Year 12
Curriculum Intention:
The first two weeks will be taught to prepare students for the transition task - one for DS and another for AT. This will focus on key research methods skills such as variables, hypotheses, graphs, measures of measures of central tendency and measures of dispersion. The assessment will be brief and linked to their first main topics Attachment AT and Social Influence DS)
Attachment will then be taught by AT – This can be explained using learning theory – which is covered later (in approaches). Therefore I am able to introduce learning theory early and in the spring term it will only need revising. They will already know one example of learning theory applied and linked to another topic.
Social Influence is taught early because it is an engaging topic with lots of examples of ethical issues with research showing participants being misled/deliberately lied to in order to observe natural behaviour. This links to research methods - which is a key element of the whole course – and a major focus.
The mock exam will cover the earliest topics only – attachment, memory, social influence and research methods. Therefore it will need to be revised before the exam and give an opportunity for students to recap.
Year 1 work is easier than Year 2 – that is how the course is designed. Year 2 is more focused on the application of earlier knowledge. For example in Year 2 schizophrenia can also be explained using learning theory. Therefore it builds on earlier knowledge.
Curriculum Implementation:
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Autumn |
Spring |
Summer |
|
Research Methods AT and DS 3 weeks Attachment (AT) Social Influence (DS) |
Approaches DS Biopsychology Year 1 content AT and some Year 2 content |
Revision for Yr.12 exam in June Issues and Debates Yr.13 AT Research Methods Yr. 13 DS |
|
Half term |
Half term |
Half term |
|
Memory (AT) Psychopathology DS |
Approaches DS Biopsychology AT Year 2 content |
Issues and Debates Yr.13 work (AT) Research Methods Yr. 13 work (DS) |
|
Christmas Holidays |
Easter Holidays |
Summer Holidays |
|
Outcomes: Grades and feedback from tests/essays/past exam questions. Improved knowledge, confidence in using, and application of key research methods ideas at an earlier stage. Also performance in the new Transition Task. Improvement in grades and feedback. Better organised essays which are more synoptic and include key psychological language used appropriately. Improved ability to know how to answer Paper 1 and Paper 2 exam questions and select appropriate knowledge – initially using text books and notes and gradually without them. The ability to make links between different topics. Ability to apply relevant examples of everyday behaviour in their answers – for example the law on plastic bags (charging 5p) is an example of negative reinforcement in action – learning theory. |
Employability skills: Written and organisational skills Use of evidence to support arguments. Manipulation and presentation of data. Uses of data as part of evaluation. Mathematical skills such as using statistical tests. |
Year 13
Curriculum Intention:
Issues and Debates is a Year 2 topic, which naturally follows the teaching of earlier topics to allow for links and examples to be referenced. For example the determinism of the biological explanation for abnormalities such as OCD. Year 2 exam questions require students to do inferential statistical tests on data and therefore we cover these tests at the beginning of the year. Students will need to apply this knowledge later. This is the hardest mathematical and research methods content.
There is time planned for revision at the end of the course – this has proved a very good use of time in the past and gives the opportunity to recap on Year 1 and Year 2 work and link to exam questions.
Curriculum Implementation:
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Autumn |
Spring |
Summer |
|
Issues and debates (AT) complete from summer term Research methods – complete from summer term – Yr. 13 (DS) Relationships begin(DS) |
Forensic psychology (AT) Schizophrenia (DS) |
Revision |
|
Half term |
Half term |
Half term |
|
Forensic Psychology AT |
Schizophrenia (DS) Revision (AT and DS) |
Revision |
|
Christmas Holidays |
Easter Holidays |
Summer Holidays |
|
Outcomes: Grades and feedback from tests/essays/past exam questions. How will you know students are making progress? Improvement in grades and feedback. Better organised essays which are more synoptic and include key psychological language used appropriately. Improved ability to know how to answer Paper 1, 2 and 3 exam questions and select appropriate knowledge. The ability to make links between different topics in essay answers. They show the ability to discuss the issues and debates associated with psychology and link them to the topics already studied. For example to explain that some explanations for behaviour are reductionist – where schizophrenia is explained by an excess of dopamine and other environmental explanations are ignored. |
Employability skills: Written and organisational skills Use of evidence to support arguments. Manipulation and presentation of data. Uses of data as part of evaluation. Mathematical skills such as using statistical tests. |