Hello from Clark University!

Let me just say this: if I (Steve) had a bucket list, I would be one step closer to completing it - I got to meet Kristin Whitlock! And not only have I been able to meet her, but I have had the pleasure of presenting with her at the 7th annual APA/Clark University Workshop for high school psychology teachers. We have had an awesome two days and I'm sad that it's going to wrap-up on Wednesday. I will be posting more about the workshop later in the month, but let me just encourage you all to apply for next year's workshop. (And what's the best way to learn about this workshop and others for psych teachers? That's right - by joining TOPSS!)

What's so great about Clark? You get to hang out with 25 amazing fellow teachers, learn from each other, hear the latest research from terrific presenters and get treated royally by the terrific folks at APA and Clark University. This workshop is made possible by the generosity of Dr. Lee Gurel who should be deemed the parton saint of high school psychology teachers. I was really excited this week to learn that Lee subscribes to the THSP blog and reads it regularly!

And to my fellow moderators: now that I've met Kristin, I'm hoping to meet the rest of you this December at NCSS - right? We'll do our presentation on THSP and have a grand time in DC as well!

2011 APA/Clark University Workshop!

Seven years ago, the generous Dr. Lee Gurel made a generous donation to the APF (American Psychological Foundation) and Clark University to found the annual APA/Clark University workshop for high school psychology teachers (If you're interested in more information about Dr. Gurel and this gift to high school psychology teachers, check out the summary on the APA site). I got to work with the first group of Clark workshop psychology teachers and it is one of the best professional development experiences I've been involved in. The Clark campus is an incredible place for a high school psychology teacher: their archives are some of the best in the country - Freud visited Clark in 1909 and the university maintains maintains an impressive collection of artifacts from this trip and other significant artifacts important in the history of psychology (G. Stanley Hall's desk!). The Clark psychology faculty is committed to helping high school teachers understand current research trends.

The 2011 APA/Clark workshop will be a great experience. Our own Steve Jones (one of the co-authors of this blog - congrats Steve!) and Kristin Whitlock (one of the "rubric masters" at the AP Psychology Reading and psychology teacher-extraordinaire from Utah) will be presenting at the workshop. They will do a great job and you will receive a remarkable amount of activities/demonstrations/great ideas for your classroom. You can read about other details of the workshop (including a link to application materials and information about scholarships) on the APA site.

This year's conference will run from July 11-13 and the application deadline is April 15th. If you can go, you should try to go. You and your students will benefit for years from your professional learning experiences at Clark.



posted by Rob McEntarffer

2010 APA/Clark University Workshop for High School Teachers

The following comes from Emily Leary of the APA's Education Directorate.

The 6th Annual APA/Clark University Workshop will be held July 26-28, 2010 in Worcester, MA. This exciting annual event is co-sponsored by APA, the American Psychological Foundation, and Clark University. All interested high school psychology teachers are invited to apply; the workshop will be open to twenty-five teachers. Workshop presenters will include Nancy Budwig, PhD, Marianne Wiser, PhD, and others from the Clark University Psychology Department. TOPSS members Charlie Blair-Broeker of Cedar Falls High School in Cedar Falls, Iowa and Michael Hamilton of Hopkinton High School, Hopkinton, MA will also present. Dana Dunn, PhD, of Moravian College, will deliver a keynote address.

Housing in the Clark campus dorms and materials will be provided for all participants. There is no registration fee. Participants will also receive travel stipends of $100. New in 2010, five travel scholarships of $250 each will be available to teachers in need of extra travel support.

The application deadline is April 15, 2010. Participants will be selected by approximately May 1. For additional details on registration, travel reimbursement, and more, please visit http://www.apa.org/news/events/2010/apa-clark.aspx.