Rototuna Senior High School (RSHS) in Kirikiriroa is lucky enough to have grown Psychology to be one of the most popular subjects in the kura. With this growth comes a responsibility to ensure the program is connected to local tertiary providers and the curriculum is staying relevant to our akonga’s future careers. In Term One, RSHS took 190 Level Two and Three psychology students to Waikato University for the day to experience studying Psychology. The day consisted of rotating workshops and lectures in Forensics and Crime Science, Behaviourism, Cognitive Psychology, Simulator Research and Studying Psychology. Some of these workshops complimented existing topics, others were new and one was created by student popular demand.
As a kaiako on the day, here is one thing I learnt from each of the sessions which really were like content PLD:
Forensic - Students continue to love Forensic Psychology and Crime Science but they need to have their own bias challenged with stats.
Behavioural - Bring pets into class (within reason) they’ll love seeing the simplified process of shaping occur.
Cognitive - How simple small cognitive processes like senses and memory are to experiment on, therefore, it's the perfect field to link into the Conduct Research Standards.
Simulator Research - Research should tie to an issue or change society is needing help understanding or even fixing. When we visited the UoW Driving Simulator was conducting research on hw signs in Te Reo Māori impacted driving.
Studying Psychology - Psychology continues to be a popular minor and exists as a compulsory element in many degrees as it supports many key areas like Law, Education, Business, etc.
If you are fortunate enough to have a connection with your local tertiary provider, reach out
to them and see if they are able to work with you to be a guest lecturer in class or on their site or they may have resources.