Excitement

I really love teaching AP Psych.  There is so much excitement in the air.  Challenging questions, hard working students, and a wonderful content area with a world of possibilities.  One of my favorite things about AP Psych is being able to apply the content to every day life.  One example might be the Milgram Experiment.  It is so important to understand the ramifications of an experiment like this and being able to demonstrate in class the power of authority is always eye-opening for me.  A handful of kids have had general psychology and know what is about to take place, but even then, many of them stand when asked.  I also think it is worth a mention that if one were to think critically about why I would ask you to stand in the middle of class, you might be able to parse out some very contrived reasons and refuse altogether.  Speaking of Critical Thinking, here's a nice video of James Randi.  Enjoy!

What Have You Taught Yourself Lately?

It's probably not a secret, I LOVE learning.  Learning about all kinds of things.  The beauty of it is, I've been able to learn some pretty useful things over the years.  I've saved myself upwards of $500 by learning how to fix my own garage door last winter.  I've learned how to brew wine and beer, and though the wine has had mixed reviews, and the batches of beer have been few and far between, I simply KNOW more about the process and what makes a good beer or wine, which allows for some pretty good conversation.

Some of you were (un)lucky enough to see my first public performance with a banjo this past weekend.  Guess what, I'm self taught (like that wasn't evident).  I've only been playing banjo for nine months or so, and to be honest, I was a little uneasy about hopping up on stage.  I don't even like to play my guitar for people and I've been playing guitar for over 15 years.

You might be thinking, "get to the point already", and I am.  This week we've been learning about learning.  I am pretty clearly interested in music, and I am self motivated to continue to learn various instruments, songs, etc.  You could call it an intrinsic motivation, which is why I keep on doing it, even though there is very little monetary incentive to do so, in fact it's the opposite.  Once I learn how to do something, I want to do it more, which means I will eventually want another, more intermediate and expensive banjo.  Not cheap.

I'd really like you to think about your own motivations.  Motivations for this class, for your future career, and for your hobbies.  How does your interest level change based on whether your motivation is intrinsic or extrinsic?  Can you change HOW you are motivated?  Would you want to?

Those are definitely some questions you could ask yourself, or even answer in the comment section below.  AND...if you were wondering how I learned how to play the banjo, check out the video below.

Eight lessons to get you on your way to bluegrass fun!

I Promised

Hi Everybody,

I promised I'd start writing blogs soon, and here it is!  The first of the 2015 AP Psych season.  My first inspiration comes from the Invisibilia Podcast via NPR.  Yes, yes, I know what you're thinking: How OLD is this guy?  Podcasts?!!?  Get it together Dreier.  Just trust me on this one.

They've done some very cool podcasts on topics that are so applicable to AP Psych that it would be a travesty if I didn't tell you about it.  With topics like fear, thinking, and even synesthesia and mirror neurons, this has something for everyone who happens to be even mildly interested in psychology.  This is something I look forward to every week, knowing that at some point I'll find something specific I can use in class.  I'd love to hear what you think of it in the comments section.  Meanwhile, listen to this:

Such a great song.

Enjoy!

Holy Done.

Time for us to rock some review. As with many of you, I am looking forward to breathing a little. I'm proud of all of you as you've worked so hard to get to this point. This point in the year is always pretty bittersweet for me. I am happy to be done with the intense instruction that you've been used to, but I am also a little sad because it wraps up the end of the year. Over the course of the semester, I grow especially fond of my AP classes and I know that things are pretty much over at this point. A few projects and TED talks and SoulPancake videos and that's it. Then you all leave. That part is inevitable, but it still is a little sad because I end up missing a lot of you until next AP season. I really don't think it's because you're AP kids so much as that I RARELY get to spend an entire semester with a group of kids anymore.

 Enough sappy stuff. I'm going home to get one of my guitars today. I get to play it now that I get a breather here and there. I look forward to that every day. If you haven't noticed, I really enjoy music. Pretty much anything, and like anyone, I have guilty pleasures when it comes to music. KC hit a nerve when I read her last blog with her JT barbershop video. Yup. Guilty pleasure. Maybe even dancing (don't ask, it's not good, and no I won't). Here's another good one. If it doesn't get you moving, you don't have feelings.

Tell me this isn't awesome:


But it makes me want this:

Just Fifteen Days

Instructionally, we're done in a mere fifteen days, which gives us a solid five days for review/practice tests.  You can do anything for fifteen days, and I PROMISE, I'll let you do some slacking from May 6th through May 9th.  You've earned it.  We've started personality, and should wrap up with that in the next two days, which then leads into the very interesting topic of psychological disorders and treatment.

I'm concerned with the next unit because last year students didn't score well on it for the AP exam.  This year, I've dedicated more time to this unit so that we may cover more topics in depth and gain a better understanding of these disorders and how they are treated.  My one gripe with the AP exam is that I don't get a full item analysis to be able to tell where students really went wrong or where I have failed them as a teacher so that I may not make the same mistake twice.  So for now, I'll just add more time and see if that works.  Seems legit right?  It is a very interesting unit, so perhaps the extended time will allow for all of you to better question the material and allow for good application of information.

This is fun:

Not Naming Names...

The fact that someone has called me out on not blogging for a while is a little unsettling to me.  Absurd that a guy like me can't keep up the way that I'd like to, but I thought that some of you would appreciate me taking the time to keep up with the grade book instead.  These past few weeks have flown by oh so quickly I know that some of you have felt lost in psychology wonderland.  It's crazy to think that in four weeks, we've covered Thinking, Language, Memory, Testing and a host of other topics that have been fun interesting and kind of enjoyable.  Also, it should be nice to know that there are really only four real units left which are Emotions, Personality,  the great Abnormal Psychology and finally Social Psychology.  Now that's something that you should be able to look forward to.

Again, sorry for not blogging, I'll keep up with it better for second term, I promise.  I'll leave you with this nugget of a video since I'll be going to see them tonight at the Meyer Theatre tonight:




And if you didn't catch it, the student's name who called me out on not blogging is hidden somewhere in this post.

Thanks for playing!

I'm Sorry.

Today I handed out another FRQ.  I normally don't feel about about doing so, but a lot of you have struggled with these.  I feel like I'm torturing you, but you all must know that I am doing it for you.  I want EXPECT you to do well, but I know that I have to help you with that and in my opinion, you need the FRQ time.

Moreover, I think we all need a break.  Not like a weekend break, but an actual day off.  It has been a long, cold, dull, (expletive deleted), winter.  We're supposed to be coming out of the thick of winter, but today we set a record for most days below zero in Wisconsin.  Good thing I plan on staying right here for spring break to get away to someplace warmer.  Luckily, I don't suffer from SAD, a type of depression that is partially affected by the amount of daylight one sees.  I know people who do suffer, and it can get pretty bleak.  I doubt this winter has done them any favors.  This is something that we'll be learning more about in the future and spending some time on-psychological disorders.  It would seem for a variety of reasons students haven't fared well on this portion of the test.  Perhaps I don't spend enough time on it.  Perhaps by that time students feel out of gas and start to really drag on their reading.  Perhaps it's a combination of a number of factors.

HANG IN THERE!  There is truly only about seven weeks of class time left.  Stay strong.  YOU can do ANYTHING for seven weeks, heck basic training is only nine or ten.  I'll leave you with this, it's a nugget that a certain student dropped on me earlier this year.  Great song, fun video, RIDICULOUS CHOPS (seriously how did Mungo not make this list?).  If it doesn't make you feel like summer, nothing will.  Here goes:



Ch, ch ch.  Ch, ch ch.

Also, at least I didn't link to THIS.