Psychology Curriculum

Curriculum Intent – Content and Structure

The intended outcomes of what we teach:

For students to:

Understand how psychology has developed as a science.
Understand the process of conducting psychological research.
Have knowledge of a variety of psychological theories and landmark pieces of psychological research.
Have the ability to critically evaluate theories and research.
Have the ability to apply knowledge of theories in research in novel contexts.

Curriculum Implementation

Curriculum Content and Sequence

Year 12

Autumn

Spring

Summer

Approaches

Research Methods part 1: The Experiment

Memory

Psychopathology

Psychopathology continued

Attachment

Biopsychology part 1

Social Influence

Research Methods continued

Attachment continued

Debates and Issues

Approaches part 2

Year 13

Autumn

Spring

Summer

Biopsychology part 2

Research Methods part 2

Relationships

Schizophrenia

Addiction

Practice / revision / study leave

The Rationale for the Content and Sequence of what we Teach

Year

Why we Teach this Content and how the Content and Sequence of Topics Benefits our Students

Year 12

The topics covered in Year 12 are delivered in an order that is very different from the textbook.

Approaches and research methods part 1 are covered first. These topics provide the context for the rest of the course
Memory is a stand alone topic that BCO can teach during his 1 period with Year 12. It also links to the Approaches, so helps reinforce knowledge learnt in that topic
Psychopathology follows on from Approaches as it applies knowledge from that topic to mental illnesses
Research methods is broken up into three parts. This helps maintain engagement on the least interesting part of the course. Each part is introduced at a time when it is contextually relevant to other topics being covered (e.g., observation research is an important part of the Attachment topic, so the research methods topics that deal with observations are covered at the same time as Attachment)

Year 13

The topics covered in Year 13 mirror the layout of the textbook. There is no clear reason to deviate from this.

This supports students as units are well resources and coherent.

Key Stage 5 (KS5) only:

What exam board/syllabus do you teach?

AQA

Why have you chosen this syllabus?

AQA was chosen as this is the most commonly used. It covers a range of interesting topics whilst giving a good grounding in the nature of Psychology as a subject and as a Science.

Curriculum Implementation

The subject specific habits and behaviours we develop (or intend to develop) in our students

Subject Specific Habits and Behaviours

How we embed these in our students

Resource creation
Retrieval practice
Deliberate practice (exam questions)
Metacognition

Students are taught how to make flashcard notes. These are set routinely and checked at set points throughout the year.
Students are taught retrieval techniques (cued recall and free recall). These are set as a routine HL.
Students are taught about the nature of deliberate practice (having a clear goal/repetition/feedback/maximum effort and focus). They are then given resources to enable deliberate practice in respect of exam questions, with feedback material provided.
Students are taught about metacognition (planning / monitoring / evaluation / re-planning) and are taught how to apply this all other subject specific habits through self-monitoring. This process is supervised by the teacher.

Academy Ethos

Academy Curriculum Intent

How our department’s curriculum content and teaching approaches reflect the whole Academy ethos

A Curricular and Pastoral commitment to Micah 6v8: Do justice, love kindness and walk humbly with your God.

High Expectations of students’ behaviour for learning, learning progress and respect for our community.

A commitment to make learning enjoyable, engaging, relevant and challenging.

A commitment to develop knowledge, skills and character.

Consistency and fairness in approach and routines.

Excellent and developing subject knowledge which inspires confidence in students.

Effective collaboration across all parts of the Academy.

Highly skilled teaching which deepens understanding and stimulates curiosity.

A willingness to embrace research and innovation in order to enhance the learning potential of our students.

Recognising and rewarding effective use of learning habits as well as academic achievement.

Psychology is a subject which encourages a respect for humanity. The subject helps pupils understand how the behaviour of every person has an origin in factors that are beyond control. This encourages acceptance.

Lessons are designed to maximise understanding and engagement is the foundation of this. Lessons involve are problem-based and require students to work together to reach the answer by themselves.

A Level psychology requires students to retain a significant amount of knowledge. This requires motivation and willpower. These are psychological concepts that students are explicitly taught about, and how to utilise them.

Psychology’s main teacher has been engaged in research through CAMSTAR, and the results of this research have fed back into the teaching of A Level Psychology.

An understanding of habits (the relationship between the cycle of cues, routines and rewards) has informed how independent learning is taught in A Level Psychology.

Implementation

Academy Ethos

Micah 6v8: Do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with your God
	Curriculum Content Opportunities	Curriculum Delivery Opportunities
Justice	In the module on Memory, students learn about the factors that can affect the accuracy of eyewitness testimony, helping them understand issues with the justice system.	Class debates Group discussions Essay preparation and completion
Kindness	Various topics emphasise the value of kindness in supporting those with mental health issues (e.g., the role of a supportive therapist).	Class debates Group discussions Essay preparation and completion
Humility	Various topics (e.g., Memory and Social Influence) helps students understand the flaws in human judgement, helping them understand the importance of humility in their own thinking	Class debates Group discussions Essay preparation and completion

Please click here to access the full Psychology curriculum document.

Psychology Curriculum