AP Course:

AP PSYCHOLOGY

Rob McEntarffer

CONSULTANT: Rob McEntarffer

Rob McEntarffer taught Psychology, AP Psychology, and Philosophy for 13 years at Lincoln Southeast high school in Lincoln, NE, and was involved with the AP Psychology reading for many years. While teaching, he became interested in educational measurement issues and got a Masters degree in Educational Measurement from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln in 2003. Rob was involved with the AP Psychology reading for many years, serving as a reader, table leader, and question leader. Rob started his work as an Assessment/Evaluation specialist with Lincoln Public Schools in 2005, and works with the district on large scale and classroom assessment issues. He is the co-author of Barron's AP Psychology and the upcoming AP Q & A Psychology books. Rob earned his PhD in Teaching, Learning, and Teacher education in 2013, focusing his research on how teachers make room for formative assessment processes in their classrooms. Rob lives with his wife, two kids, dog, and cat in Lincoln, NE and works for Lincoln Public Schools.

Class Description:

This summer institute will provide teachers with a solid plan for having a successful Advanced Placement Psychology program.  The course will cover teacher needs such as pacing, unit and lesson development, syllabus approval, activities, and available resources.  The students’ needs of being able to write the essay, study for unit exams, as well as the AP test will be covered.  Teachers should leave feeling confident in teaching psychology as a science and having solid content knowledge and activities for the majority of the units covered in AP Psychology. 

Objectives/Outcome (subject to change based on participants’ needs):

Day One:

  • Morning- Introductions, pacing, AP information, available resources

  • Research Methods unit. Afternoon- The AP Test, grading AP FRQs, Statistics unit

Day Two:

  • Morning- Cover first half of practice AP test, Biological Bases of Behavior unit

  • Afternoon- Sensation and Perception,  Guest Speaker

Day Three:

  • Morning- Cover second half of practice AP test, Development unit

  • Afternoon- Cognition Unit (learning, memory, intelligence, language)

Day Four:

  • Morning- Activities for many units, Social Psychology Unit, Personality Unit