Learning to Teach Psychology in the Secondary School: A Companion to School Experience

215 Pages·2022·5.708 MB·English

by  Deborah Gajic, Jock McGinty

LEARNING TO TEACH
PSYCHOLOGY IN THE
SECONDARY SCHOOL
Learning to Teach Psychology in the Secondary School offers a comprehensive
and accessible introduction to the teaching and learning of psychology. Written
for trainee teachers and those new to teaching psychology, it will help you to
develop your subject knowledge and gain a deeper understanding of the pur-
pose and potential of psychology within the secondary curriculum as well as
support the practical skills needed to plan, teach and evaluate stimulating and
creative lessons.
Drawing on theory and the latest research, the text demonstrates how key
pedagogical issues link to classroom practice and encourages you to reflect on
your own learning and practice to maximise student learning. Written by experts
in the field and featuring useful resources, summaries of key points and a range
of tasks enabling you to put learning into practice in the classroom, the chapters
cover:
■ Using psychology to teach psychology
■ Teaching specific areas of psychology
■ Ethics in psychology teaching
■ Teaching research methods
■ Teaching the skills of evaluation, analysis and application in psychology
■ Assessment and feedback
■ Inclusion
■ Using technology
■ Career progression and professional development
This exciting new addition to the market leading Learning to Teach in the Sec-
ondary School series is essential reading for all those who aspire to become an
inspirational and engaging psychology teacher.
Deborah Gajic has over 25 years of experience in teaching Psychology and was
a former Head of Psychology at an outstanding school in the Midlands. She
is a Chartered Psychologist (CPsychol) and an Associate Fellow of the British
Psychological Society (AFBPsS). She now works as an independent educational
consultant.
Jock McGinty is Head of Psychology at Watford Grammar School for Boys. He
has taught Psychology for over 20 years and is a senior A-level examiner and
CPD presenter. He is a Chartered Psychologist (CPsychol) and a past Chair of the
Association for the Teaching of Psychology. He is currently Vice-President of the
European Federation of Psychology Teachers’ Associations.
LEARNING TO TEACH SUBJECTS IN THE SECONDARY
SCHOOL SERIES
Series Editors: Susan Capel and Marilyn Leask
Designed for all students learning to teach in secondary schools, including
those on school-based initial teacher education programmes, the books in this
series complement Learning to Teach in the Secondary School and its compan-
ion, Starting to Teach in the Secondary School. Each book in the series applies
underpinning theory and evidence to address practical issues to support stu-
dent teachers in school and in higher education institutions in learning how to
teach a particular subject.
Learning to Teach Art and Design in Learning to Teach History in the
the Secondary School, 3rd Edition Secondary School, 4th Edition
Edited by Nicholas Addison and Lesley Edited by Terry Haydn, Alison Stephen,
Burgess James Arthur and Martin Hunt
Learning to Teach Business in the Learning to Teach ICT in the
Secondary School: A Companion to Secondary School, 3rd Edition
School Experience Edited by Marilyn Leask and Norbert
Edited by Limara Pascall Pachler
Learning to Teach Citizenship in the Learning to Teach Mathematics in the
Secondary School, 3rd Edition Secondary School, 4th Edition
Edited by Liam Gearon Edited by Sue Johnston-Wilder, David
Pimm and Clare Lee
Learning to Teach Design and
Technology in the Secondary Learning to Teach Music in the
School, 4th Edition Secondary School, 3rd Edition
Edited by Alison Hardy Edited by Carolyn Cooke, Keith Evans,
Chris Philpott and Gary Spruce
Learning to Teach English in the
Secondary School, 5th Edition Learning to Teach Physical Education
Edited by Jon Davison and Caroline in the Secondary School, 5th Edition
Daly Edited by Susan Capel, Joanne Cliffe
and Julia Lawrence
Learning to Teach Foreign Languages
in the Secondary School, Learning to Teach Psychology in the
4th Edition Secondary School,
Norbert Pachler, Michael Evans, Ana Edited by Deborah Gajic and Jock
Redondo and Linda Fisher McGinty
Learning to Teach Geography in the Learning to Teach Religious
Secondary School, 4th Edition Education in the Secondary School,
Mary Biddulph, David Lambert & David 3rd Edition
Balderstone Edited by L. Philip Barnes
Learning to Teach Science in the Surviving and Thriving in the
Secondary School, 4th Edition Secondary School: The NQT’s
Edited by Rob Toplis Essential Companion
Edited by Susan Capel, Marilyn Leask
Learning to Teach in the Secondary
and Sarah Younie with Elizabeth
School, 9th Edition
Hidson and Julia Lawrence
Edited by Susan Capel, Marilyn Leask
and Sarah Younie
LEARNING
TO TEACH
PSYCHOLOGY IN
THE SECONDARY
SCHOOL
A Companion to
School Experience
Edited by
Deborah Gajic and
Jock McGinty
Cover image: © Dani Pasteau
First published 2023
by Routledge
4 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 4RN
and by Routledge
605 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10158
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2023 selection and editorial matter, Deborah Gajic and Jock McGinty; individ-
ual chapters, the contributors
The right of Deborah Gajic and Jock McGinty to be identified as the authors of
the editorial material, and of the authors for their individual chapters, has been
asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and
Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or
utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now
known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any
information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the
publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered
trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent
to infringe.
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Gajic, Deborah, 1963– editor. | McGinty, Jock, editor.
Title: Learning to teach psychology in the secondary school: a companion
to school experience / edited by Deborah Gajic and Jock McGinty.
Description: First edition. | Abingdon, Oxon; New York, NY: Routledge, 2023. |
Series: Learning to teach subjects in the secondary school |
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2022019536 (print) | LCCN 2022019537 (ebook) |
ISBN 9780367753658 (paperback) | ISBN 9780367753672 (hardback) |
ISBN 9781003162223 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Psychology—Study and teaching (Secondary)—
Great Britain. | Psychology teachers—Great Britain.
Classification: LCC BF80.7.G7 L43 2023 (print) |
LCC BF80.7.G7 (ebook) | DDC 150.71/141—dc23/eng/20220729
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022019536
LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022019537
ISBN: 978-0-367-75367-2 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-0-367-75365-8 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-1-003-16222-3 (ebk)
DOI: 10.4324/9781003162223
Typeset in Interstate
by codeMantra
CONTENTS
List of Figures xi
List of Tables xii
List of Tasks xiii
Acknowledgements xv
List of Contributors xvi
Foreword xix
INTRODUCTION 1
1 BECOMING A PSYCHOLOGY TEACHER 3
DEBORAH GAJIC AND JOCK McGINTY
1.1 Characteristics and Skills of a Psychology Teacher 3
1.2 Characteristics and Requirements of Psychology as a Subject 5
1.3 The Role of Psychology in Schools 6
1.4 Why Students Choose Psychology 8
1.5 Understanding the Psychology Curriculum 8
1.6 Where to Find Support 10
1.7 Summary and Key Points 11
2 USING PSYCHOLOGY TO TEACH PSYCHOLOGY 13
JOCK McGINTY
2.1 Threshold Concepts 14
2.2 Cognitive Load Theory 16
2.3 Spaced or Distributed Practice 18
2.4 Retrieval Practice 20
2.5 Elaboration 22
vii
CONTENTS
2.6 Dual Coding 23
2.7 Summary and Key Points 24
3 TEACHING AREAS OF PSYCHOLOGY 26
DEBORAH GAJIC
3.1 Cognitive Area 27
3.2 Social Area 30
3.3 Developmental Area 33
3.4 Individual Differences Area 36
3.5 Biological Area 38
3.6 Summary and Key Points 39
4 TEACHING RESEARCH METHODS 41
DEBORAH GAJIC AND ANDY McCARTHY
4.1 Experimental Methods 42
4.2 Non-Experimental Methods 45
4.3 Inferential Statistics 51
4.4 Summary and Key Points 54
5 ETHICS IN PSYCHOLOGY TEACHING 55
JONATHAN FIRTH
5.1 The Practice of Teaching Research Ethics in Psychology 56
5.2 BPS Guidelines 57
5.3 The Association For The Teaching of Psychology (ATP) Application
of BPS Guidelines in Schools and Colleges 60
5.4 Suggested Teaching Activities 62
5.5 Summary and Key Points 67
6 TEACHING SKILLS OF EVALUATION AND
ANALYSIS IN PSYCHOLOGY 69
JOCK McGINTY
6.1 What Makes a Critical Thinker? 70
6.2 What Is Critical Thinking? 71
6.3 Barriers to Critical Thinking 72
6.4 Skills Required for Critical Thinking 75
6.5 Creating a Framework for Critical Thinking and Evaluation 76
viii
CONTENTS
6.6 Assessment Objectives for Evaluations 77
6.7 Providing Students with Critical Thinking and Evaluation Tasks 78
6.8 Assessing Critical Thinking and Evaluation 80
6.9 Summary and Key Points 80
7 TEACHING SKILLS OF APPLICATION 82
LIN NORTON
7.1 Problem-based Learning: An Overview 83
7.2 Text-based Vignettes 84
7.3 Constructing a TBV 85
7.4 Using TBVs for PBL 88
7.5 Summary and Key Points 90
8 DEVELOPING PSYCHOLOGICALLY LITERATE
STUDENTS 93
CLARE DEAVALL
8.1 Why Is Psychological Literacy Important? 94
8.2 Students as Science Practitioners 96
8.3 Peer Mentoring and Peer-assessed Learning 100
8.4 Innovative Assessment 102
8.5 Developing Employability Skills 105
8.6 Work Volunteering 107
8.7 Summary and Key Points 107
9 LEARNING TO ASSESS PSYCHOLOGY AND
GIVE STUDENTS MEANINGFUL FEEDBACK 109
MIN DUCHENSKI-JASSAL
9.1 Formative and Summative Assessment 110
9.2 Feedback 116
9.3 Student Responses to Feedback 118
9.4 Marking Better, Not More – Encouraging Self-regulating Learners 119
9.5 Summary and Key Points 123
10 INCLUSION IN TEACHING PSYCHOLOGY 125
LUCINDA POWELL
10.1 Inclusion for All – Creating an Inclusive Environment 127
ix