IB Psychology Student/Parent Packet - · PDF fileIB Psychology Student/Parent Packet ... IB psychology takes a holistic approach that fosters intercultural understanding and respect.

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IB Psychology Student/Parent Packet

Diploma - Year 1 (DP1) AcademicYear2016/2017FarahM.ElSaid,M.Ed

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IB Psychology Student/Parent Welcome Packet

Academic Year 2015/2016 Dear DP 1 Students and Parents, Good Morning and welcome to a new and hopefully and exciting academic year at Global Paradigm School. My name is Farah M. El Said and I am going to be the IB Psychology teacher for this year. I am also a part of the American Diploma team and will be teaching high school Psychology. In this packet you will find all the information that you will need about the course, the teacher, grading system, expectations, learning outcomes, and general goals of the course. Please note that should there be a need to amend anything in this packet, I will inform you before hand by sending you a notification on the class blog or via e-mail. For now however, please take the time to go through this packet carefully, it is considered as a form of agreement between the teacher and the students and the parents/ guardians so that we can avoid any misunderstandings or complications throughout the academic year. Therefore, all three parties (the teacher, the students, and the parent/guardian) will be asked to sign the last page of this welcome packet and return it to me during the first week of school. Should you have any questions or feel the need to clarify anything, please do not hesitate to contact me at your earliest convince. All my contact information are listed below.

About the Teacher

This is a brief introduction that is intended to help you understand the teacher better and get to know a little about my background. I have a Bachelors degree in Mass Communication from the American University in Cairo with a minor in Psychology. I started my teaching career as a teaching assistant, and worked my way up to become a grade 5 Social Studies Teacher. In February 2014, I graduated from the American University in Cairo with a Masters of Arts degree in International and Comparative Education, and my concentration was in Educational Leadership. Right now I am in the process of completing my teaching license (International Professional Certificate in Education) with the University of Sunderland that is based in the U.K. As part of my work as a Masters student I was able to write two research papers and I conducted my field research at Global Paradigm School. I was able to participate in the Comparative and International Education Conference (CIEC) that took place in Toronto in 2014, and I presented my research topic entitled Teacher Marginalization Effects on Teaching Techniques, Classroom Management and Student Behavior in an Egyptian International School: A Classroom Based Research. Aside from my work at GP School, I am also an Academic Instructor at the Professional Educator Diploma Program at the American University in Cairo. The Professional Educator Diploma is a program “for educators, school owners, government supervisors and NGO educators who wish to improve themselves and their schools through studies focused on teaching the early learner and/or the adolescent, teaching with technology, STEAM Education (science, technology, engineering, art and math), inclusive education for diverse learners and educational leadership” (www.aucegypt.edu). I teach a course entitled Child Development and Learning for Early Years Education track.

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I am a person who believes that educators play a very important part in the lives of their students, and that is why I always strive to push my students to do more and go the extra mile. Education should never only be about memorization and theoretical concepts, it should mostly be about applying what one learns to real life situation and being able to use the knowledge that we acquire in the classroom to better our lives as humans and the lives of people around us. That is what I will be teaching the students this year. I will use the Psychology content and material to help the students understand the fundamental importance human development and its relation to the world around us. Moreover, I will equip the students with the necessary knowledge they need to be able to gain the appropriate 21st century skills that will better prepare them to become successful after school in university and later on in their work and lives.

About the Course Course Description: Psychology is the systematic study of behavior and mental processes. Psychology has its roots in both the natural and social sciences, leading to a variety of research designs and applications, and providing a unique approach to understanding modern society. IB psychology examines the interaction of biological, cognitive and sociocultural influences on human behavior, thereby adopting an integrative approach. Understanding how psychological knowledge is generated, developed and applied enables students to achieve a greater understanding of themselves and appreciate the diversity of human behavior. The ethical concerns raised by the methodology and application of psychological research are key considerations in IB psychology. (IB Psychology Study Guide).

Resources: The IB learning process by default stresses on the fact that students should gain information from multiple resources. That is mainly because it gives them the ability to look at the same point from different perspectives, and broadens their understanding of topics and subjects. Therefore, coupled with the electronic resources that we will be using (the Internet, the library database) we will also be extensively using the list of books provided bellow.

• IB Psychology: Study Guide: Oxford IB Diploma Program. • Pearson Baccalaureate: Psychology for the IB Diploma.

Other resources will surely be added to this list as the year progresses. Psychology & International Dimension: IB psychology takes a holistic approach that fosters intercultural understanding and respect. In the core of the IB psychology course, the biological level of analysis demonstrates what all humans share, whereas the cognitive and sociocultural levels of analysis reveal the immense diversity of influences that produce human behavior and mental processes. Cultural diversity is explored and students are encouraged to develop empathy for the feelings, needs and lives of others within and outside their own culture. This empathy contributes to an international understanding. (IB Psychology Study Guide).

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Learning Outcomes:

• Develop an awareness of how psychological research can be applied for the benefit of human beings

• Ensure that ethical practices are upheld in psychological inquiry • Develop an understanding of the biological, cognitive and sociocultural influences on

human behavior • Develop an understanding of alternative explanations of behavior • Understand and use diverse methods of psychological inquiry. • Have fun!! (IB Psychology Study Guide).

Expectations

For the students to benefit from the class, the teacher, and each other there are certain rules and procedures that need to be followed. All students are expected to abide by these rules and procedures in order for us to have a well-structured classroom and a healthy and beneficial learning environment. If any student feels the need to address any of these expectations, please come forward and your comments and thoughts will be greatly appreciated. Therefore, students are expected to:

• Arrive on time to class and ready to work.

• Have all their material with them prior to entering the classroom.

• Do their homework regularly in order to be prepared and avoid lagging behind in

course work.

• Participate in class discussions and debates.

• RESPECT each other, themselves, and their teacher.

• Avoid engaging in side-talks and/or in any behavior that would disrupt the flow of the

lesson.

• Contact the teacher whenever they have any problems or concerns related to their

course work, assignments, the curriculum, or any problems in side or outside the

classroom with their peers.

• Keep the classroom clean so as to be able to work in a healthy learning environment.

• Refrain from any sort of plagiarism and/or claiming work that is not theirs without

properly siting it.

• Being absent from the class without a proper excuse. *These expectations are subject to change as the year progresses. However please note that should there be any change in the above-mentioned expectations, both the students and their parents/guardians will be notified immediately.

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Syllabus Outline

(IB Psychology Study Guide).

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Assessment Outline

Standard Level (SL) Assessment:


High Level (HL) Assessment:

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Class Schedule and location The IB Psychology class is located in room 114 & 112. We will be meeting four times per week. Each class session is 55 minutes long. Below is the exact class schedule for this academic year.

Period 1 Period 2 Period 3 Period 4 Period 5 Period 6

8:00 – 8:55

Morning Break

9:05 – 10:00

10:05 – 11:15

Break 11:00 – 11:55

12:00 – 12:55

01:00 – 1:55

02:00 – 2:55

Sunday IB Psych

Monday IB Psych

8:00 – 8:50 8:55 – 9:45

9:50 – 10:40

Break 10:40 – 11:25

11:30 – 12:20

12:25 – 1:15

1:20 – 2:10

Tuesday IB Psych

Wednesday IB Psych

Thursday

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Communication

Communication is an integral part of the success of any organization or community. Since I view my classroom as a learning community where students are able to communicate freely in a respectable way to learn from each other and from their teachers, this therefore leads to the creation of a healthy and beneficial learning environment. I expect students to come to me whenever they are having any problems with the course or any of its requirements. I am available at school all day, every day. I am also reachable via e-mail or through the class blog. The same goes for parents/guardians. I believe that for the students to succeed the parents/ guardians and the school need to work together to ensure that this happens. Consequently I will be updating our class progress every week on the blog and will be posting grades regularly on e-connect. I encourage you to e-mail me with any concerns that you might have about your children or the course at your earliest convenience. Below is all the information that you may need to reach me as well as the log on information for the blog and e-connect. Class Blog: www.ibgps2018.wordpress.com Teacher’s E-mail: [email protected] Telephone: You can reach me though the school numbers at any time during the school working hours.

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Agreement

Having read this document, I kindly ask you to sign below as an acknowledgment of receipt. This also means that you have read and understood what is expected from the students and how the course is expected to operate. If you have any questions prior to signing this document, please do not hesitate to contact me at your earliest convenience. I am always here and will be more than happy to clarify or explain anything in this packet. Once again I welcome you to a new and hopefully fruitful and beneficial academic year, and I am looking forward to working with all of you. All the best, Farah M. El Said. M.Ed. Teacher Student’s Name Parent/ Guardian’s Name

Teacher’s Signature Student’s Signature Parent/ Guardian’s Signature Date: ___________________

Date: ___________________

Date: ___________________

IB Psychology Student/Parent Packet - · PDF fileIB Psychology Student/Parent Packet ... IB psychology takes a holistic approach that fosters intercultural understanding and respect.

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