Contact Information:

Whitney Blankenship
Room: 702, Leander H.S.
Phone: 512-435-5326 ext. 81702
Email: Whitney_Blankenship@leanderisd.org
whitney@blankenship.com
Websites: classroom.leanderisd.org/webs/whitney.blankenship/ AND
msblank.com
Tutorials: Tuesday and Thursday 7:45 – 8:30 or by appointment.

The I.B. Psych II class is the second of a two year course in Psychology that is equivalent to the Introductory Psychology course offered at most universities. It provides an overview of the major theories of human behavior and offers students the opportunity to use empirical research methods to test theories. The following topics are discussed (** indicate areas of study for the second year):
Required Perspectives:
• Biological Perspective
• Learning Perspective
• Cognitive Perspective
• Humanistic Perspective **
Options for further study:
• Lifespan Psychology
• Abnormal Psychology
• Social Psychology**
• Cultural Psychology**
• Psychodynamic Psychology **

Research & Statistics (required)
• Ethical standards for psychological research
• Quantitative and Qualitative Research Methods
• Descriptive and Inferential Statistics
• Completion of an independent research project

The exam for IB Psych II is given each year in May of the senior year. A grade of 4 or better (on a 7 point scale) is needed to gain college credit (although some universities require a 5—check with the university you plan to attend).

Students may take the Standard Level or Higher Level exam. All student s in Psych II will research and conduct an experimental study and write up the results in a report of 1500-2000 words. The completed paper is graded by Ms. Blankenship and is externally moderated graders for the International Baccalaureate program (meaning that a sample of the papers is sent in to IB International and graded by them. The grade received on the paper is calculated into the overall grade for the IB exam.

Student may take the AP Psychology exam if they want to, however, reviews for the May examinations will be focused on the IB exam format which is very different from the AP format. Students planning on taking the AP exam should plan on acquiring an AP review book to help them prepare for the AP exam format.

Glassman, William E. Approaches to Psychology, 3 ed. Open University Press, 2001.

Langston, William. Research Methods Laboratory for Psychology, Wadsworth/Thomson Learning, 2002.

Shireav, Eric and David Levy, Cross Cultural Psychology: Critical Thinking and Contemporary Applications, 2nd ed., Pearson, 2004.

Team Based Learning
Research studies have shown that students who work as part of team tend to do better overall than those who work on their own. In team based learning students are given the opportunity to create their own understanding of the material through group discussions, projects and quizzes. Each student will be held individually accountable for material as well. All quizzes will be taken first as an individual, then again as a team. The teams with the highest scores receive bonus points. Teams get to talk through the questions and come to a consensus on the answers. Students within teams are also asked to rate their confidence level for each question on the quiz (very confident to a total guess). The discussion which takes place during the team portion of the quiz gives the team the opportunity to clarify concepts and reinforce the learning of all members. Teams will be given 10 minutes to review as a team before each quiz. All group projects will also contain an individual element that is the primary source of the individual’s grade, with the groups performance added as either bonus points or as 20% of the individual grade.

Students will be placed in teams during the first week of school and will remain with their team for the entire year. Most projects and cooperative learning will be conducted within the team, although there will also be times when students may chose their own partners/group.

Reading Assignments
Students are expected to complete the assigned readings by the due date in order to facilitate class discussion. Quizzes over the readings will be given throughout the year as an accountability check.

Class format and Grading

Classes will be organized around lecture, demonstrations, Socratic circles, oral presentations, experimentation and written work.

Quizzes
Reading quizzes will occur on a regular basis. These quizzes will consist of factual questions such as key events and people. All quizzes will be multiple choice in format and will be taken first as an individual, and then as a team. How well the team performs will determine bonus points on the quiz. See above on Team Based Learning for particulars. The quiz average will count as 25% of the student’s average.

Exams
Exams will consist of short answer and essay type questions using IB exam format and they will be timed. By mimicking the IB exam requirements, including the timed format, students will become comfortable with the types of questions that are likely to be asked as well as getting a feel for the timing. The exam average will account for 60% of the student’s grade.

Projects
Projects will be assigned throughout the year ranging from conducting surveys, developing and participating in experiments to the creation of models and oral presentations. Some projects will be team based, while others will be individual. Depending on the nature of the project (small v. very large, long term projects) will be counted as either quizzes or exams. Project guidelines will specify how the project will be counted toward the student’s grade.

Daily Grades
Daily grades will included short, timed reaction papers, homework exercises, in-class demonstrations/labs and class discussions. Students will be provided with an additional forum to extend class discussions via a forum on the msblank website. Students are expected to participate in class discussions either during class or via the forums. When a forum is put up students will be expected to react to the prompt and to at least one of their classmates’ ideas posted on the forum.

Literature Reviews
Throughout the year students will be required to turn in literature reviews based on classic psychological studies found in the Hock text. Specific guidelines will be passed out before the first review. Literature Reviews count as a quiz grade.

Make-up Policy
When students are absent they should check the school website or email Ms. Blankenship to get their assignments or, if they are going to be out for several days, call the main office (435-8000) and request that homework assignments for the missed days be left for pickup with the receptionist.

In general missed assignments from excused absences are due on the second class day after the student returns to class. If you must be out for several days I will work with you on a case by case basis to get you caught up. Please DO NOT COME TO SCHOOL IF YOU ARE SICK!!!!!! Stay at home and get well, the work will wait.

Late Work
Late work is not accepted. If something comes up and you will not be able to turn in your work on time (and by something, I mean you or a family member had to go to the hospital, a death in the family or other major lif