In consolidating students’ understanding of the psychological schools of thought in HSP3U, over the course of two 75 minute periods, I have the students in groups review the different psychologists and their findings. They use videos from Crash Course and the textbook “Social Science: An Introduction” by OHASSTA executive Jan Haskings to summarize the key terms into a graphic organizer. Each group member is responsible for compiling the information for one of the schools of thought.
Once they have summarized the various key terms and features, they extend their understanding further by thinking about the types of features that the psychologist would like to see in a toy. For this part, it’s important to remind students that they should focus on the features, rather than a specific toy. This first part makes up the better part of the first of the two periods.
On the following day, the students will then be locating a toy that specifically meets the needs of the psychologists in their school of thought. They will locate a picture and then explain their choice. All of this is compiled by the group on a Google Slide. A new addition I’ve just added is having AI create the toy. After being provided with appropriate prompts that are reflective of the school of thought and psychologists, the students will ask the AI to visually create a toy that the psychologists would be happy with. They will then add the image and write about whether they believe that toy is a good representation of their school of thought.
To round out the second period, I have the students present their toy choice and ask them questions as necessary to further extend their understanding.
Resources:
Google Doc (Uses the textbook “Social Science: An Introduction” by Jan Haskings-Winner)
Christina Iorio is a teacher with the York Catholic District School Board and is a regular contributor to social media platforms regarding all things history and social science. Follow her on Instagram @therealmsiorio
