the APA 2021 website. #APA2021
Join the American Psychological Association for the APA 2021 Convention, August 12-14.
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About TOPSS: TOPSS is the voice of high school psychology teachers within the APA. TOPSS - through the APA Education Directorate - promotes excellence in the teaching of psychological science at the high school level through the National Standards for High School Psychology Curricula; meets the curricular, professional development and networking needs of high school psychology teachers; provides opportunities for high school psychology teachers and their students to be recognized and rewarded for their excellence; increases the professional identity and leadership opportunities for high school psychology teachers; and enhances the visibility of psychological science as a means of promoting health, education and human welfare.
| Monday | 8:30am - 6pm |
| Tuesday | 8:30am - 6pm |
| Wednesday | 8:30am - 6pm |
| Thursday | 8:30am - 6pm |
| Friday | 8:30am - 6pm |
Curriculum Resources
• Unit Lesson Plans
• PowerPoint Demonstrations
• Online Psychology Laboratory (OPL)
• APA’s National Standards for High School Psychology Curricula
Professional Support
• Psychology Teacher Network newsletter
• APA Monitor on Psychology magazine*
• American Psychologist journal*
• Science Fair Support
• Minority Recruitment Recommendations
• Speakers Bureau
• Professional Development Opportunities
• APA/Clark University Workshop for High School Teachers
• APA Convention Programming
• TOPSS Toolbar
• Posters for the Classroom
• Online modules/videos
Recognition for Teachers and Students
• APA TOPSS Excellence in Teaching Awards
• APA TOPSS Competition for High School Psychology Students
• Academic Achievement in Psychology Certificates
* Subscriptions included with annual affiliate membership
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TOPSS tips from Eric Castro, from the beginning of the stay at home order: "Anything I can do to minimzie [students'] distress, calm them, and ease their minds is good."
Happy teacher appreciation week TOPSS members and friends! APA and TOPSS thank you for your hard work all year in and outside of the classroom. Here is the latest TOPSS tips video from Maria Vita. "What is so great about psychology is that we are able to give our students skills and concepts to understand the world."
TOPSS tips with Bonnie Gonzalez: Recommendations on anxiety reappraisal and developing a more positive outlook.
TOPSS tips from former TOPSS faculty rep Linda Woolf: Grief is real and the work you do teaching psychology is so important. For all HS psych teachers - AP, IB, on-level, etc!
TOPSS tips with Jane Halonen: In every instance of adversity, we have tremendous opportunities to reconnect with each other to produce positive outcomes and show the true nature of our character.
A message from Charlie Blair-Broeker: If you need help, reach out. If you can give help, reach out.
TOPSS tips with Stephen Chew: Recommendations for successful learning and successful courses during this time of transition.
If you have, you share. If you can, you help. A second video message to the TOPSS community from TOPSS member Karl Honma.
Let's think about our students, let's think about each other -- a message from former TOPSS faculty rep Regan Gurung to the TOPSS community
Ken Weaver's concluding comments on the first full day of the summit, on Monday, July 10. The full group spent the last 45 minutes of the day discussing the mission of the summit and what the future of high school psychology looks like.
Live from Denver! A few minutes of Scott Lilienfeld presenting a TOPSS invited address on public misunderstandings of psychological science.
Welcome to APA's preconvention workshop for high school teachers. Maureen McCarthy, PhD - "Faulty Logic or Merely Cognition? Unraveling the Mysteries of Thinking"
Welcome to APA's preconvention workshop for high school teachers. Charlie Blair-Broeker, shows us a class exercise on the speed of neurons.
Welcome to APA's preconvention workshop for high school teachers. Charlie Blair-Broeker presenting on sensation and perception.
Live from Clark! Virginia Welle and Alan Feldman presenting on intelligence.
Live from Clark! Virginia Welle and Alan Feldman presenting on sensation and perception.
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