Showing posts with label Course info. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Course info. Show all posts
Monday, 21 March 2011
This blog is for...
This blog is aimed at pupils of Hutchesons' Grammer School and provides information about assignments, deadlines etc. For a blog with more general information on introductory/Higher/A-Level Psychology, see www.mindsandmodels.blogspot.com
Wednesday, 25 August 2010
Welcome to the new S6 psychology!
Welcome
Hello! Welcome to Higher Psychology at Hutchie, I hope you enjoy the course, learn a lot and have a fun year.
Rather than give you yet another handout, I have put course information onto this blog. You can click on the label 'course info' (see the labels at the bottom of this post) to find all the info, or search for something specific using the box at the top.
A couple of general points here:
Course structure & assessment
This is a one-year crash higher. It is assessed by project work done in winter-spring, and an exam in the summer. You also need to pass internal assessments (NABs).
Homework
For each topic, you will be provided with a topic handout which includes homework assignments. You will be given deadlines for these assignments during the course - roughly one assignment per week.
Study materials
You should find a suitable way of taking and organising notes and handouts, such as filing them by topic in a large ring binder. You will be given a booklet for each topic, and you should also take notes in class. A jotter or loose A4 paper would be fine for this. Homework should be handed in on a separate sheet of paper (i.e. not your jotter), handwritten or printed, or can be emailed as an attachment. It is also strongly recommended that you implement a system of summarising your notes and handouts for revision purposes, perhaps using a separate notebook for this.
Textbook
Booklets will include a basic summary of each topic, but for full information on the topic you will need a suitable textbook. The recommended textbook for the course is ‘Higher Psychology’ by Williamson et al (2007).
Communication
It is essential for the smooth running of the class that you can be contacted by email, so please check your school email address regularly. You can contact me at firthj@hutchesons.org, or come and see me in room C8 (top floor, same floor as economics & art).
Hello! Welcome to Higher Psychology at Hutchie, I hope you enjoy the course, learn a lot and have a fun year.
Rather than give you yet another handout, I have put course information onto this blog. You can click on the label 'course info' (see the labels at the bottom of this post) to find all the info, or search for something specific using the box at the top.
A couple of general points here:
Course structure & assessment
This is a one-year crash higher. It is assessed by project work done in winter-spring, and an exam in the summer. You also need to pass internal assessments (NABs).
Homework
For each topic, you will be provided with a topic handout which includes homework assignments. You will be given deadlines for these assignments during the course - roughly one assignment per week.
Study materials
You should find a suitable way of taking and organising notes and handouts, such as filing them by topic in a large ring binder. You will be given a booklet for each topic, and you should also take notes in class. A jotter or loose A4 paper would be fine for this. Homework should be handed in on a separate sheet of paper (i.e. not your jotter), handwritten or printed, or can be emailed as an attachment. It is also strongly recommended that you implement a system of summarising your notes and handouts for revision purposes, perhaps using a separate notebook for this.
Textbook
Booklets will include a basic summary of each topic, but for full information on the topic you will need a suitable textbook. The recommended textbook for the course is ‘Higher Psychology’ by Williamson et al (2007).
Communication
It is essential for the smooth running of the class that you can be contacted by email, so please check your school email address regularly. You can contact me at firthj@hutchesons.org, or come and see me in room C8 (top floor, same floor as economics & art).
Thursday, 22 October 2009
Topics
Just a quick word on topics - any of you browsing through this blog might notice changes compared to previous years. Just to clarify:
There are three topics in unit 1, but we only study two of them (the third topic, Early Socialisation, will be in the exam paper but you won't answer those questions).
There are several option topics in unit 3, and I have tended to vary these from year to year depending on what I think will be of most interest, and lead to the best exam results. This year the syllabus has changed slightly, and in light of this I think the best ones to do will be Prejudice and Atypical Behaviour.
There are three topics in unit 1, but we only study two of them (the third topic, Early Socialisation, will be in the exam paper but you won't answer those questions).
There are several option topics in unit 3, and I have tended to vary these from year to year depending on what I think will be of most interest, and lead to the best exam results. This year the syllabus has changed slightly, and in light of this I think the best ones to do will be Prejudice and Atypical Behaviour.
Monday, 22 June 2009
Course info - the exam
The Exam
The external assessment comprises the exam, which is worth 100 marks (40 each on the material from units 1 and 3, and 20 from unit 2), and the Research Investigation, which is worth the equivalent of 25 exam marks (roughly 20% overall).
There will be a 2-and-a-half hour exam in late May/early June, with three sections, one on each unit. The section on unit 1 consists of two questions on each topic, which will be worth either 10 marks each, or 8 marks and 12 marks. Unit 2 (Investigating Behaviour) will be assessed with short answer questions, based around a research scenario. Unit 3 will combine one set of short answer questions and one essay question.
Past papers plus the SQA 'specimen paper' are available on the SQA website www.sqa.org.uk as are marking instructions. Please note that a few changes have been made to the content of the course starting with year 2009-10, so don't worry about unfamiliar questions in previous year's exams.
The external assessment comprises the exam, which is worth 100 marks (40 each on the material from units 1 and 3, and 20 from unit 2), and the Research Investigation, which is worth the equivalent of 25 exam marks (roughly 20% overall).
There will be a 2-and-a-half hour exam in late May/early June, with three sections, one on each unit. The section on unit 1 consists of two questions on each topic, which will be worth either 10 marks each, or 8 marks and 12 marks. Unit 2 (Investigating Behaviour) will be assessed with short answer questions, based around a research scenario. Unit 3 will combine one set of short answer questions and one essay question.
Past papers plus the SQA 'specimen paper' are available on the SQA website www.sqa.org.uk as are marking instructions. Please note that a few changes have been made to the content of the course starting with year 2009-10, so don't worry about unfamiliar questions in previous year's exams.
Course info - Prelim
Prelim & school prize
There will be a prelim in January/February, and the mark will appear on your spring report, and will also inform estimates of your grade which go to the SQA and universities. The prelim will be shorter than the final exam, and will focus on research evidence.
As the SQA require appeals evidence to cover all three units of the Higher, it will be necessary to run an additional ‘2nd prelim’, which will take place in late April/early May. Although this is a busy time for all students, the exam practice will be very useful preparation, and this will be a good time to start your exam revision.
The student(s) with the most marks in NABs and January prelim combined will be awarded the prize(s) for psychology, and the top 25% of students will appear on the ‘Order of Merit’ for the year.
There will be a prelim in January/February, and the mark will appear on your spring report, and will also inform estimates of your grade which go to the SQA and universities. The prelim will be shorter than the final exam, and will focus on research evidence.
As the SQA require appeals evidence to cover all three units of the Higher, it will be necessary to run an additional ‘2nd prelim’, which will take place in late April/early May. Although this is a busy time for all students, the exam practice will be very useful preparation, and this will be a good time to start your exam revision.
The student(s) with the most marks in NABs and January prelim combined will be awarded the prize(s) for psychology, and the top 25% of students will appear on the ‘Order of Merit’ for the year.
Course info - NABs
NABs
Your knowledge of the units covered will be tested with SQA unit tests throughout the course. You are required to gain 50% (a ‘C’ pass) or more in all of these, as without doing so you cannot gain your higher, even if you pass the exam.
You have up to three attempts to pass each NAB. You must attend on the day of a NAB (see appendix 4, below, for provisional dates); any unexplained absences count as one of these three attempts.
If NABs are failed, a time must be arranged with your teacher to do a reassessment. The reassessment will consist of a completely new set of questions, so you must be prepared to answer on any aspect of the unit content. Again, failure to attend as arranged must count as one out of the three possible attempts, so make sure you take a note of time and place.
Tests will usually be marked and returned within a week of the date they are sat; resits and late tests may take longer before they are returned.
Your knowledge of the units covered will be tested with SQA unit tests throughout the course. You are required to gain 50% (a ‘C’ pass) or more in all of these, as without doing so you cannot gain your higher, even if you pass the exam.
You have up to three attempts to pass each NAB. You must attend on the day of a NAB (see appendix 4, below, for provisional dates); any unexplained absences count as one of these three attempts.
If NABs are failed, a time must be arranged with your teacher to do a reassessment. The reassessment will consist of a completely new set of questions, so you must be prepared to answer on any aspect of the unit content. Again, failure to attend as arranged must count as one out of the three possible attempts, so make sure you take a note of time and place.
Tests will usually be marked and returned within a week of the date they are sat; resits and late tests may take longer before they are returned.
Course info - Units
Unit 1: The Psychology of the Individual
This unit will look at two key areas (‘domains’) of psychology, selecting one topic from each for in-depth study:
The cognitive domain. Topic: memory
The biological domain. Topic: stress
This unit will be assessed by a 30-minute ‘NAB’ unit test in class in October or November.
Unit 2: Investigating Behaviour
This unit will look at the main ways in which psychologists conduct research. These are known as ‘research methods’ and consist of the experimental method, the case-study method, the survey method, and the observation method. More details on the content of this unit appears in appendix 1 (page 9).
This first section of the unit will be assessed by a 30-minute NAB, and constitutes 50% of the internal assessment for this unit.
Students must also conduct their own ‘Research Investigation’ (RI); the RI will be externally marked and the final version must be submitted to the school by the deadline date.
The process of planning and keeping a log during the RI is essential, and a Practical Portfolio comprising a plan and log must be submitted to your teacher prior to handing in the RI. The Practical Portfolio contributes the other 50% of the internal assessment for this unit
Unit 3: The Individual in the social context
This unit will look at two key areas (‘domains’) of psychology, again with a topic from each:
The social domain. Topic: Prejudice.
The individual differences domain. Topic: Atypical Behaviour.
This unit will be assessed by a 30-minute unit test in class in March.
This unit will look at two key areas (‘domains’) of psychology, selecting one topic from each for in-depth study:
The cognitive domain. Topic: memory
The biological domain. Topic: stress
This unit will be assessed by a 30-minute ‘NAB’ unit test in class in October or November.
Unit 2: Investigating Behaviour
This unit will look at the main ways in which psychologists conduct research. These are known as ‘research methods’ and consist of the experimental method, the case-study method, the survey method, and the observation method. More details on the content of this unit appears in appendix 1 (page 9).
This first section of the unit will be assessed by a 30-minute NAB, and constitutes 50% of the internal assessment for this unit.
Students must also conduct their own ‘Research Investigation’ (RI); the RI will be externally marked and the final version must be submitted to the school by the deadline date.
The process of planning and keeping a log during the RI is essential, and a Practical Portfolio comprising a plan and log must be submitted to your teacher prior to handing in the RI. The Practical Portfolio contributes the other 50% of the internal assessment for this unit
Unit 3: The Individual in the social context
This unit will look at two key areas (‘domains’) of psychology, again with a topic from each:
The social domain. Topic: Prejudice.
The individual differences domain. Topic: Atypical Behaviour.
This unit will be assessed by a 30-minute unit test in class in March.
** More details of the content of these units in separate posts! **
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